Calvin Trillin--veteran New Yorker writer and author of, among other swell books, Tepper Isn't Going Out, which revolves around a New York City man's parking habits--harbors intense feelings about vehicular placement. Trillin describes the savvy Gotham parker: "He plays rough but clean like the West Point football team, trained not to gouge people's eyes, but to take every possible advantage. It's dog eat dog. You want it easy? Go to Elmira." And apparently Trillin isn't the only Big Apple resident who takes parking seriously. Last Thursday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced he would cut by 20 percent the number of parking permits issued to New York City employees, including public school teachers. Randi Weingarten, president of the United Federation of Teachers, reacted predictably, sending Bloomberg a letter that termed his parking-pass cutbacks "deeply disturbing." Odd. When Gadfly thinks of "deeply disturbing" things, he envisions chainsaw massacres in Texas, taking advice from Dr. Phil, and the Byzantine process required to fire a teacher in the New York City Public School System. But then, Gadfly has always used public transportation.
"Parking Plan Is Rebuffed by Teachers," by Elizabeth Green, New York Sun, January 7, 2008