One business owner's story

There has been an amazing outpouring of stories since making a couple of appearances on the Rick Jensen Show on WDEL, the News Journal front page story this morning and the NBC 10 report this evening.

Here's one story, printed with permission:

I own a small business in Wilmington located in the same location since the '80s. I've seen the ticketing become more aggressive in the past few years.

One incident still has me scratching my head and frankly has me looking to relocate outside of the city. Realizing this whole mess is about generating revenue for the city, it seems rather short sighted of the city if I and other businesses like mine are considering leaving. My business employs about twenty, all paying wage tax.

           

Here is what happened. Every week twice a week unsuspecting customers are victims of the forty dollar fine for being in the way of the street cleaner. When I can, I Tell my customers to park somewhere else to avoid ticketing. When a customer does get a ticket I pay it for them so as to not lose their patronage. One of my customers recently got a ticket. This is where it gets crazy. Parked behind her was another customer who did not get a ticket. It appeared to be a friend of the ticket writer as they engaged in a brief chat. I questioned the ticket writer as to why one customer got the ticket and the other did not, I was told to mind my own business and to let him do his job. I have to mention the vehicle that did not get the ticket was parked in a spot marked no parking here to corner. I paid the customer's ticket. About a week later while I was parked in the spot where the guy who didn't get a ticket was parked, the spot marked no parking, the same ticket writer swooped down out of thin air and issued me a ticket for parking in a no parking zone.....Right in front of my store.....while I was standing there after loading it for an event........He smirked and said have a nice day.

I wrote to appeal both tickets. The first on the basis that it was unfair to issue one customer a ticket and not the other. The second on the basis that the ticket was unnecessary as I was using the spot as my loading zone which it previously was posted as. Needless to say, that was a waste of time , paper and ink.  Why the loading zone sign was ever removed never occurred to me and I never paid too much attention to it. I ALWAYS had parked there for loading and unloading.

In going through some old photos I came across a photograph showing the parking spot marked loading zone. The very spot where I got the ticket and the ticket writers friend did not. I have to admit for a quick minute I thought .maybe I could re-appeal and get my forty bucks back. Then reality hit "you can't beat city hall". My time might be better spent looking for a  location outside the city.

Any way I wish I could say it feels good to vent.

I think you are doing a good job of making folks aware of the crap that is going on. Please keep up the good work.