Lew Fidler Laments Impending Loss of Parking Permit

8:30 AM EDT on August 24, 2007

The Daily Politics' Liz Benjamin captured this little off-the-cuff gem in her interview yesterday with Brooklyn Council member Lew Fidler. Fidler, who called the 17-member congestion pricing commission "a sham," is emerging as one of City Council's most outspoken congestion pricing critics:

"I am not retiring, but I have not decided what I'm going to do,"Fidler said. "I'm not running for mayor, comptroller, public advocateof borough president. There are lots of ways to serve in government,and they're not always elected positions...I enjoy being a councilmanmore than I could tell you. I wish I wasn't term-limited, but I'm notgoing to run for an office I'm not likely to win, trying to jam asquare peg in a round hole, just to keep the parking permit."

Tell it like it is, Lewis!

Aaron Naparstek

@naparstek.bsky.social

Aaron Naparstek is the founder and former editor-in-chief of Streetsblog. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Naparstek's journalism, advocacy and community organizing work has been instrumental in growing the bicycle network, removing motor vehicles from parks, and developing new public plazas, car-free streets and life-saving traffic-calming measures across all five boroughs. He was also one of the original cast members of the "War on Cars" podcast. You can find more of his work on his website.

Stay in touch

More from Streetsblog New York City

MTA

MTA Demands Albany Deal With Toll Evasion Already

A new analysis of toll evasion found that the amount of money owed by drivers who don't pay paper toll invoices has more than doubled since 2022, from $147 million in unpaid tolls to nearly $350 million.