After State Senator Marty Golden was exposed for weaponizing his parking placard to bully a cyclist out of a bike lane and threaten him with arrest, City Hall and NYPD are in no rush to revoke or even reconsider Golden's government-sanctioned driving privileges.
Mayor de Blasio and Police Commissioner James O'Neill can't say they're not aware of the risk Golden poses so long as he can flash his placard to traffic enforcement agents.
In addition to multiple tickets for speeding through school zones and running red lights, city records show that since 2013 Golden's Cadillac has been tagged dozens of times for blocking bus stops, bus lanes, crosswalks, and street cleaning crews, in addition to other parking offenses.
Since one of the perks of holding a placard is getting a free pass from police for traffic and parking violations, one can only imagine the frequency with which Golden abuses his permit to wriggle out of tickets and fines.
Actually, you don’t have to imagine. “Listen, all those tickets are paid for and a lot of those tickets were excused on,” Golden told WNYC. “We're going in and out of events and we get placards so we can park in no parking zones and that's what we do.”
Get that? For Golden, who unlike other New Yorkers has places to be, the placard separates him from motorists who don't get to play Kojak, not to mention the rabble who get around the city without the use of a chauffeured private automobile.
People like Hariklia Zafiropoulos, who died in 2006 after Golden hit her with his SUV on Third Avenue.
On the same street earlier this week, Golden waved his placard at Brian Howald and threatened to take him to a precinct for having the gall to defend his rightful spot on the road. Fortunately for the rest of us, Howald called his bluff.
NYPD did not respond when Streetsblog asked if the department would investigate Golden's alleged police impersonation, which is a criminal offense. Police told other outlets they would take no action unless Howald files a report, which Howald said he is considering.
Streetsblog asked de Blasio’s office if City Hall is reviewing the status of Golden’s placard in light of this week's events. We've yet to get a reply, and the mayor has said nothing publicly about Golden's escapades.
A parking placard is not supposed to be wielded by elected officials to intimidate the public they purportedly serve. Marty Golden has shown himself to be an unrepentant menace behind the windshield. The revocation of his placard is the least that should happen to correct his behavior.
De Blasio has the power to show that Golden's abuse of his privilege won't be tolerated. Does he have the will?
