State Sen. Tony Avella, D-Bayside, may be spending a lot more time in his car.
Avella says he has cut up a special placard he was issued by the State, which would have given him special privileges to leave his car in “no-parking” zones and at unpaid meters.
The lawmaker’s office said he was troubled by the wording on the parking placard: “This vehicle is on official police business.”
“Elected officials using placards stating that they are on official police business is flat-out wrong,” said Avella. He believes the phrase must be immediately changed.
"We should have to experience the same parking dilemmas that every citizen of this City and State face on a day-to-day basis,” Avella said. “By experiencing these problems we develop a better understanding of the transportation issues facing our constituency.”
Since beginning his first term as a state senator, Avella has pushed several initiatives targeting his colleagues in the State Legislature, including .
He also attacked the practice of a handful of other state lawmakers who are collecting pensions for their previous civil service work while collecting a salary for their work in the legislature.
Avella returned the sliced placard to the governor’s office, with a note thanking them for the offer.
