Springfield, Massachusetts Towing Scandal Threatens City Government

Image Contributed By "Way Cool 311 Jim"

I wouldn't want to close the greasy books on 2008 without one more post about the Springfield Towing Alliance, the subject of so much interesting ongoing scandal in Springfield, Massachusetts. I've blogged about this messy, almost-darkly-comic situation quite a bit already, click here, and also here.

But now things in Springfield have REALLY taken a serious turn...

The municipal government's functions are imperiled by spin-off from the scandal. How this came about is complicated and a bit hard to follow, but explained pretty well by two excellent articles in The Republican. Click here for the article by Dan Ring, and then click here for a subsequent article by Jack Flynn. (A reporter's name if I ever heard one)

This much I gather from the articles: Springfield has a $52 million dollar loan from the state. They're asking for additional time to pay back the loan, described as a "bail out." According to Flynn's article, the state "imposed a five-member Finance Control Board and stripped city officials of authority over municipal finances." OUCH!!!!!

The governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick, is willing to work with the city, but he's being opposed by two legislators. One of the legislators, Cheryl Coakley-Rivera, seems to be involved in legitimate political horse-trading, asking for stuff like requiring a residence requirement for new city employees. The really inexplicable opposition comes from a legislator named Benjamin Swan. He's apparently willing to let city functions come to a screeching halt because, oh gee, some report hasn't been released yet about the Towing Alliance scandal, and how well the city handled that matter.

Well, guess who owns Swan? The Springfield Towing Alliance. From the sound of things, they have clear title to Swan's soul. The president of STA, Robert L. Jones, has contributed money to Swan and Swan has rented property to Jones. And yet Swan has the nerve to say he wants the city to be "fair and objective" in the awarding of contracts.

Swan claims he is "waiting for the state Inspector General's office to complete a review" of the situation with the Towing Alliance, and their loss of the contract for, well, massive malfeasance. (Well, Swan didn't say that LAST part. He is keeping an open mind, it appears, even though the Towing Alliance lost in court, so what is there to review?)

Though you wouldn't think two legislators could impact the fate of a bill so completely, apparently that's the way the votes stack up. While Swan "couldn't be reached for comment" (Dude, check the impound lot) the situation is being described as a "perfect storm" which will cause layoffs and service cutbacks if loan relief doesn't pass.

Ah, Springfield. I'm sure when it's spring, I'll still be writing about Springfield.

Towing Scandal Bubbling Beneath The Surface In Lowell, Massachusetts

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A recent story in the Lowell Sun Online starts out as a routine and dry report on the renewal of certain towing contracts. Ah, yes, a bread-and-butter city hall story. Nothing too exciting here. Many readers will never finish the story, because they will move on to something more compelling like...crotch-grabbing former state senators, cruising the park benches of Lowell.

But then, midway through, the tone abruptly changes...

Certain juicy facts start getting aired. Here are the spicy nuggets I managed to pick out from a story which was very tightly packed with facts:

* Last year, a towing company called "Gulbicki's, Inc." performed poorly, and was fired. Some of the "poor performance" included not responding to calls. What's the deal with THAT? The calls weren't LUCRATIVE enough?

* Towing companies are trying to gain political power in Lowell, Massachusetts, as evidenced by the fact Alan Kazanjian--the owner of Kazanjian's Garage, which does towing--was recently elected to the city council.

* The towing companies bid for contracts with the city based on how much they are willing to pay the city PER TOW. So, clearly, these companies have a strong incentive to tow, tow, tow. Is there any concern for the public on the Lowell City Council?

* Christopher's Towing of Chelmsford was eliminated from the bidding because the owner, Christopher Ferreira, was convicted of indecent sexual assault and battery. Ferreira blames it all on his lying ex-girlfriend. No, I'm not making that up.

* In 2005, 6 of 7 towing companies bid less than $1.50 on the tows. The Inspector General issued a report accusing the towing firms of "illegally colluding" on bids. Guess who was one of the companies? Kazanjian's Garage!

All in all, one gets the feeling there is a lot of scandal bubbling beneath the surface in Lowell, Massachusetts and I hope the reporter who wrote this article, Jennifer Myers, gets an opportunity to dig into it further. One gets the sense Lowell, Massachusetts may have the same towing scandal potential as Springfield, Massachusetts. (Click here for an example)

Bribery Allegation In The "Springfield Towing Alliance" Scandal

Flickr.com Photo, Springfield City Hall

The fun never ends in Springfield, Massachusetts, where allegations recently surfaced of an attempted bribe by president of "The Towing Alliance," according to this article, click here.

But I have to wonder if...

...this was not, in fact, some desperate last-ditch tactic by The Towing Alliance. Is it possible the Towing Alliance is throwing around allegations of graft and corruption on the part of public officials, and this was actually some kind of HALF-BAKED STING ATTEMPT BY THE TOWING ALLIANCE?

We know for a fact the FBI is involved in the controversy, click here, but it seems like everybody (except me) is assuming the FBI is there to investigate the Towing Alliance.

Well, I sure hope that's the case. I hope the FBI is all over the Towing Alliance "like white on rice." And I think the odds favor that conclusion, considering how corrupt The Towing Alliance is alleged to be.

But I say all we know for sure is the FBI is talking to the Towing Alliance. And that's all we will know until more news comes out. As for myself, I'm hoping that Christmas will arrive in a timely way, or possibly even a bit early, with some kind of news release about a federal indictment involving the Towing Alliance or--if it comes down to it--any public official who may have been in bed with The Alliance, and broke the law.

Or both.

FBI Involvement In The Springfield, Massachusetts "Towing Alliance" Scandal

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J. Edgar Hoover Building

Ever since reading Peter Goonan's most recent article in The Republican, I've been trying to figure out what FBI Agent William T. Wittrock is doing in the middle of the mess with the Springfield Massachusetts Towing Alliance, an ongoing scandal which has hit this blog a few times...

Goonan didn't have a lot of info from the meeting, though not for lack of trying. So he wrote what he observed without adding speculation, exactly the way I used to teach my journalism students. And here is what Goonan observed:

1.) Agent Wittrock attended the Friday meeting of the Springfield city councilors and sat next to Towing Alliance President Robert L. Jones.

2.) Wittrock spoke to Jones in private after the meeting.

3.) The supervisor of the Springfield FBI office (how convenient to have one right in town!) isn't saying why Wittrock was there.

Reporter Peter Goonan, who deals in facts and not opinion, can't speculate. But I'm a blogger, and I can speculate.

And so I will. I did some digging about FBI Agent William T. Wittrock, and here is what I came up with. It's thin, but I think I reeled in a fish worth keeping.

White Collar Crime Involving Government Entities In Massachusetts

It's important to distinguish William T. Wittrock from the other folks who share the same name without the middle initial. There is a porn director named William Wittrock, but it's obviously not the same guy. The FBI special agent probably uses his middle initial for a very good reason, and I'm guessing the OTHER William Wittrock has something to do with it.

First of all, William T. Wittrock is--as one would expect of an FBI agent--a member of our nation's "best and brightest." In 1996, he won the first "Watt Award" at Canisius College. The award is given to recognize an "outstanding Communication Studies graduate." The brief article, click here, reveals Wittrock graduated from Canisius College in 1986, and by 1996 was working at the National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

A scholarly document about earthquakes which Wittrock helped to produce is found online, too, entitled "Preliminary Reports From The Hyogo-ken Nambu Earthquake of January 17, 1995."
Wittrock was the Graphic Design person who helped produce the article.

At some point, Wittrock ended up working for the FBI. And that's where things get really interesting. Wittrock, who once (apparently) studied the dry, technical details of earthquakes, now digs into sex, lies, and the dirty cash of white collar crime. (Hmmm, you have to wonder if the OTHER William Wittrock might be a cousin from a common ancestor)

A "Zoom Info" profile on William T. Wittrock contains a link to an article in the Boston Herald, published January 20, 2005. The article is no longer online, but a snippet printed on Zoom Info names Wittrock as the FBI's lead investigator in "the MCDI case," and says he testified about something involving "time sheets submitted with Ortiz's name."

Using "MCDI" and "Ortiz" as search terms, the details of this scandal turn up quickly enough, and it happened right in Springfield, Massachusetts. According to this article, click here, Springfield's former police commissioner--Gerald Phillips--was found guilty of stealing thousands of dollars from a city-run job training school. The scam involved "no show" jobs, including one for a muffin wrapper who didn't show up for work, but received rent, utilities and grocery bill payments in exchange for providing sex to Gerald Phillips.

And much, much more.

So the FBI was in the middle of THAT mess, and so was Agent William T. Wittrock. The agent's name also comes up in a 2007 story about bus monitor jobs for special needs students, click here. The jobs were "no show" jobs where a paycheck was collected, but no work was done.

So we have the beginnings of a pattern: in two instances, Wittrock was involved in investigation of funds diverted from government entities; a city run jobs program and a school transportation program.

I'm guessing Wittrock is investigating some of the same allegations with the Towing Alliance mess.

Where The Speculative Rubber Meets The Road Of Reality

But now, having lined up my facts, I have an opportunity to speculate. First of all, the FBI doesn't just wander into a case. Somebody in authority calls the FBI, providing evidence of the need to get the agency involved. In the case of the towing alliance, a lot of financial records fell into the hands of the city, and money didn't add up. So it's possible somebody in the city contacted the FBI.

But there's another possibility. Maybe it was the Towing Alliance who contacted the FBI. The Towing Alliance is fighting for its life, and it's just POSSIBLE (I'm not saying LIKELY) the leadership of the Springfield Towing Alliance has information about payoffs being diverted, possibly even to public officials. In the unsavory position of fighting for its life, the Towing Alliance is likely to spill all the dirt, and let the chips fall where they may.

Only one fact makes me think in this way: William T. Wittrock sat NEXT TO Towing Alliance President Robert T. Jones at the public meeting.

Was this just an aggressive G-man approach to contact Jones, who was sure to be at that meeting? Sure, it's possible. Like an 800-pound gorilla, the FBI sits wherever it wants.

But usually, people who sit NEXT TO each other are communicating, cooperating. If I considered somebody a suspect, I'd be more likely to sit BEHIND them, or a few seats away where I could keep an eye on 'em. But then again...it's not always possible to have a choice of seats at a public meeting. Who knows?

This much I'm sure of: we haven't heard the last of this. And I'd bet a bucket of used axle grease that word will come of an FBI investigation involving towing in Springfield, if not by the end of this year then early in the next year.

All of this just underscores my ultimate point: transparency and accountability is the only way to get the graft out of the towing industry, in Springfield or anywhere else.

But another piece of good advice: don't practice white collar crime in a city where there's an FBI headquarters. They won't have far to walk to start an investigation. And, hey, with a new president who captured the votes of the poor and the downtrodden...maybe it's the worst of all times to be involved in predatory towing scams. I hope so.

Towing Companies Are Truly "Cleaning Up" In Boston

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An opinion columnist at the esteemed Boston Globe was RIGHT ON with a commentary about towing companies "cleaning up" during street sweeping and...

...lording over improperly parked cars like these towing companies are acting on behalf of Homeland Security, or something. Here is the column, click here.

Yes, it's more than a year old. But guess what? These problems haven't changed in all that time, and no new solutions have been applied.

Why can't cities notify vehicle owners of an impending tow by phone and email? What's up with this crude, archaic system of hanging paper on doorknobs? Local governments can do better. Well, apparently Boston barely even does THAT much, (hanging notices on doorknobs) and Boston citizens are paying a heavy price.

Meanwhile, shills for the towing companies submit online comments about, oh gee, citizens who don't move their car for several days deserve whatever they get, and these shills rip into a fine opinion piece by a columnist who obviously cares about her city.

Springfield, Massachusetts Tries To Rise From Predatory Towing Issues

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I might be one of twelve people in the world to get excited over the final paragraph of reporter Peter Goonan's recent story in "The Republican," but...

...Springfield is in the midst of defeating an "evil empire" called "The Towing Alliance," and I've blogged about this four times already, here is the previous post, click. "The Towing Alliance" is currently trying to make a last-ditch comeback but it's looking pretty grim...and thank goodness!

Goonan's recent story about how "Springfield hires (are) set to go ahead" included a single paragraph about solving the predatory towing mess, as follows:

"The Police Department is also hiring a grants and contract specialist, who will be responsible for pursuing and overseeing grants and to serve as compliance officer for towing. Those responsibilities have been handled by other personnel including officers, said Sgt. John Delaney, aide to Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet."

I can understand the "towing compliance officer" may need to have other duties, and I'm glad to hear those duties consist of "grant writing" because that particular task requires somebody very sharp and detail-oriented. But the whole key to reforming this broken-down towing system is access to information, not mere "oversight" by somebody with a firm hand. The best oversight is to have many eyes watching the system, to have TRANSPARENCY as public administration folks like to say. Yes, I believe it. It's my "towing utopia gospel."

Any city could find itself in the same mess as Springfield. And many do. But seldom is there such a cool name involved. THE TOWING ALLIANCE! Wow. Who shall face down the evil of "The Towing Alliance?"

In this case, it is apparently "The Council."

The End Of An Evil Towing Empire In Springfield, Mass. (Or Is It?)

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Springfield is terminating its contract with the Springfield "Towing Alliance" as of midnight tomorrow, according to an article in The Republican. An earlier article gives more background.

One of my own sources (and I do have some) recently spoke to police in that city and...

...reports police said they have "good documentation of fees and expenses" and there is "no way" the Towing Alliance is coming back. I don't know, though. The whole "alliance" struggle reminds me of Star Wars and there is ALWAYS a sequel, even if it's to be found on the Cartoon Network. The defeated side will lick its wounds, then create a big...towing death star thingie or...something.

However, in the meantime, a judge in Superior Court is ordering records preserved while reviewing the dispute. The "Towing Alliance" isn't going to make this pretty, and apparently hopes to sue its way into the good graces of city officials. I have to say it's kind of nice to see city officials--who are so often the ones who unleash predatory towing entities on citizens--experiencing the bare knuckle, aggressive, mean-spirited tactics which so often citizens are left to endure alone.

Yeah, Springfield City Government...check out the ugly face of predatory and abusive towing. Incredibly--and the article reported this without a hint of irony or humor--the Towing Alliance wants $3.2 million in compensation for vehicles stored AT THE CITY'S OWN TOWING YARD ON CHANDLER STREET.

Outrageous. I hope there is a counter-suit looming.

The city is trying to get a restraining order to allow access to computerized records. Yeah, well, this is what happens when all the parties in the system don't have access to the same data base, including the citizens whose cars are towed who are trying to locate their vehicles.

Again, another ugly, painful and expensive lesson for Springfield, Massachusetts. I just hope the Towing Alliance gets the worst of it, in the end. I have a feeling they will.

"The Alliance" Is Defeated In Springfield, Mass.

Photo By John Hoff, Star Wars Trivial Pursuit

The situation with the "towing alliance" in Springfield, Massachusetts has finally come to a head, and it looks like a humiliating retreat toward the Ice Planet of Hoth or wherever an "alliance" in defeat goes...

Here's the article which discusses how the City of Springfield invoked its right to terminate with 30 days notice, no need to state a cause, though in fact there was documentation of something like 17 violations. I blogged about this twice before, click here and also here.

Usually, the Springfield blog known as "The Intruder" weighs in on these issues involving the "towing alliance" after the mainstream media in Springfield break the story. I'm guessing the pattern will continue, and in a few days or a week The Intruder will have an obsessive level of detail for those of us who require it.

The Predatory Towing Plot Thickens In Springfield, Massachusetts

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Springfield, Massachusetts continues to be embroiled in an epic towing scandal, the already-hot pot only heated further and stirred by the release of an auditor's report listing...

...in detail the various violations of the "Towing Alliance" which has control of the city government's towing contract. For now.

A local blog called "The Intruder" has been providing all the details--and I mean, ALL THE DOWN AND DIRTY DETAILS--not just summarizing and throwing out a headline in the manner of more mainstream media but really digging deep and getting to the "bloggy bottom" of things.

Click here for the latest from "The Intruder."

Also, it appears the towing issues have forced at least one STATE representative to weigh in on the issue, and details are once again in "The Intruder." Click here.

Given the fact The Intruder is so on top of things, this frees up Towing Utopia to concentrate on predatory and abusive towing scandals in other cities. I've communicated briefly with the guy who runs "The Intruder" and let him know my view: Springfield, Massachusetts is part of a greater national pattern, and many of these problems can be solved through better application of available technology.

(The photo is from a statue in Springfield, Massachusetts. The old folk saying is "a watched pot never boils" but people ARE watching and Springfield IS boiling)

Towing Operators Take Springfield, Massachusetts On A Ride

Flickr.com photo, West Springfield, Mass.

It sounds like something out of Star Wars: in Springfield, Massachusetts there is not just one company but a "towing alliance" which tows vehicles for the city. And--surprise, surprise--like so many OTHER cities in this nation, Springfield is caught up in a tawdry fiscal scandal involving towing.

Gasp! Has "the alliance" gone over to the Dark Side?

Well, according to...

..."the alliance," it is actually THE CITY which owes money to THE ALLIANCE. Some details can be found in this article (click here) in The Republican newspaper. For example, tow trucks were supposed to be inspected by the police, but it appears inspected trucks weren't always the vehicles used. Required paperwork such as--oh, my word--the all-important tow slips provided to police was only provided off and on, according to city officials.

The City Auditor says the company is out of compliance. "The alliance" says otherwise. Gee, who are you going to believe; the City Auditor or towing operators who don't even turn over tow slips to police when they're supposed to?

Other cities have better deals

Some cities--like Escondito, California--actually make the towing operators pay big bucks for the privilege of towing cars on behalf of the municipal government, like I blogged about here.

In contrast, "the alliance" pays Springfield a mere $2,050 a month to store vehicles at a city-owned impound lot, according to The Republican. The city gets a $30 administrative fee for every vehicle towed unless the tow was later deemed improper by the police. GEE, IS IT ANY WONDER--!!!!

Oh, excuse me, I was nearly shouting, there.

I was going to say: is it any wonder "the alliance" doesn't properly turn over its towing slips? It sounds like vehicles "improperly" towed may end up becoming a cost "the alliance" is forced to absorb. (Offset by salvage or auction value) Therefore, better to not turn over your towing slips so the tow can't be scrutinized as easily.

Adding insult to injury

Not content with trying to rip off Springfield city government, "the alliance" now wants permission to sell "used cars" (read: seized cars owners couldn't afford to redeem) out of the city's impound lot.

"The alliance" under investigation

A report about the situation--who owes money to who, and exactly why--is due September 8, 2008. The Republican says the numbers appear to crunch out this way, however: with 8,000 tows done from May 2007 to last month, and with $49.17 per tow due under the contract, that means the city should receive nearly $400,000. Has the city gotten that much?

Nope.

Confusion over the numbers

The president of "the alliance" says the number of tows is more like 7,000. However, the police sergeant who oversees towing says it isn't always clear which of the subcontractors in "the alliance" performed which particular tows. Rival tow companies accuse the city of going easy on "the alliance." Yeah, if you want to get the dirt on a towing company (or even an "alliance") just ask their competition.

Time for talk is over

City Councilor Timothy J. Rooke is showing impatience with "the alliance," and has said the "time for talk is over" in light of issues of non-compliance, even as the lawyer for "the alliance" stresses trying to work out some kind of resolution through negotiation.

Of course. And all the while, "the alliance" will be towing people's cars, submitting who-knows-what for paperwork, and angling to sell seized cars right out of the city's impound lot to the same low-income people routinely victimized by the increasing national trend of predatory and abusive towing. Didn't anybody see that new "Clone Wars" movie? When somebody is stressing "negotiation," they're probably stalling to outflank your forces.

Just how much is owed?

An earlier Republican article about "the alliance" (click here) seemed to estimate "the alliance" owes $81,000 to the City of Springfield, some of which includes utilities.

Dude, where's my car?

More maddening is the eternal question of what has happened to a car after it is towed. The City--and Councilor Rooke, in particular--accuse "the alliance" of incomplete vehicle status reports and "insufficient documentation of the disposal of salvaged or auctioned vehicles," according to the Republic.

This is the kind of thing which calls for high-tech solutions, better software, that kind of thing. The days when "Cooter" could thumb through a greasy pink pile of slips and tell them Duke boys what happened to Daisy's cute little Jeep are over. People should be able to track their car via the internet. This is the better world www.towingutopia.com was created to push for. So here I am pushing for it.

Juicy blog-o-sphere details

Though the Republican article is good, and was my initial source to learn of this run-of-the-mill towing industry scandal (yawn. Another day, another ugly towing industry scandal) a local blog called "The Intruder" had a lot more details and discussion about the conflict.

According to the intruder, (click for article) the city's contract with "the alliance" is only 14 months old. That's how l0ng it took Springfield, Massachusetts to run into trouble with its towing contractor. There have apparently been a lot of letters and notifications, plus disgruntled residents.

The Intruder also outlined some much-needed details about "the alliance," describing it as an "umbrella organization" composed originally (stomp, stomp) of nine towing subcontractors. That little word "originally" hides a sordid little saga, and I'll be getting to that. (Thanks to the article from The Intruder, of course)

Digging through the guts for info-nuggets

The Intruder article went right into the messy paper innards of the contract with the city, the kind of policy wonk detail which would bore most readers of a publication like The Republican to tears. For example, "the alliance" promised DAILY COMMUNICATION with the police department project manager to go over issues and concerns. That hasn't happened. The city is firing off letters, not having easy daily chats.

"The alliance" made all kinds of promises in the dark, as it turned out, including such whoppers as GPS implementation for monitoring tow vehicle progress and providing "scanned copies of letters" to the drivers whose vehicles were towed.

What did "the alliance" deliver to the City of Springfield? The Intruder summary, apparently taken directly from a "draft audit report" dated March 2008, is damning. And because it's so damning, I'm going to present it verbatim, with profuse thanks to The Intruder for being the source of this information.

* Fees owed to the city, 1,429 tows which amounts to $71,093. (Note how different this number was from the Republican article. What is up, there?)

* Late payments. Insufficient documentation on the fate of salvaged and auctioned vehicles.

* NO ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS OR REMOTE ACCESS TO TOWING DATA. (This is one of the issues I'm always pushing as a good solution to predatory and abusive towing, so I can't help capitalizing it)

* Unpaid utilities; $10,285.49. Incomplete, improper form filings. Failure to submit CORI/SORB reviews for employees. (I don't know what that is, but I have to wonder if it involves background checks on tow truck drivers, a notoriously felonious lot)

* Not all vehicles equipped with "GPS functionality." (I wonder what that means, and it seemed like the author of the Intruder article may have wondered, too. I think it might mean: sometimes no GPS, sometimes the GPS doesn't work, and sometimes--as my drill sergeant used to say--to find the root of the technical problem you must "check operator headspace capacity.")

* THE ALLIANCE WON'T EVEN TELL THE CITY WHAT BANK ACCOUNT IT USES TO DEPOSIT CITY FUNDS.

Subsequent report: even more damning

Gotta keep digging for those info-nuggets, and that's what The Intruder did.

* According to a later "contract compliance review," not all vehicles were equipped with GPS devices. (I kind of thought that might have been part of the "functionality" issue) NO DOCUMENTATION WHATSOEVER on individual drivers. (Can you say "scary prison tattoos?")

* "The alliance" said it was granted an exemption to the 600 vehicle storage requirement, but can't present any proof.

* Failing to post towing and storage rates. (This is how money ends up in somebody's pocket where it doesn't belong) Failing to tell owners within 36 hours of vehicles stored at the facility. (This is why we need REMOTE ACCESS TO TOWING DATA for members of the public)

* Failing to notify police--even one time--of unclaimed vehicles. The notion of no unclaimed vehicles at a facility this large is just...impossible to believe.

A detailed and damning indictment

The (rather long) Intruder article continues in this vein for quite some time, and rather than replicating their detailed content and commenting about it, here is an "oily thumbnail summary."

* Rival CJ Towing collected a load of damaging information about "the alliance" and distributed it. The info mostly consisted of city letters and complaints from residents "in distress" about the way they were treated.

* "Unilateral" and un-contracted, un-negotiated charges by "the alliance," sometimes amounting to thousands of dollars for an individual vehicle.

* Who is even part of this "alliance?" There is considerable evidence the membership is unstable and fluid, rather like the way you never know which way the "Hut clan" will throw its allegiance in the recent Clone Wars cartoon.

* Mascaro's Service Station was part of "the alliance," but fell out of favor with "alliance president Jones" after pointing out problems with "the way things were done." What were some of these little bitty problems?

"Bills need to be paid, employees need to be paid," according to Ron Mascaro.

* In one instance, a towing dispatcher was described as "incoherent."

* "President Jones" apparently has filed for bankruptcy. Twice.

The "sub-blogosphere" weighs in

* Somebody who apparently has inside dope--but preferred to comment anonymously--tried to dish up a lot of dope on "alliance" critic Ron Mascaro, saying, "he went years and years not paying any taxes to the city for the properties he has on Walnut Street and Florence Street, and Hancock Street under the name MRL Associates." A member of the Mascaro family got on the blog, and provided a detailed and (I thought) rather satisfactory rebuttal.

* Councilor Rooke commented on the blog, crediting the blog story with raising the issue and getting the rest of the city council interested.

Ah, I love being a blogger.

Who suffers?

But at the end of the day, who suffers? It is the citizens who are subjected to shoddy towing practices and can't find their vehicles. Finding the bad guys in this scandal is the first step, but what should be done to FIX the problem? Clearly, there needs to be a more modern, high-tech system in place which allows a very open process where abuses can't occur so easily and cars can be tracked from beginning to end.

More On The So-Called "Pilfered Lobster" Towing Incident In Massachusetts

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First, and most importantly, finding another picture of a pretty girl with a lobster was no easy task...

...but I muddled through, somehow.

Reporter Jerry Russell was kind enough to email me and provide more information about the fate of the lobsters at the controversial towing incident described in my previous post. Russell mentioned "several previous articles," but unfortunately their newspaper engages in the vexing practice of "archiving" articles after 14 days and expecting people to pay money for copies. So I was only able to locate a bit of information--something about a restaurant being fined for having some of the salvaged lobster.

As far as my inability to pull up these old articles without paying money, it's clearly not Russell's fault, but this is one reason why the blogosphere is growing every day while more and more "dead tree based" publications are going under. The Star Tribune engages in a similar practice and I simply won't use their links, though I often wish I could.

In any case, here is what Russell told me:

"As to the question of the fate of the lobsters, some were allegedly sold to area restaurants. Some restaurants have returned them. [The] tow company operator alleged a "free-for-all" at the scene and accused rescue personnel of taking lobsters from the scene. A small number of lobsters were seized by state EPOs the day following the crash. They were released in Boston Harbor."

To this I say...released? These were LIVE lobsters? Then why was the cargo ordered destroyed because it wasn't refrigerated? How does LIVE SEAFOOD manage to SPOIL?

This only solidifies my opinion. Salvaging the cargo instead of destroying it was the morally right thing to do. Actually SELLING SOME OF THE CARGO TO A RESTAURANT crosses a line, and it's regrettable and shady, but were some of those lobsters simply given away to grateful folks? I have a strong feeling that happened.

The earth's resources--particularly living creatures--should not be lavishly wasted. This is one time I'm not going to--ha ha--CARP on the towing operator just because a bit of SEAFOOD was salvaged.

Next time, though...NEXT TIME it would be best to pay heed to the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donations Act, and act accordingly, by giving the food to a charity. Imagine what a day that would have been at the soup kitchen when all the live lobster showed up!

So-Called "Pilfered Lobster" Towing Incident In Massachusetts

Flickr.com photo

So, obviously, this blog cries out against abusive and predatory towing. That's my primary concern. But every now and then, in the interest of justice, it's necessary to change course...and actually COME TO THE DEFENSE of a towing operator caught up in the middle of a controversy...

And this is one of those times.

The story is simple. A tractor-trailer wreck in Massachusetts caused a bunch of lobster to lack refrigeration for a period of time, and a health inspector ordered the lobster destroyed. Yeah, right. Throw away LOBSTER because it's been out of the fridge a little too long.

Ha ha. That's a good one.

The towing operator responsible for hauling away the damaged truck did the environment, society and the company responsible for the sort of spoiled cargo a huge favor by taking the lobster off their hands. What happened to it after that? Hard to tell. This article doesn't reveal the fate of the lobster, which were of course doomed anyway, so better for them to be eaten rather than go to waste. I don't care if he gave it to his friends, his family, HIMSELF. He saved the earth's resources from going to waste.

For the record, the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donations Act may have something to say about this incident--or a liberal interpretation of the spirit of this law may be relevant. If some of that lobster went to hungry people--and I really suspect it did--then what did it matter as long as nobody got sick? Dinged, damaged and expired food can be donated under this act to, for example, soup kitchens and homeless shelters. Even if the food was spoiled, as long as there was no gross negligence in its donation, there is no liability for making the donation.

I've advocated in the past for an expansion of this law to include a "Munificent Manger" provision allowing expired and/or damaged or second rate food to be donated to employees. Well, heck, I've also advocated for more publicity to let people know the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act even EXISTS.

Get off this towing operator's back. He did a good thing.

Another Argument For Electronic Towing Notification (Who Remembers Rental Car Info?)

I am always amazed and delighted by the way people transform their abusive non-consent towing horror stories into art, using photos and prose. Here is one from Boston which I found on Flickr.com.

The story which goes with this image...written by "Vida Insana," goes like this.

"I missed my flight. My rental car got towed. The impound lot owner clearly wasn't impressed that I was clueless about the make/model of the car. I could only tell him that it was gold colored! (Who actually remembers rental car info?) The tow fee and a ticket. Ouch. Pouring rain and 30 degrees. Yeah, real fun."

So what I take from this...you'd think the car rental companies would want to know when their vehicles get towed. You'd think there would be a relatively easy electronic notification process, and the rental company would be able to quickly contact the renter and let them know how to find the vehicle. Or, BETTER YET, there could be a way to let people know to hurry up and move their car BEFORE they get towed.

Nothing says "out of towner" like a rental car. And nothing says "I'll never come to your crummy city again" like a bad towing experience in an unfamiliar metropolis.

Tales From The Legend They Call "Tow Bot"

(Above, "terminated tow truck" which encountered a stolen car blowing through a red light)

Hunting through Flickr.com, I discovered a guy named "Tow Bot," a tow truck driver who takes pictures of the aftermath of accidents and tells the bloody tales.

His photos--though merely documentary and not artistic--are quite amazing, and you might get a kick out of his profile, but since I'm focused on ABUSIVE NON-CONSENT TOWING and not spectacular vehicular carnage, what really interested me was Tow Bot's commentary on certain abusive non-consent towing practices....
(Wow, it's my very first "expandable post!" OK, that was only exciting for ME)
According to ANOTHER Flickr.com user named "stenz," who took pictures of the incident, this is what happened in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

"There (was) a tow truck sitting in a tow zone, waiting for the passenger to get sandwiches from (a restaurant called) Darwin's. During this time, a few cars pulled up behind it, also wanting to park in the tow zone, and there were some words exchanged and some honking.

The police man showed up--surely to fix it all--and some of the cars drove off, but the policeman was also just there for a sandwich at Darwin's.

It is a tow-away zone because it is where the bus is supposed to be able to pull over. A bus came while the tow truck was there, more confusion and honking. The bus just stopped in the middle of the street and let people off there.
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Tow Bot (the legend) commented as follows.

We have those type of tow truck drivers here, too. They will sit in a paid parking lot and wait for you to get out of your car to go and pay the automated machine. The smart people (or previously towed people) will drive right up to the ticket machine and get their tickets BEFORE they park.

The unsuspecting ones will drive into a stall, then walk to the machine. That's when the wrecker will swoop in and grab the car before the person gets back. And then the tow truck driver will say you got towed 'cause you didn't have a ticket!!

I have no respect for guys like that. Get off your (expletive) and earn your money.