The Parks & Recreation Department has a program I call "Central Perks" in which they give out citywide passes to retired administrators allowing them to park their private vehicles in the middle of New Yorkers' precious parkland (http://nyc.uncivilservants.org/post/index/648). Here, we see that the program extends to employees of non-public entities (in this case, Historic housing Trust, or HHT) that provide services under contract to the City. This person's citywide permit expired 2 months ago.

In fairness to her, the office of the HHT is located in the Arsenal, right next to where the car is parked, the placard holder is still employed as HHT Exec director, she apparently just didn't get around to getting a new permit.

But if an ordinary civilian forgets to feed the meter, they get ticketed in an instant, and there's no way to talk your way out of it. Not so if you work for the city or a city contractor. Then you get a free pass like this one that many abuse to park anywhere in the city they please for free--in the park, blocking the hydrant, in the crosswalks, in the bus stops, on the sidewalk, etc.

DP&R seems to think that there is no cost to giving out these placards, but the fact is each car they allow into the Park degrades it. In fact, if they give out enough of these "citywide" placards, they essentially have turned our parks into a network of free parking lots for bureaucrats. How many of these passes are out there, exactly? Has DP&R considered alternatives to these free passes, such as reimbursing the cost of contractor employees like this parking at a nearby private lot, or creating a permit parking area on 5th Avenue & 64th Street?

DP&R's disregard for the impact of all their permit printing on ordinary New Yorkers is what makes them uncivil servants.