Obama finally pays local parking tickets

The Somerville News ^ | March 07, 2007 | George P. Hassett

[Brown Deer]

Before Barack Obama was a United States senator and a presidential hopeful, he was a Harvard University law student living in Somerville who parked in bus stops and accumulated hundreds of dollars in parking tickets. And for nearly two decades those parking tickets went unpaid, until a representative of Obama’s settled all his outstanding debts with Cambridge’s Traffic, Parking and Transportation Department Jan. 26.

Obama attended Harvard Law School from 1988 to 1991. During his time at Harvard, Obama lived at 365 Broadway in Somerville, according to his parking tickets. Records from the Cambridge Traffic, Parking and Transportation office show that between Oct. 5, 1988 and Jan. 12, 1990 Obama was cited for 17 traffic violations, sometimes committing two in the same day. The abuses included parking in a resident permit area, parking in a bus stop and failing to pay the meter. Twelve of Obama’s 17 tickets were given to him on Massachusetts Avenue.

In one eight day stretch in 1988, Obama was cited seven times for parking violations and was fined $45. Thirteen of the 17 violations occurred within one month in 1988.

Obama’s disobedience of the rules of the road earned him $140 in fines from the City of Cambridge. The tickets went unpaid for over 17 years and $260 in late fees were added to the tab. On Jan. 26, the fines and late fees were paid in full. The final tally for Obama’s parking breaches was $400, according to Cambridge Traffic, Parking and Transportation.

Obama spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said the presidential candidate’s parking violations were not relevant.

“He didn’t owe that much and what he did owe, he paid,” Psaki said. “Many people have parking tickets and late fees. All the parking tickets and late fees were paid in full.”

Psaki declined to comment further. She refused to say how the fines went unpaid so long and what prompted Obama to finally pay them.

At Harvard, Obama became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. After school, he spent eight years in the Illinois state senate before becoming a United States Senator in 2005. He is currently campaigning for the Democratic nomination for president.

[Brown Deer]

Jennifer Psaki said, "That was many years ago! I believe that the distinguished friend of domestic terrorist bomber Bill Ayers has been rehabilitated since then."

[Brown Deer]

ping

[Netizen]

Seventeen years. Did he pay them or did somebody else pay them. He seems to have had others paying his way for him.

[Delta 21]

It must really be tough being an elitist.

But Im probly too stupid to fully comprehend its depth.

Guess I’ll just be a plumber instead.

[Samizdat]

I’m wondering if the campaign paid them. If so, that would really be disgusting.

[henkster]

Why didn’t I hear this in the msm? Oh, they ran the story on a some poor plumber, a normal guy not running for office, who owes some back taxes instead. Glad they got their priorities straight.

This country has gone totally nuts.

[an amused spectator]

I’m pretty sure if you had parking tickets outstanding for 17 years that there would be some sort of legal sanction involved, and the fine would not be only $400.

[Jim Robinson]

Laws are intended only for mere mortals.

[ridesthemiles]

I’m wondering if the campaign paid them. If so, that would really be disgusting.””

If paid out of campaign funds, I believe that would be illegal.

[popdonnelly]

Bwahahahahahaha! And they’re complaining about Joe the Plumber’s tax lien. Phonies. Hypocrites. Charlatans.

[skimbell]

Phakin thug!

[lightman]

No matter the color of the skin, ANYONE who behaves like that is an uppity....

[tina07]

and I just read on another thread that Joe the Plumber had his license pulled in Ohio for unpaid tickets in Arizona. Big deal when it’s Joe but another pass for THAT ONE.

Joe is being ripped to shreads, no job and now no driver license. He dared to ask a question of THAT ONE and now his life has been turned upside down and inside out, amazing.

[popdonnelly]

“Why didn’t I hear this in the msm?”

The news media is more than biased. They are dishonest. They should be shunned.

[feedback doctor]

“It is patriotic to get parking tickets and not pay them for 17 years.” The main stream media

[fso301]

What State was the vehicle tagged in? What State did he claim residency in at the time?

[kcvl]

bttt

[southernnorthcarolina]

It's a small matter (in comparison to, say, associating with terrorists), but a telling one.

Even if he'd paid the parking tickets promptly, the fact that he accumulated so many of them says loud and clear that he felt that the laws didn't apply to him. The mindset that paying fines excuses offenses is just wrong. Every time he parked illegally (whether an expired meter or parking in a no-parking zone), even if he had promptly paid the fines, he was inconveniencing someone else.

The fact that he didn't pay his fines until it became a political necessity to do so compounds the offenses.

[Fireone]

In Minnesota, a warrant is issued after a short period of
time.