Tuesday, October 27, 2015

St. Louis Airport Ends Free Parking Perk For Political Insiders: When Does Indy's Airport Follow Suit?

Lambert-St. Louis International Airport recently pulled the plug on courtesy parking cards for hundreds of area political insiders, and some of the privileged folks are demanding their return. Airport officials decided to end the decades-old program after the St. Louis Dispatch began requesting information about the perk, which permitted politicians, lobbyists and other political insiders unlimited free parking privileges at the airport's best and most convenient parking garages.

The recipients recently were mailed letters telling them their cards had been deactivated, along with a form they could complete if they believed they should be entitled to continue receiving the perk. The Post-Dispatch learned from its public records request that seven completed and returned the forms. A former airport commissioner, now retired, asked that he be grandfathered. St. Louis Police Chief Jon Belmar said he frequently had to travel to speak about trends in policing and should receive the perk. St. Louis County Sheriff James Murphy felt the same way. A long-time state senator complained that she felt cheated because Congressman William Clay's sister had a free parking card. A local minister complained he needed the parking pass because of travels related to his nonprofit work. All requests were denied.

Several years ago, the Indianapolis Business Journal exposed the fact that the Indianapolis International Airport doled out hundreds of free parking passes to political insiders, civic leaders and big corporate executives. Multi-millionaire businessman Scott Jones was on the list as were executives of Rolls-Royce, GM, Cummins and Clarian Health. Mayors and former mayors, city-county council members, airport board officials, members of Indiana's congressional delegation, all state lawmakers and dozens of other local government officials all qualified for the perk. Airport officials defended the perk, saying the total benefit conferred on the insiders added up to less than $200,000 in lost parking revenues annually.

It's too bad there aren't any investigative reporters left in Indianapolis to expose this and other self-dealing ways the insiders feather their own nests at our expenses. As I recall, it wasn't that long ago that airport officials were going to great lengths in an attempt to illegally block a private parking lot operator from conducting business near the airport out of concern for lost parking revenues from the competition. Maybe if it started collecting parking revenues from the insiders who travel much more frequently, often at the public's expense, it would have enough revenues to pay some of the gigantic debt it has amassed from the construction of the new airport terminal.

8 comments:

Sir Hailstone said...

This is bull$#!t, Gary. This is why when I travel out of the airport I always do business with FastPark instead of the on-property parking. It's not like IAA makes it easy for FastPark customers. When it was IndyParkRideFly (the Reagan Parkway location) they would drop you off at the departures door and pick you up at baggage claim. Now IAA makes them drop you off and pick you up out at the rental car counters. Airports all across the country do very well with multiple and competing parking operators. Not Indy. Noooo IAA has to squeeze every cent out of airport passengers. And they're squeezing the airlines too that's why you rarely find any really good deals on fares out of Indy, even on Southwest Airlines.

Anonymous said...

You should ask Ben Hunter, if he uses his free perk for all of his vacations and Butler University travels.

Anonymous said...

This is beyond "bull$#it"... just so darn pathetic how the permanent political class reserves perks the people paying these bills will never enjoy. It's why we voters... especially those of us who refuse to waste our time going to vote this November.. have such total disgust for "Demopublican" politicians and their comrades.

And then we have to hear these incumbents whine about how they suffer when they are called out on their ineffectiveness and incompetence. If the heat in the kitchen is too damn hot I advise they get the hell out.

Anonymous said...

Gary, you know as well as I do that the reason this happens here is because the people who live here are just fine with it for the most part. All you have to do to rob the taxpayer here is say that you're doing what you're doing to boost Indy's precious image and the locals, long saddled with a major league inferiority complex, lap it up like a tabby with a bowl of whole cream. There are many cities similar to Indy in this regard, but there are just as many where an informed electorate says NO and throws people who behave this way out of office. As I have posted before, you provide a great public service, but the average Indianapolitan is so constricted in his or her thinking and simply unwilling to change. There aren't many places where conformity and groupthink are as highly valued as here. Given this, it's not surprising that Indianapolis leads the nation in brain drain. Why would anyone who thinks independently remain in a city where independent thought is not valued? Short answer...they wouldn't and they don't.

Anonymous said...

The low level folks had their passes revoked, did the power brokers keep their passes?
I spent over $400 in the last month parking in long term, yeah it's expensive,I don't believe in what the Airport folks are saying, only $200,000 was saved, I'm just one person, who travels regularly, multiply that by 1000!

Anonymous said...

That 5:40 comment is outstanding. Hey, 5:40, please throw some better relocation options at me.

Anonymous said...

Since moving to the new airport parking perks for outsiders has gone way down. They do not have the spaces like they did at the old airport lots.

There are many more areas that should be looked at. Like the high salaries. The airport employs between 400 & 500 people check the salary of the COO compared public safety director of the City of Indianapolis. Check the Airport Directors salary compared to the Mayor and other public safety leaders from the city.

Anonymous said...

Indy airport is one of the FEW airports that still manage their own parking. Most have contracted out, which takes the yanked parking passes out of the hands of those running it like here in Indy.