Walsh, M.A. Ltr Kane St. Pkg ChCity Clerk, City of Dubuque
City Hall
50 West 13th Street
Dubuque, IA 52001
Mary Alice Walsh
2951 Olde Country Lane
Dubuque, IA 52001-1069
563-556-2181
January 6, 2003
Dubuque, IA
Re: Ticket #3026861
To Whom It May Concern:
As an exemplary, conscientious, and informed citizen, I take exception to the parking ticket I
received on January 6, 2003 at 2000 Kane Street at 8:47 a.m. Evidently, a newly posted sign
declaring "No Parking at Any Time" was installed during the school Christmas break. I am a
teacher at Wablert High School, and have parked at this site for many years. I willingly admit
that I was ignorant of the fact that this site had become a no parking zone. I arrive at school well
before 7 a.m., in the dark, and am not in the habit of looking to see if rules have changed.
However, I believe that the city has an obligation to publicly inform its citizens that parking
sanctions have been imposed. As an ardent reader of our local newspaper, I can honestly say that
this change was never published in the Telegraph-Herald. Had it been, I would surely have
parked in a different area. Certainly, a day of warning could have been allowed so that those of
us who park at this site would have the opportunity to move our vehicles to an approved location.
My hands were tied when I first heard about the new parking rules at 7:42 a.m. because I was in
charge of 25 high school students in my classroom and could not leave the premises to move my
vehicle. Even a 2-3 hour grace period would have been greatly appreciated by those of us who
try to comply with decisions made by our city leaders. My car would have been moved at 9:15
a.m., but that opportunity was not afforded to me as the police department had been called and
were on site feverishly issuing tickets by 8:30 a.m.
My ticket has been paid, and I consider this a fait accompli. However, for you future reference, I
would urge you to please be sympathetic to citizens who would not knowingly disobey a city
ordinance. Perhaps the city, in good faith, could waive parking fines for a short period of time
when an event such as this might occur in the furore.
Be assured that I will comply with city council decisions and will park my vehicle in a different
area. I fervently hope that this new rule will not cause ill feelings among the neighbors of
Wahlert High School and its staff and students. If I chose to reside in the Katrina Circle area, I
would expect to offer concessions to an institution that has been in existence across the street for
40+ years. Good neighbors make for a great city. Those of us who are connected with Wahlert
High School will certainly do our part to be good neighbors.
Sincerely,
Mary Alice Walsh
cc: June Stmeber