Harry Thomas Gets Booted, Blames Fenty
Examiner's Michael Neibauer was first to report this morning that Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr. got his car booted last week.
He had failed to pay four tickets incurred by his 2007 Audi Q7 SUV, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles. The Audi was parked in a rush hour zone on Sept. 21; parked in a street-cleaning zone on Oct. 8; parked in a loading zone on Nov. 17; and parked in a bus stop on Dec. 15.
Thomas told Neibauer on Sunday that they were "not valid tickets," which comports with what he told LL on Friday afternoon. Actually, Thomas was somewhat more conciliatory: "I pay my tickets and pay my violations like any other citizen," he said. "I am law-abiding citizen. I follow the rules."
But Thomas was more interested in talking about how LL (and Neibauer) came to find out about his booting.
He pointed out how embarrassing stories have emerged about various foes of Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, including Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray home-improvement troubles.
"I have been one of those adversaries," Thomas said. "'Conspiring against the councilmember' is what I'd say to you. That tells you what level it's gotten to...This is this administration trying to feed you stuff."
Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't; the photo above was e-mailed to LL from one "John Doe."
Moral of the story: Pay your parking tickets.
3:35 pm
C'mon Man!!!
3:46 pm
U can get a ticket in the District if you park 1 millimeter too far away from the curb.
3:47 pm
LOL! Really the man should pay the darn tickets. But LL geiting a photo does raise some red flags.
I hope nobody is following the smart car around taking pics of where it ends up. [ooooo i went there. LOL!!!}
3:49 pm
It's hard to get past the rush hour and bus stop ones. Those are serious safety issues.
4:37 pm
proballdc - I actually got a ticket for that - in front of my house. While there were snow mountains taking up over half the parking "legal" parking spaces, at 6:45am.
4:59 pm
Did Thomas say why, in his view, they were "not valid tickets"? Listen, I've been booted several times over the past 15 years. Guess what? I then paid the damn tickets and blamed myself for being dumb; never occurred to me to blame the mayor.
If Thomas claims the tickets were invalid, why didn't he request a hearing?
5:04 pm
Stop being an arrogant prick and park legal like the rest of us have to, DUMB ASS!
6:19 pm
Rush hour and bus lane are inexcusable -- you aren't that important believe me. Pay the fines, as it's ridiculous in the first place that you recused yourselves from fines in the first place.
6:21 pm
This is outrageous. Are we at the point whereas if a Councilmember gets in trouble or does something illegal, they are going to scream Foul? You guys need to quit it. Councilmembers, Mayors and who ever else are not exempt from parking tickets, giving earmarks to friends, stealing and corruption. I hope and pray that every time you all do something wrong, illegal or the like, someone has a camera to catch you in the act. This will stop you all from thinking you all are above the law. Good for who ever caught Harry Thomas car getting booted on camera. Please more, pictures please.
6:29 pm
How suprising! It's Fenty's fault. Fenty made him ignore parking tickets? Or, did he make Thomas park there in the first place?
Oh, and he made Gray pimp Comcast. And used mind controll to make Gray hire unlicenced contractors and forget file for permits or pay market rate.
Fenty is so diabolical!
6:52 pm
The entire DC Council needs to resign they are an embarrassment and a joke
7:01 pm
let's move pass this unfortunately pay the tickets but it is suspect. He has a valid point baldy's friends are looking for anything to embarass anyone who comes up against him. Now people grow up we are talking about the mayor who hides behind Nickels. But let's focus on 85 mil.
7:17 pm
Ah, Harry Thomas. Just when you think Yvette Alexander is the Council's resident intellectual Forest Gump, along comes Harry Thomas to prove his is truly the designated Council dumbass.
7:32 pm
Why don't they ticket and boot all those illegally parked cars on Rhode Island Avenue several nights a week and on weekends (in clearly marked 'no parking' zones, and metro bus stops)??? Why does metro let the people of that bigot church on Rhode Island Avenue park in the metro parking lot and allow that church to provide bus service (a clear violation of metro parking lot rules)??? I'd like to be able to drive up to the Home Depot on a Saturday, in the travel lane, without having to dodge Jesus freaks--- lets ticket and boot them----
9:13 pm
True, all need to abide by the same rules. However, Fenty's green machine is alive and well attempting to smear any and all who get in his way. The tables will be reversed soon, and the long held Fenty secrets will be exposed.
11:16 pm
Stone,
Could you wait until Thomas does something a little less stupid to blame Fenty?
And what secrets are you talking about? You guys have already thrown so much BS out there that you can't have much more to say.
Really, if they won't say a word aloud about Barry forcing his grilfriend to cash city checks, I don't want to hear anything else from them.
5:32 am
http://www.FightTheboot.com
Sign the Petition to end tire clamping on private property.
8:32 am
I agree with hymesb # 16. The Gray,Peebles, Thomas, Barry, and Brown crowd has been throwing stones at Fenty for quite awhile. When those stones are thrown back, these guys shoudn't cry foul.
10:43 am
Thomas is an absolute idiot. He and Ron Motten are related somehow. They sound a-like (stupid), look a-like (stupid), and act a like (stupid). I just don't see how he can chalk off not paying his parking tickets and the revelation of this fact as political conspiracy. When Barry has shady non-profits to explain, Evans has back-room convention center hotel deals gone astray, Fenty's list of very real and very frightening moral, ethical, and potential legal gaps, how the hell does this even come close. Only in Thomas' head does this vast conspiracy to undermine his councilmembership exist. What a fucking idiot.
11:28 am
Well, looks like the good ol' boy network (Thomas, Barry, etc) in DC are not entirely above the law. They should pay more attention to DC residents and less time pounding their chest and making political power plays. Its bad enough we are unable to tax the 300 million out-of-state commuters that work in DC daily, using our streets and utilities, all while bearing the burden of being the nations capital and the responsibilies entailed in hosting US and foreign dignitaries, parades, and protestors. All subsidized in part with DC parking tickets. I pay my tickets, CM Thomas should pay his. Thomas's father was a councilmember, and now he is. The power has wharped him. Time to oust the life-in-office nepotees.