By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The golden rule is something we all learned about as kids (and something that children today are still learning). We are taught to treat others with respect, dignity, kindness, and common human decency. Thankfully, I see many examples of the golden rule in play every day. Whether it’s people respectfully sharing the road with others or good Samaritans digging out neighbors after a snowstorm, acts of respect and kindness are on display in each corner of this city.

But when it comes to the City’s Parking Control Officers, the golden rule seems to fly out the window for some of us – and recently we’ve even seen a spike in outright aggression against our parking officers. I can’t stop thinking about three recent incidents, and they deserve everyone’s attention.

Within a few weeks of each other, one Parking Officer was repeatedly verbally attacked, one officer had hot soup thrown at him, and a person spat at another one. I want to be absolutely clear – this is uncivil, unacceptable behavior for anyone to display in any situation, and in the case of the hot soup, it’s just plain dangerous (though I’m happy to report the officer is OK). It especially saddens me that our officers had to experience these upsetting acts. They are hardworking people dedicated to our city who are just trying to do the job that our community needs them to do.

True, nobody likes getting a parking ticket. But our Parking Officers play an essential role in Somerville. There are more than 45,000 cars registered in our city of only 4.1 square miles, and even more visitors drive and park here daily. We need our Parking Officers to enforce our city’s parking rules to ensure, among other things, that our streets are safe, our public ways are accessible, our parking spots are shared fairly, our business districts have needed parking turnover, and our City doesn’t become a big parking lot for non-resident T commuters. So they head out daily in all manner of weather to enforce the rules for all of us.

At times, our Parking Officers must issue tickets for street obstruction, including when a vehicle is blocking road access for emergency vehicles, snow plows, or the street sweepers that keep our catch basins clear to prevent flooding. They are also the ones who tag cars for wrongly taking handicapped spots, blocking fire hydrants and crosswalks, and more recently for blocking bike lanes – all violations that can cause difficult and unsafe conditions for others.

Many of us take pride in shopping local and supporting the many independent, small businesses that dot our squares. Parking enforcement also supports those businesses. Without Parking Officers out to ensure fair turnover of parking spots, customers for those businesses would get squeezed out by people who park all day and leave. Just imagine if we allowed all day parking in downtown Davis Square so that non-residents could drive in, park in front of our shops and restaurants, and take the T downtown for the day. It would hurt the very entrepreneurs that keep our squares vibrant and lively.

As you can see, contrary to what many believe, Parking Officers aren’t out to issue tickets for fun. Our goal rather is to educate residents and visitors alike about the rules, and we’re making good progress on that. Issued parking citations actually saw an eight percent decrease from Fiscal Year 16 to Fiscal Year 17.  We’re lucky to have such a professional parking control staff. Not only do they make every effort to treat us all fairly, when the three officers were targeted in the incidents I mentioned above, I’m proud to say that in every case they took the high road seeking to deescalate the situation by backing away and not responding in kind. I commend them for keeping cool heads in a situation where many would struggle to do so.

That’s not to say that they won’t ever make a mistake in issuing a ticket. Like the rest of us, they too are human. But there are ways to appeal a ticket and plead your case, and yelling, spitting, or tossing hot liquids aren’t the way to go. You can learn more about the proper channels for appealing a ticket by the information listed on the back of the citation, at www.parksomerville.com, or by contacting 311.

Because of these incidents, I wanted to focus here on the work of our Parking Officers. They, however, are not the only City employees that aren’t always treated with the respect and decency they deserve. The same can be said for plow drivers, inspectors, 311 operators, and even employees who hold community meetings, all of whom – much like the Parking Officers – play an important role in keeping the city safe and running efficiently. Likewise, I demand and expect that all City staff treat every member of our community respectfully as well.

I know we can do better, Somerville. The next time you encounter a Parking Officer, plow driver, inspector, or any other City employee (even if you don’t like the information they’re providing), I challenge you to remember two things: that these people are simply trying to do their jobs and that the golden rule you learned many years ago applies to everyone.