Aren't Driving and Parking On A City Sidewalk Unlawful, Ticketable Offenses?

 

Yes, they are, but with exceptions in Hudson, apparently. 

Who Can We Rely On To End This New Blight Of Plastic JUNK?

 

The people that have been recently nailing and screwing their plastic business signs to National Grid's utility poles all around town use a ladder for one reason only: to keep their signs out of the reach of anyone wanting to easily pull them down. And anyone can remove signs on poles without being arrested; they are no one's property once they are on the poles.  Unfortunately, the only solution to this new problem -- which appeared suddenly this year -- lies with Hudson City Hall.

Welcome To The (New) Neighborhood. Won't You Stay A While?

Last night at 6:00, I came across a parked car completely blocking the new sidewalk that the Pocketbook people forced on the city to make way for their drop-off drive-thru area.  The driver of that car (with an Arkansas plate) won't be the first guest of the hotel, wellness center, restaurant, bar, etc. to have no idea that the concrete area is a sidewalk meant for pedestrians and not a place to park their car, mainly because there is no curb between the brick drive-thru and the concrete sidewalk. What a disgraceful, disrespectful mess the Pocketbook has created for the neighborhood (with the blessings of the Planning Board)!

The Fruits of Our Tax Dollars And Our Police Department At Work!

 

Late yesterday afternoon, several hours after HUDseen reported on the broken single-sided paid parking sign in front of 720 Columbia, I noticed that it had been replaced with a double-sided sign.  

Into Whose Pockets Does Parking Ticket Revenue Go?

 

During the inaugural Safety Committee meeting on February 2nd, after Police Chief Franklin finished her 45 second monthly HPD report that had nothing to do with safety, second in command Captain David Miller gave his parking update, which he called a "breakdown' and which also had nothing to do with safety.  He did say this:  "Parking revenue for December of 2025 was one thousand, or [correcting himself] a hundred and one thousand four hundred and thirteen dollars and forty-seven cents." ($101,413.47.  "Over $101,000" would have sufficed, Captain!)  Miller then went on to say that the total amount of parking revenue from December 2024 was $83,630, though he gave no sense of what types of parking tickets those revenue numbers included.  He also failed to talk about expenditures, such as the cost of parking signs, though perhaps there aren't any signs being bought to replace old and unreadable ones.  And, as HUDseen readers may recall, this was the meeting when Miller announced to the SAFETY Committee that parking was "running great."

Words of Wisdom For Hudson In The 21st Century From Our DPW Superintendent and Sage: "It's Just Money. You Gotta Pay For It."

 

HUDseen readers will be forgiven for thinking these first two pictures are the same ones featured in an article from exactly two weeks ago about a broken plastic parking sign on a meter pole in front of 720 Columbia Street. But be reassured they are not. I took these pictures yesterday when I came across the second broken sign on that same pole in front of 720 Columbia -- within just two weeks!!!!  Yes, the original broken sign was replaced by DPW sometime last week no more than two weeks after it was installed by DPW, and the new plastic sign was also rendered useless within one week.  All we get is ugly, publicly displayed garbage showing that HPD top brass have no idea what they are doing in terms of making their new and expanded "improved" paid parking system a success. It's an embarrassing disgrace, and our new mayor should intervene before things get truly out of hand and more money continues to be wasted on these plastic signs and who knows what else they are spending and wasting our precious tax revenue on.

You Got A Permit For That Sign, Buddy?

 

Absent? MIA? At All Effective? Unfamiliar With Zoom? The Wrong Person For The Job? Not Happy To Be Back On The Second Floor of 520 Warren?

 

As all readers likely know by now, former Hudson mayor Tiffany Martin is now the aide to our new mayor, Joe Ferris.  As the mayor's aide, Hamilton has been forced to take on the title of ADA Coordinator to, for one thing, make sure the city complies with the U.S. Justice Department's 2019 "settlement agreement" forcing the city to make our ridiculously dangerous sidewalks and curb ramps ADA compliant.  And, just like her predecessor, Justin Weaver, the ADA Coordinator is required to be a member (and an important one!) of the Public Works Board, the group of five members tasked with complying with the DOJ's directive and implementing the new and ambitious city-wide sidewalk repair program known as the Sidewalk Improvement District (SID).  A lot is riding on the efforts of the Public Works Board.  A whole lot.  Everyone has to be on board, so to speak, including, and especially, the city's ADA Coordinator.  C-O-O-R-D-I-N-A-T-O-R!

Where There Once Was A Sidewalk In What Once Was a Residential Neighborhood...

... there is now a drive-thru drop-off area for wealthy guests of a hotel, restaurant, bar, wellness spa, etc., many of whom will be taking advantage of a car valet service.  I can't wait for the blinking, multi-colored neon signs at 6th & Washington to arrive this spring:  VALET SERVICE 100 FEET AWAY WITH DRIVE THRU!  ALL ARE WELCOME!

When Will The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Be Taking Place This Year? Or Will It Happen In 2029?

What I am looking forward to -- and what all council members should be looking forward to (and demanding to know) -- is when someone from HPD can confidently announce to city residents and the council that their new, expanded paid parking system is completely implemented, that all the necessary changes have been made and the serious kinks have been worked out.  So that, just maybe, the city can have a ribbon cutting ceremony or christening of the new paid parking system that is supposed to make things better for everyone and create millions of dollars in parking revenue annually for the city for decades to come.  This announcement should include, of course, the important detail that no more signs or kiosks need to be installed anywhere.  But, from the looks of things, it appears that HPD Captain David Miller, Chief Mishanda Franklin and, possibly, Doreen Danforth have a long, long way to go to make such an announcement or even consider one.  They probably have no idea when all of the parking changes will be complete, when the new system is in fully in place, 100 percent "up and running."  They probably have no idea when the answer to the question ARE YOU DONE YET WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CITY'S NEW PAID PARKING SYSTEM? will be a definitive YES.  Heck, they can't honestly say that everything is in place even on the half block of North 5th Street in the heart of downtown, that's for sure!

Well, At Least The Pocketbook Is Lining HPD's Pockets!

On my walk this morning in the neighborhood (which is no longer strictly residential in nature), I came across three ticketed cars parked at the end of Prospect Street, along the mega-business known as the Pocketbook Hotel and Baths.  One car was from New Jersey, one from Pennsylvania, and the other had NY plates, so it's fairly safe to say that at least two of those cars were owned by guests of the hotel.

There's No Doubt About It, Things Are Going "Great" With Parking! Couldn't Be Greater!!

 

Aren't you so proud of your city and the parking experts at HPD?  Ain't they just killin' it! Who should get the gold star this week for parking sign presentation and all-around professionalism, Chief Franklin or Captain Miller?  How about both of them?

Is Our New Mayor The Same As Former Mayors, Including A Former Mayor Who Is Now The New Mayor's Aide and ADA Coordinator?

 

I had my first opportunity to speak with Mayor Joe Ferris and his Aide and ADA Coordinator, Tiffany Martin, when I visited 520 Warren last Tuesday to ask them a question about a sidewalk that had been completely blocked by snow for over two weeks.  Let's just say that I was not impressed with the results.

Hey, Buddy, Can You Direct Me To Columbia Street? And Where Is 7th Street?

 

"... But I Sure Miss Them Now!"

Yesterday afternoon, I watched a parking enforcer doing his best to issue so-called meter violation tickets in the upper portion of the 500 block of Warren Street.  Of the 5 vehicles parked on the north side between The Whaler and 6th Street, he issued 3 of them (consecutively!) ten-dollar tickets after scanning the registration sticker and taking 3 pictures of each vehicle.  All the while dressed in a dark uniform and mostly while standing or walking along the driver's side of the parked vehicles while traffic rolled by a foot or two away.  One of these enforcers is bound to get struck sooner or later, a hazard that has increased dramatically since the parking meters were removed from the sidewalks.

Here's A Story That Should Have Made It On The Front Pages of the Register-Star and Times-Union

Inside a recent HPD Monthly Incidents report I received as part of a Freedom of Information Law request, one thing stood out from all the typical incidents HPD responds to (and that Chief Franklin never mentions during her monthly reports to the council).  It was titled "Internal Investigation."  No other information was offered. But because there is no outside oversight of cases involving corruption, misconduct and shenanigans at the Hudson Police Department -- a department with an extremely long history of misconduct and corruption -- we may never know what that recent internal investigation was about or what its outcome might have been or will be.  How many internal investigations has HPD conducted recently, say, under Mishanda Franklin's watch?  Who is conducting the investigations, particularly when the Chief of Police is away on maternity leave for months?  Does dealing with parking matters interfere with Chief Mishanda Franklin's and Captain David Miller's ability to investigate their own officers properly, thoroughly and in a timely fashion?  How would the residents of Hudson know if Mishanda Franklin or David Miller were being investigated for misconduct, let alone a patrol cop or two?  What Hudson Police Department cop or investigator was the focus of that recent internal investigation by the Hudson Police Department, and what were the results?  Good luck getting answers to any of these questions. 

I Don't Understand How It's Even Possible For Someone To Do This!

 

Did the driver think they were on a one-way street when they arrived to park, regardless of how many cars were parked facing their way alongside the Pocketbook?  Would the driver really respond, "I didn't know," if asked why they parked headed in the wrong direction?  No one would knowingly park their car facing the wrong direction and leave it there for hours or overnight, would they?  Are there really people who drive and park so foolishly and dangerously?

Is Hudson The Most Deliberately Unsafe City in New York State?

It doesn't really matter if DPW deliberately didn't clear the shoulder of snow south of the entrance to Oakdale Park three weeks ago or if they just forget to do it, does it?  Either way, it can't be acceptable, can it?

How Much More Incompetency Can Hudson Survive?

 

This is the second broken plastic scannable paid parking sign in the 700 block of Columbia Street that I have come across since several were installed on meter poles there less than two weeks ago.  The pictured sign -- near 8th Street -- will need to be sent to a landfill and replaced with a new one, just like the broken, bent and useless plastic sign near Lucky's gas station that HUDseen featured five days ago and which was recently replaced with a new plastic sign.  There will come a time, possibly very soon, where someone with some common sense, basic awareness and smarts will sound the alarm at a Comon Council or so-called SAFETY COMMITTEE meeting to call out HPD on yet another of their embarrassing and bush league errors:  The scannable signs, regardless of the material they are made of, never should have been allowed to be attached to meter poles. NEVER!  It was an absolutely dumb idea, and it never should have even been entertained.  If you did this to save money, you should be shown the door.  What embarrassing, ridiculous problems and wasting of money and resources will we be dealing with next that we don't need to be dealing with thanks to decisions of yours that are obviously not properly considered ahead of time or with any sort of common sense and competency?  How is any of this acceptable in the year 2026 in a city that is constantly facing financial shortcomings?

A One Year Anniversary Of Sorts, But With Nothing To Celebrate (and No Parking Revenue)!

 

As I recall, it was last February or March during a Parking Study Committee meeting that parking guru master and parking studier extraordinaire, Jen Belton, announced that the 16 parking kiosks had arrived to the DPW garage on Dock Street on February 4th.  Let's call it a year ago, shall we? 

When One Sign Is Obviously A Joke! Thanks, Rob Perry, You're Doing A Hell Of A Job!

 

The clue that tipped me off about this semi-trailer waiting at the red light at the turn in the truck route that I came across yesterday was that neither blinker was on.  And sure enough, when the green light appeared the truck did not turn.

Save The Planet! Litter The City!

 

Somewhere in our code it is written that all residential recycling must be placed securely in a container or it won't be picked up.  All boxes are supposed to be flattened, too.  DPW stopped selling blue recycling bins years ago.  Now anything goes because no one cares and Rob Perry isn't paying attention. Think our DPW Superintendent cares how much litter is produced by recycling, much of it produced by cardboard boxes full of recycling that easily get blown over in the wind?  HA!

Our Police Chief Actually Said This! Then Our Police Captain Did His Best To Outdo Her!

During public comment time following the Hudson Police Department report to the Comon Council's new 4-member Safety Committee last Monday night, the answer to my one allowed question was telling.

My question for Chief Mishanda Franklin and Captain David C. Miller was a fair and simple one that I didn't think had anything to do with safety, but somehow the answer did.  I was just trying to get at the core of the never-ending and confusing issues related to the city's inconsistent overnight odd/even parking rules (depending on the street and the month, there are actually two distinct rules out there).  I'm not the first person to bring this issue to the attention of the Common Council and HPD, but it had been a while since anyone spoke of it.  The fact that the issue continues to surface (and annoy residents) is evidence that something is not right with the rules.

A City Seemingly Hitting The Skids!

For the nearly 2 years that the offices of our Code Enforcement Department have been located on Washington Street, there has never been any indication on site what their hours of business are.   No signs on the doors, no helpful info on the sign by the street.  

On the Code Enforcement Department's page of the city's website, however, the hours of operation have always been clear:  8:30 - 5:00.  That's what the page indicates even today.  

FALSE INFORMATION!

Two Months? How About Just Two Days!!!! (Things Are "Going Great!")

 

Confirming Captain David Miller's recent claim that the city's new paid parking "change" is "going great," it appears that the two parking experts at HPD ordered the wrong scannable paid parking signs.  They are made of plastic, not metal.  Pictured here is one of two signs installed by DPW last week on Columbia Street that are no longer properly secured and are going to have to be thrown away and replaced.  Make no doubt about it, more are on the way soon.  I took the pictures yesterday. 

Every Fucking Winter After Every Snowfall At Two CSX Sidewalk Crossings! Sometimes For Weeks! This Has Got To End Before Someone Is Killed!

 

If this wouldn't be acceptable for one day along the sidewalks at the CSX crossings on both sides of Warren Street, then why, for at least the past several years, does Hudson City Hall find it acceptable on Columbia and on State every fucking winter after every snowfall?

Guess What, Jack? The Cracks Are Back!

Ten months ago, on April 8th, HUDseen published an article critical of the city's efforts with its new parking payment program, and it wasn't the first one.  It was titled The Cracks are Starting To Show With The City's Ambitious and Sprawling Parking Kiosk Project: "We Need To Take A Step Back." (You can read it here: Cracks)  That quote was made by the head of the erstwhile Parking Study Committee, Jennifer Belton, who was concerned that things were not going as planned with the kiosks and other parking matters.  We were paying a parking consultant to help us, and the year-old-committee had just seen the involvement of Police Chief Mishanda Franklin.  A few months later, on July 22nd, the committee's work, studying, "parking plan" and recommendations were done and Jen Belton handed off all of her and her consultant's hard work to, as she said, "the Parking Bureau."  While Mishanda and her clerk and new Parking Bureau Supervisor, Doreen Danforth, did attend the last few meetings, Captain David Miller did not.  He was likely dealing with law enforcement issues, the stuff we pay him to do to keep us safe and keep the criminals and bad drivers off our streets, sidewalks and out of our houses.  Well, at least he should have been.

Thank Goodness HPD Is Part of The Common Council's New SAFETY Committee! They're Going To Have To Justify The Unjustifiable, Defend The Indefensible and Explain The Inexplicable!

All the new scannable paid parking signs that DPW attached to the top of meter poles on side streets and Columbia Street this week are facing parking spaces in the street, not the sidewalk. NOT ONE OF THE SIGNS IS FACING THE SIDEWALK THEY ARE FOUND ON.  FACING THE SIDEWALKS ARE THE BLANK BACKS OF PARKING SIGNS MEANT TO ALLOW DRIVERS TO EASILY AND QUICKLY PAY FOR THEIR PARKING SPACES.  

Walking On Floor Framing Beams and Steel Re-Bar, Walking Up Steps, Stepping Off the Back of a Garbage Truck and Other Ways City Workers Hurt Themselves Last Year.

If I were the King of Hudson, one of the changes to Common Council meetings I would institute would be a requirement that each department head reveal any injuries that occurred in their department the previous month.  And since most injuries to municipal workers occur in public works departments, Rob Perry would have an extra task every month: to announce to the council how many days his department has gone without an injury and how many days away from work any injured workers had.

With that in mind, let's have a look at the nine accidents involving city workers in 2025 that the city reported to OSHA on Form 300, titled Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses.  

24 Hours Later. Well Looky Looky!

 

Yesterday, a few minutes after I notified Code Enforcement in-person of all the snow still on the sidewalk around the corner in front of 60-68 North 6th Street, I noticed something interesting.  Two city employees, having come from the Code office, approached the first mound of snow in front of 60-68 North 6th.  They stopped and spoke for a few seconds, though I was too far away to hear their conversation.  They then turned around, walked back to Washington Street and took a right to return to where they had just come from.  The two people were a plainclothes Hudson Police Department Lieutenant Nicolas Pierro (likely not on duty) and a long-time part-time Code Enforcement officer, possibly Peter Merante, the same person I had just notified of the sidewalk code violation.  Nearly all of the snow on the sidewalk -- that had been there for 10 days just a literal stone's throw from the Code Enforcement Office -- was gone by this morning.  (I would have done a more complete job, but not everyone is as perfect as I am!)

Are Foxes Guarding Our Henhouse? It Sure Looks That Way!

At some point today I'm hoping to inform the Code Enforcement Office of all the 10-day-old hard snow and slippery stuff blocking much of the long sidewalk in front of 80-86 North Sixth Street.  That's the wide property just south of Washington Street and a few steps from the Code Enforcement Office with the 2-family house flanked by two garages.  Over the past two years, I've complained to Code at least three times about litter that accumulates in the hedgerow along the sidewalk that the property owner seems to be okay with continually ignoring.  It's also not unusual for a large grey empty recycling bin to remain on the narrow sidewalk for days after pickup.  I expect to be calling the Code office again this summer about the unmaintained property, because nothing ever seems to change around here.

Is It SAFE to Walk or Park In Hudson?

About two years ago, at my suggestion, 5th Ward council member Vicky Daskaloudi requested of Police Chief Mishanda Franklin that during her HPD reports to the council she mention any traffic "accidents" that involved pedestrians or bicyclists during the previous month.  If a pedestrian or bicyclist had been hit by a vehicle -- whether killed, injured or uninjured -- Mishanda was to let the council know about it the following month.  And that practice was soon employed; Mishanda mentioned a few pedestrian/bicycle incidents when she wasn't on maternity leave. Late last year, Captain Miller, standing in for Chief Franklin while she was on maternity leave, mentioned that an ebiker on the bike path along Joslen Avenue had been hit to the ground by a car that was turning into the Fireman's home.  (One wonders if that driver was issued a traffic ticket for failing to yield the right of way to a biker.  Doubtful.)

Good Luck Finding Someone To WORK Those JOBS!

Five days ago, a help wanted posting appeared near the bottom of the main page of the city's website in the ANNOUNCEMENTS section where the three most recent important local news announcements are always present.  Next to the help wanted ad for the city's head Code Enforcement Officer position were the two previous announcements, both regarding snow removal amid the snow emergency.