Fighting city hall over ticket snub

Resident refused to feed meter or pay $800 in fines

Incensed by the idea that he would be forced to pay the meter in front of his own home despite also shelling out $25 for a residential parking permit, Mackey refused on principle.

The Mackeys' Kia Sorento SUV with a cross decal in the rear window began to rack up pricey parking tickets, with Mackey's fury rising in proportion to his debt to the city.

Mackey won his waiver and even got the city to install handicapped-dedicated parking directly in front of his building this summer — a concession the city says proves it has been willing to work with him.

[...] that won't help him with the tickets he had already accumulated, and — more to the point, he says — doesn't negate the underlying insult that he and his neighbors are forced to pay to park in front of their homes.

The dispute nearly boiled over this summer when the city booted Mackey's SUV, which he said forced him to make an hourlong trek with his walker to City Hall, where he says he successfully lobbied to have the boot removed so he could drive to the VA hospital for a medical appointment.

Hal King, interim executive director of the Albany Parking Authority, said balancing where to put meters is a delicate call in neighborhoods with a mix of apartments and businesses.

After a trial at which most of the tickets were upheld, Mackey's outstanding debt was cut to $459, according to the city treasurer's office.