‘I can’t stand parking enforcement’: Gee isn’t fighting proposed cuts as Ursula questions the math

KIRO host Gee Scott knows parking enforcement officers have a job to do. That does not mean he wants more of them writing tickets.

On “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio, co-host Ursula Reutin outlined a proposal, obtained by The Seattle Times, to eliminate nine vacant Seattle parking enforcement positions to help balance the city’s budget. She questioned the financial logic of cutting jobs that could generate more ticket revenue than their salaries and benefits cost.

Gee approached the question with a confession: His own experiences trying to talk his way out of parking tickets would shape his answer.

“Respectfully, I can’t stand parking enforcement. I can’t stand y’all, so I’m not fighting,” Gee said.

His frustration centered on returning to his car before an officer finished issuing a ticket and still being unable to persuade the officer to let it go.

“Like I’ve been in situations where the ticket’s not there yet. OK, if I got the ticket, that’s one thing. But they’re standing there, seeing my car. They haven’t even printed up the ticket yet,” Gee said.

Ursula offered a straightforward defense of the officers.

“They’ve got a job to do,” Ursula said.

The budget question behind Seattle’s tickets

In her account of the proposal, Ursula cited annual salary and benefit costs of about $115,000 per officer, compared with approximately $200,000 in ticket revenue. Using those figures, filling nine positions could produce $765,000 more in annual revenue than their compensation costs.

She also described longstanding vacancies and unspent hiring money, asking whether eliminating positions was really the right way to balance spending.

But the discussion quickly exposed the tension between recognizing enforcement’s purpose and resenting it when the ticket is yours.

Ursula acknowledged that she does not like parking enforcement either. Still, she recognized why business owners might want officers to make sure drivers don’t occupy limited spaces indefinitely.

“For business owners who have a struggle, a real struggle, and people who just park and will stay there parked if things aren’t enforced. I get it,” Ursula said.

When a listener named Ernie in Kent asked why Gee was upset with people doing their jobs, Gee reminded him that he had acknowledged his hypocrisy from the start.

Accessible parking is a different matter

Gee’s sympathy disappeared in one category of parking violation: taking a space reserved for someone with a disability.

He agreed with a listener who drew that distinction, emphasizing that he does not park in those spaces.

Gee recalled a family outing in Chicago when a cousin offered him a disability parking placard so he could park closer to a boat excursion. He declined.

“That’s some bad karma right there. You’re using a handicap placard. No, even forget it being illegal, and you’re not supposed to do it. That’s just bad karma,” Gee said.

Ursula’s parking money sparks another debate

The conversation eventually shifted from tickets to how Ursula pays to park.

She still uses coins when she can, explaining that she carries change, sometimes pays with cash, and tries to give the exact amount. Gee found the idea of keeping coins in a purse unexpectedly entertaining.

Ursula was unapologetic. She even picks up pennies she finds on the road.

As Gee teased her about holding up a checkout line while looking for change, Ursula embraced the image.

“OK, hold on. I have change for that. I do. I’m proud of it,” Ursula said.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.