Wasilla parking ordinance gives common sense a flat tire

Frontiersman editorial board

Here's one for the "What's the point, anyway?" file. With a decision that seems more like a feeble whimper than a resounding thunder clap, the Wasilla City Council passed an ordinance that regulates the way people sell cars, sort of.

The ordinance says you can't park a vehicle for sale on public property for more than 16 consecutive hours in one place. The fine for being a vehicle sales scofflaw is $50. This sort of law raises all sorts of questions. Presumably, the police, who are already fairly busy, will have to monitor this crime. With the important work they have to do, should we really ask our police officers to be on the lookout for felonious For Sale signs and to track their idle time? In all seriousness, it's hard to imagine any police officer getting particularly worked up over a parked car with a For Sale sign on the dash.

Of course, one of the first questions that needs to be asked about any new ordinance is, "Why?" Who is protected by this ordinance? It might be said that cars parked all along the roadway is unsightly. Of course, the entire length of the Parks Highway through Wasilla is essentially a parking lot for a continuous strip mall, so parked cars are not an uncommon sight. The ordinance could be a way to get tough on those who abandon vehicles, but there are already laws on the books for that. One clue might be that one of the people who spoke at the council meeting was the owner of a commercial park-and-sell lot. His contention was that the ordinance wasn't strict enough. Sixteen hours is too lenient, he contended. He'd rather see a six- or eight-hour time frame.

In the end, that's who the law will benefit, if it benefits anyone -- those who stand to profit from the private sale of a vehicle. After all, if you can't park it on the street in front of your house, you'll have to park it on someone else's lot, and they'll get a piece of the sale. There's nothing wrong with operating a park-and-sell lot. It's a business that can be convenient for both seller and buyer. We wonder if one business deserves special legal treatment, though. After all, there's no law that says you can't plant a For Sale sign in your front yard and sell your own home. There are Garage Sale signs taped all over everything that stands still all summer, and politicians make great sport of our roadways during every election campaign. Besides, the 16-hour time frame makes the ordinance almost toothless. It looks like an effort to appease one group without hurting another -- while accomplishing exactly nothing -- and that seems like a dreadful waste of time.

Perhaps, for a real solution, the city of Wasilla could doze over Iditapark and turn it into a public park-and-sell lot. No ordinance required. Please don't take that seriously, council members.