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Alderman's Aide Makes Sign To Evade Feeding Meters

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May 11, 2009 11:46 am US/Central

Alderman's Aide Makes Sign To Evade Feeding Meters

Sign On Zodak Yonan's Car Read, '44th Ward Official Business'

CHICAGO (CBS) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 1: (File Photo)
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An aide to Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) has reportedly been suspended, after trying to get out of feeding those pesky parking meters by making his very own parking pass.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Zodak Yonan put a homemade placard with showing the Chicago city seal and reading "44th Ward Official Business" behind his windshield.

Tunney suspended Yonan without pay on Monday, according to the Tribune. He did not disclose how long the suspension would be for Yonan, a contract employee, the Tribune reported.

With the sign in place, he parked at an expired meter on Seminary Avenue in the Lakeview neighborhood for hours while working in the constituent service office nearby on Belmont Avenue, the Tribune reported.

After the Tribune contacted Yonan, he agreed to stop using the sign. He also admitted he had made it himself, and claimed that there was no problem with doing so.

But Yonan reversed his stance after the Tribune pointed out that unauthorized use of the city seal is forbidden by law, the report said.

The Tribune said a whistleblower complained to the newspaper that meter maids had been ignoring the fact that Yonan's meter was expired.

Since the city privatized its parking meters at the beginning of the year, meter rates have skyrocketed to 15 minutes per quarter in many neighborhoods when it had been an hour last year, and rose to 5 minutes per quarter downtown.