Backing out of a tight spot...

At the urging of Valerie Ervin and Ike Leggett, the council is backing away from its poorly thought out approval of increased fees and Saturday hours for meters in Bethesda, Silver Spring, and Wheaton parking lots.

The likely action comes after Silver Spring and Wheaton businesses learned of the new parking charges and raised Cain, flooding the council with angry calls. Earlier testimony from businesses in affluent Bethesda, where new monies are not needed, was ignored.

Council members are blaming others for the debacle. George Leventhal even went so far to say, "There is really only one supporter of the parking fees in the room, and that is staff."

That's not entirely true, George. Back in May, Roger Berliner claimed the action was the best "mix between valuing parking and making sure that we don’t harm our business community" and could bolster Bethesda business by increasing turnover in parking spaces.

Listening to constituents is a good thing. Seeking out input (and actually paying attention to what you're voting on) before decisions are made is even better...