2006 Consumer of the Year

During the 2005 year, we watched as the lowly parking meter reared its analog head and proceeded to bite and bark its way all across our great commonwealth.  This phenomenon was precipitated by one individual who simply was being inquisitive and doing his job.

Attorney Charles Pascal of Leechburg, PA in Armstrong County received a call from a client who had accumulated dozens of parking tickets and wanted someone to provide a defense in court.  After a search of our laws and regulations, Mr. Pascal came upon the requirement for official testing of all commercial devices.

Wanting to test our his theory before defending his client in court, Mr. Pascal decided to get a parking ticket and find out if it would be dismissed due to the failure of weights and

measures to certify the device in a timely manner.  His hypothesis turned out to be correct as the District Magistrate promptly dismissed the charges at the hearing.

Mr. Pascal then took his client to court with those dozens of tickets and they were of course dismissed.  The local media got wind of the results and a firestorm of publicity raged across the state.  Almost every municipality contacted either the local sealer or the state office of weights and measures for an immediate examination of their meters.  Thousands of work hours were put in by inspectors trying to catch up on what had been years of neglect to the thousands of parking meters across the state.

Attorney Pascal studied the legal requirements, applied the law and not only did he win his case, but he also precipitated a tremendous effort across the state to bring these lowly “nickel and dime” devices into compliance.  The parking meter has affectionately been referred to over the years as a “nickel and dime” device, but that ignores what the parking meter really is; a tremendous generator of revenue.  In addition to the revenue generated by using the meters, they also generate millions of dollars in fines each year.

Mr. Pascal, by simply applying the law, set off one of the largest inspection efforts ever witnessed in PA and in the process brought a great deal of publicity to weights and measures.  Due to his efforts, the public was made aware that before they pay that parking ticket, they had better ask a few questions.  PAWM is pleased to recognize Mr. Charles Pascal as the Mary Bach Consumer of the Year.