One of Princeton's two parking enforcement officers has been fired and the other is facing internal discipline for looking the other way on some parking violations.
Town administrator Bob Bruschi tells The Times of Trenton that Chris Boutote was fired for overlooking violations in exchange for “receiving goods” in a town where there is often a parking crunch.
Buotote is a retired town police officer who had a $48,000 salary and made nearly $53,000 from his pension.
It's not clear if he will face criminal charges.
“Any criminal charges would be evaluated by the prosecutor’s office and ultimately handled by them,” Bruschi told the paper through an email. “They will keep us informed.”
The person who answered the phone at his home Tuesday refused to comment.
Last month, Princeton suspended the enforcement officers without pay following allegations they were giving some businesses a pass in exchange for free food and drinks.
Transportation and Transit
Street parking in the college town is limited and most spaces are metered.
Earlier, Mayor Liz Lempert told The Times that she found the allegations “to be appalling.”
“I personally have gotten parking tickets as mayor. I think I got one on Monday when I was in my spot for too long. That’s the way it should be. The rules need to apply to everyone.”
