Ex-Congressman Joe Crowley Finally Returns Govt. Parking Pass

QUEENS, NY — Former U.S. Representative Joe Crowley finally returned his government parking pass Monday, more than two months after leaving office.

Crowley should have turned in his City Hall-issued parking placard when he left Congress on Jan. 1, the New York Post reported. But only after an inquiry from the Post did City Hall ask Crowley to hand over the placard.

Crowley represented northern Queens and the eastern Bronx in the U.S. House of Representatives for two decades, until he was ousted from his seat by newcomer Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a Democratic primary election in June.

Mayor Bill de Blasio last month announced plans to get rid of parking placards in an effort to crack down on the much-abused system, in which public employees use the permits to flout parking laws.

"We as the administration are ready to do things that have never been done before to stop placard abuse," de Blasio said last month. "We're ready to use the latest technology and the toughest enforcement to ensure that parking spaces actually go to the New Yorkers who deserve them, and not people who break the rules."

The placard abuse problem has even inspired a dedicated Twitter account.

A Crowley spokesperson declined to tell the Post why the permit, which expired Feb. 1, wasn’t returned earlier.

Read the full story in the New York Post.