DATE: Tuesday, November 11, 1997            TAG: 9711110269

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B6   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY TERRI WILLIAMS, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH                        LENGTH:   40 lines

PORTSMOUTH COUNCILMAN FINDS THAT HE IS REALLY A CITIZEN, TOO

Council members are citizens, too.

That's the lesson Councilman Cameron C. Pitts learned Monday afternoon when he parked his brand new 1998 ivory-colored Plymouth Voyager on private property - and got towed.

Pitts parked his Voyager in the lot marked ``Visitor'' at the building at 309 County St., the site of U.S. Rep. Norman Sisisky's office. After visiting with a reporter in a nearby building, he strolled back to Sisisky's office.

But his Voyager was gone.

``I feel pretty outraged that you can't do public business downtown without being towed,'' Pitts said later as he surveyed his returned van for any scratches.

Even though this public servant has a decal allowing him to park on public property for city business purposes, it restricts such uses on private property, said Deputy City Manager C.W. ``Luke'' McCoy.

The 309 County St. property is owned by Hollowell and Associates, which leases office space to Sisisky and several businesses. There are several reserved and visitor spaces at their property.

``The sign we give Mr. Pitts allows him to park on any city property without worrying about feeding the meter,'' McCoy said. ``But that's Mr. Hollowell's property, and that's between Mr. Pitts and Mr. Hollowell.''

Douglas A. Hollowell, a partner of Hollowell and Associates, could not be reached for comment Monday.

Hollowell contracts with wrecker Steven T. Benedict. In a Sept. 24 letter to Benedict, Hollowell said he had had several problems with parking violators at his property. Hollowell wrote, in part, that ``parties impacted by your towing enforcement'' should contact one or more city officials, including Mayor James W. Holley III, City Manager Ronald W. Massie, McCoy and Planning Director James J. Gildea.

Pitts did just that, and he got a break. The $95 fee for towing was waived.

Said Benedict: ``We released it once we realized who he was.''

This citizen is a council member, too.

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