At 11 a.m. Tuesday, Mike Washo accepted oversight of the Scranton Parking Authority garages.
As the chimes at the Lackawanna County Courthouse Square marked the hour, Mr. Washo and two officials from Central Parking Corp., a private company selected to operate the garages, walked into the authority offices on Adams Avenue.
"We are going to go inside and talk to Bob about the transition," Mr. Washo said, referring to Robert Scopelliti, executive director of the Scranton Parking Authority.
Mr. Washo was appointed receiver of the garages by the holders of authority bonds. A commencement notice was filed Tuesday morning in Lackawanna County Court, declaring Mr. Washo the receiver as of 11 a.m. and obliging authority employees and agents to surrender physical custody of the five garages and other assets of the authority.
"We, meaning I, will be operating things from here on out," Mr. Washo said.
Mr. Washo said he has hired Central Parking Corp., one of the largest parking garage and lot operators in the country, to run the garages.
City council President Janet Evans has previously said the council would not honor the authority's next debt payment, due Saturday, as long as the authority management remained in place. With the changes at SPA in the works, Mrs. Evans said Thursday, "We have to see what develops over the next week."
Mr. Washo is a former Lackawanna County commissioner.
He began the day speaking with Mayor Chris Doherty and Mrs. Evans. He said both pledged their support in the transition. At the authority office, employees were "straightforward and cooperative," he said.
As to the status of the authority's employees, Mr. Washo couldn't say. Mr. Scopelliti and his staff are employees of the parking authority, he noted. Even with the garages removed from their charge, the fate of employees is uncertain, Mr. Washo said.
"They are employees of the authority. I have no authority over them," he said. "This is made more complicated by the fact that the meter program continues to be administered by the authority."
Contact the writer: dfalchek@timesshamrock.com