Moses Lake tickets woman for parking in her driveway

City ordinance forbids semi-trucks to park on private property

MOSES LAKE — Pat Thoren is angry with Moses Lake because the city ticketed her semi-truck while it was parked in her driveway.

She is upset at the city blocking her ability to park her truck on her property. Thoren said an ordinance preventing commercial vehicles to be parked on private property is unfair and the council was short sighted in passing it last year.

The conflict with the city began for Thoren when she received a warning from the Moses Lake Police Department to move her truck from the street. Her husband Gary Thoren is a long-haul truck driver and they store the vehicle at their residence from four to six days a month when he is home.

Thoren continued receiving notices from the city to remove the truck from her property because it violated the 2005 ordinance. She said this was after the police department told her it was acceptable to park her semi-truck on her own property.

On Nov. 20, the Thorens were ticketed $103 for parking their truck in their driveway. She said she spent days talking with councilmember James Liebrecht and city officials trying to find a way for them to park their truck on their property. Instead, city officials stood firm on the ordinance.

"The city is happy to dismiss the ticket because there is compliance," City Manager Joe Gavinski said. "All we're looking for is compliance."

The truck is not parked at the residence but the city is concerned the truck will be back, he said. If the truck comes back and parks at the residence, a citation will be issued, he said.

Thoren said her husband now has the truck in Missouri.

The city heard nothing from Thoren about what she would choose to do about the ticket, Gavinski said.

Instead, Thoren spoke before the city council Tuesday night about the issue.

"I feel what you guys are doing is highly improper," she told the council. "I will not spend my money in Moses Lake … if we don't shop in Moses Lake, we can control city hall."

Thoren told the council she plans on boycotting city businesses, despite working for a Moses Lake company. She plans to hand out flyers urging citizens to follow her example.

She said she is not against Moses Lake businesses and she would much rather promote Moses Lake over any other city.

The purpose of the boycott is to get the attention of the council, she said. She wants the council to review the ordinance and consider the impact and scope of future ordinances for citizens.

"I do not want this to offend my fellow citizens," she said. "I want to wake them up to the things going on that shouldn't be happening."