NORTHAMPTON — If you’ve gotten a parking ticket in downtown Northampton in the past 26 years, there’s a good chance it came from Donna Dennis.
But her cheery disposition makes it hard to hold it against her.
“I’ve had a ton of laughs out there,” said Dennis, 65.
The city’s parking office estimates the parking enforcement officer issued roughly 150,000 tickets before retiring last week.
People weren’t always happy with the fact they were getting a ticket, Dennis said, and “they could be pretty nasty.” The worst encounter came about eight years ago when she wrote a ticket for a car parked in a prohibited area. The man whose car it was then began following her around town, shouting obscenities.
“Why don’t you go back where you came from!” she recalled him shouting.
People could be mean, she said, but she tried to “shake it off” and continue about her business.
“I had a job to do,” she said. “Nowadays people are under a tremendous amount of stress, and they’d take it out on us.”
That was one of the many times she called dispatch for backup.
“There were times the guys had to come to my rescue, and they’d get there pretty quick,” she said.
Still, she said, “I always tried to treat people with dignity and respect, and it went a long way.”
Dennis said the countless friendly interactions served to counteract the angry ones.
“Someone on the street would make me laugh and then I’d forget about it,” she said of overcoming unpleasantness.
After all, she said, she couldn’t let one bad moment poison the whole day.
“I only planned on doing this for two years,” she said, laughing. “But I enjoyed it, the people on the streets.”
Dennis would start each morning with a 45-minute walk around town, and then would get the car and rove around for errantly parked vehicles. Then she’d repeat. Few know downtown as well as she does.
“I have put some miles on these feet, I must say,” she said, laughing. “I love walking, and I’m going to continue walking.”
Many asked Dennis to void their tickets for an array of excuses, and so she developed a skill for knowing when people are lying.
“I could tell pretty much if they’re just yanking my chain,” she said.
It wasn’t easy to convince Dennis to void a ticket, but it wasn’t unheard of. She said she’ll never forget the very sad man she gave a ticket in the Hampton Avenue parking lot.
“You gave me this ticket and I’d just lost my job,” she recalled him saying. “And I took the ticket back. I felt this man was genuine — it was something that my gut told me. He just looked very sad and dejected.”
Nanci Forrestall, parking enforcement administrator for the city, said Dennis doubled as an ambassador for the city. She was a friendly face to talk to and give directions.
“People sometimes are not very happy when they get a parking ticket, and she was always able to be respectful with folks and sometimes use humor,” Forrestall said. “It was a joy to have her as a member of this department.”
Forrestall said Dennis served as a role model for younger staffers.
“She was always fair and firm when she had to be,” Forrestall said, adding she’d always have a smile despite the situation and the weather. Dennis said she’ll miss her daily visits with “the Starbucks group” and people outside of Woodstar Cafe, but there’s one thing she won’t miss: writing tickets in the snow. “Maybe — just maybe — I might start to like the winters,” she said, laughing.
Amanda Drane can be contacted at adrane@gazettenet.com.