State officials getting free parking at Boston's Ritz Carlton

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) --  Dozens of high-ranking state officials are getting free parking in one of Boston's most luxurious hotels, courtesy of the Massachusetts taxpayers.

FOX Undercover found the state pays for 46 parking spaces at the Ritz Carlton's garage in downtown Boston through lease agreements with the landlord of 600 Washington St. where 8 state agencies are housed.
    
Among those receiving the parking perk are commissioners, deputy commissioners, and assistant commissioners.
     
The cost of parking is worked into the leases and valued at $300 a spot per month, according to the state. That works out to $13,800 a month and $165,600 a year.

But because the total price for parking is embedded in multi-million dollar lease agreements, FOX Undercover had to take the state at its word. $300 per spot each month is a competitive price for parking in that area.
    
The 600 Washington St. state agencies getting the free parking fall under the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.
    
EOHHS Secretary John Polanowicz agreed to talk to FOX Undercover, but dodged reporter Mike Beaudet's first question.

“The Ritz. Not a bad place to park a state vehicle,” Beaudet said. “Whose idea was that?”

“So the Avery St. parking lot where the entrance is, as you know, is right next to one of our homeless shelters. Takes care of some of the neediest folks that we have here in Massachusetts,” replied Polanowicz.
    
While the garage entrance may be next to a homeless shelter, it's also an entrance that leads right to the Ritz Carlton.

“I've been in the parking lot recently. It's a parking lot,” said Polanowicz. “It's not any better or worse than anything else.”

“The image of it all, parking though in the Ritz, it doesn't look good?” asked Beaudet.

“I actually think that the image how you're portraying it doesn't look good,” replied Polanowicz. “But the image of a standard city parking lot on Avery St. near the Chinatown district near where we have 1300 employees is really reasonable.”  

The vast majority of state workers at 600 Washington, 97% to be exact, actually pay for parking on their own, unlike the high ranking state officials.

Secretary Polanowicz did not directly respond to FOX Undercover's question about why only managers get free parking. However, he made no apologies for the practice.

“These are the best value according to the landlord that we have the lease with,” said Polanowicz.  
    
Secretary Polanowicz points out that employees who get free parking at the Ritz are required to pay taxes on the value of the spot.
    
Even though the garage is at the Ritz Carlton and it's where hotel guests park, the hotel points out it's not owned or operated by the Ritz.
    
This story started with a tip. If you have an idea for a FOX Undercover investigation email foxundercover@coxinc.com

Cox Media Group