The driver was an aide to borough president Marty Markowitz (who, to no one’s surprise, skated to his own re-election).

It was a minor incident in the scheme of things, but I couldn’t help thinking: Why was this aide to an elected official entitled to park anywhere he wanted? He wasn’t driving an emergency vehicle. The event itself was nothing of urgency to the citizenry – it was just another political rally. So why was this aide to someone who is supposed to be a public servant able to exhibit behavior that, for any of us, would have led to a fat ticket or even landed us in handcuffs for defying a police officer?

It’s a simple, local, vivid example of the arrogance of power. Most New Yorkers -- either out of common decency or simple fear of a ticket – would say, “I’m sorry, officer, I’ll move the car.” But this aide to the borough president clearly had neither the decency nor the fear.

But maybe that’s too much to expect from our elected officials or their aides. Too many of them, no matter how idealistic they may have started out being, quickly forget that they are in office because of our votes, and that they and their staff are accountable to us.

-- and that they are subject to the same laws that we are.