Do I risk parking tickets by speaking out in Somerville?

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I am taken back by the voicemail I just received.  Perhaps I should have known better than to try to do a good deed in the community where I work every day.  After all, I was only interested in general public safety, but I guess that’s just not important anymore?

My office is located at 163 Gore St. in Cambridge, adjacent to the Twin City Shoppping Center.  This morning during my commute at approximately 9 a.m., I waited in line behind either five or six other cars on the Northbound side of the McGrath Highway for a green arrow, allowing me to cross the Southbound side of McGrath and to enter the Twin City Plaza.  After three full light cycles, it was clear that the green arrow was not appearing as part of the regular cycle, and so eventually I chose a safe opportunity to cross, following the decision of the cars in front of me.   I realized how potentially unsafe this was, and discussed it with some co-workers upon my arrival.  I learned that this had been a fairly common occurrence over the past few weeks, and so I decided to call the Somerville Police and notify them of the situation.

During my phone call, I was redirected a couple of times, which is fine, but I was ultimately forwarded to the voicemail of “Terry Smith” (not sure of his title, I missed it, and so if he is an officer then I immediately apologize for not recognizing him as such).  I left him a voicemail informing him of the location of the traffic light, and the danger that I perceived as a result of its malpeformance.   I included my name and number in the event he wanted to more information to identify the traffic light more specifically, and felt a moment of “good doobie” pride for having performed a good deed.
I returned from a meeting later this morning at around 11:30 a.m. to find a voicemail waiting for me.  It was Terry, returning my call.  Terry informed me that this particular traffic light does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Somerville police, but that in instead fell under either Mass. DCR or Mass. DOT, or some other state agency, adding that “I” should try to track down the appropriate agency to report the malperformance of the traffic light.
Pause, do I need to retype that? I certainly had to replay the message for myself a second time, only to find that my incredulous reaction was seemingly appropriate. I may risk parking tickets in the City of Somerville for the forseeable future for speaking out, but in the interest of true Public Safety, I’d like to explain to Terry how I think that voicemail should have gone.  Let’s try the following…..
“Dear Mr. Ciampa, I’d like to thank you for your concern regarding the faulty traffic light on McGrath Highway.  While this particular traffic light does not fall under our jurisdiction, we will be happy to notify the appropriate state agency and follow up to ensure that the problem is corrected as soon as possible.   Again, thank you for bringing this to our attention and for your interest in keeping our roads and neighborhoods safe.”
I have a close friend who often says to me “no good deed goes unpunished.”  I can only imagine what the unintended consequences of this letter might be, but at the very least, will someone please notify the right folks to have the darn street light fixed?
Thank you!
Steven T. Ciampa, Sr.
Peabody, MA