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http://www.michie.com/colorado/lpext.dll?f=FifLink&t=document-frame.htm&l=jump&iid=51102ea2.db91b27.0.0&nid=17795#JD_30-28-124

“(II) Whenever a county zoning official authorized pursuant to section 30-28-114 has personal knowledge of any violation of this paragraph (b), he or she shall give written notice to the violator to correct the violation within ten days after the date of the notice.”

Originally posted 7/8/11

Scott Robson, Executive Director, Evergreen Parks and Recreation District (EPRD).

Here’s a little bit about him and here’s his hiring announcement.

Anyway, the reason I’m suspicious is that he doesn’t respect community rules.  He doesn’t value the law.  He doesn’t understand that it is not optional, and that no one–especially someone in a public capacity–can pick and choose what rules to enforce.  He doesn’t understand the concept that, you hope people will act with consideration and respect for others and, when they don’t, you have to enforce the rules.

Strange, he has an impressive educational background, but he doesn’t seem to have a ‘get it done’ attitude.  His is not an easy job, but it seems he could do it if he wanted to.

This community, Evergreen, Colorado, has a dog/dog leash problem.  Mr. Robson is a key manager of one of a park and recreation system.  He refuses to make the EPRD parks safe and clean with respect to dogs.  The simplest solution?  Hire a de facto ranger.  I would expect that an executive director with responsibilities relating to a $5 million budget could do that.

Here are the animal control regulations.  “Protect the health, welfare, and safety of…” they say.  Don’t blame it on them, I say.  If there’s a problem with enforcement fill the void.  What are you trying to prove?

Originally posted 5/8/11

This is one of dumbest people I have encountered.    She (Ms. Destiny King, store manager) is the dumbest individual I have come across in a management or leadership position.

Home Depot has a nationwide policy against dogs in stores, and for good reason.  There are at least a hundred reasons why dogs are inappropriate and disturbing.  Here is an instance of a customer being attacked in Colorado and here is a very recent example of an employee being bitten in Ottawa.  Supposedly, after the recent attack in Canada the company has strengthened their resolve to eliminate dogs from stores in the United States.

So this woman, Destiny King, manager of a small, by big-box retailer standards, store in Evergreen, Colorado decides she is going to have a “dog friendly” store (nomenclature is per John Cahill, assistant manager).  Speaking with Ms. King was like speaking to a caveman (in her case, cavewoman).  Her rationale included the following.

• In her twenty-some years with Home Depot she has never seen the “certified service dogs only” policy enforced.  (Insight:  I don’t think she is exactly worldly.)
• She said Home Depot has a lot to do with contractors and many of these individuals have dogs.  (Question:  Does she really understand the market?)
• Some customers dislike or cannot tolerate dogs so, for them, employees will provide escorts.  In my case, when I called this evening, it was suggested that the item I wished to purchase–as if I know specifically–could be waiting for me at the front of the store.  (What?  So I am not supposed to walk through the store and buy more?)
• “It is a temperature or weather thing,” she said, referring to pets being left in hot vehicles.  Brief research suggests this is probably not a major issue–some pet owners seem to view the experience as being part of the family, exercise, or socialization.  Besides, maybe pet owners shouldn’t bring pets along if they cannot provide a safe, humane, considerate of others environment for them.
• Ms. King said the store’s employees “try to enforce” that dogs be on leashes.  At another time she said “they should be on leashes.”  (In other words:  it does happen that dogs are not on leashes.)

My entire conversation with her lasted about 45 minutes and it was one of the darnedest things I have ever experienced.  She has no conception of why the rule is there and, moreover, she believes she can simply override it.  As if I really had to, I mentioned things including narrow isles, biting, intimidation, allergies, urination and defecation, community leash laws, potential lawsuits, consideration for all customers, and the list goes on…  I believe she should know about cases involving injury and the diligence other stores employ to enforce the policy.  She just does not get it.

This may be redundant but I need to repeat it:  most disappointingly, she does not understand, nor does she respect, why the well thought-out rule is there in the first place.

Normally I dislike attacking someone personally, but in this case I cannot hold back.  Ms. King is treating me with disrespect by expecting me to shop in her kennel of a store.  Further, she has, and promises to again, put me in danger (yesterday, in her store, and within about twenty minutes, I was confronted by two, separate, scary-looking dogs about three-plus feet tall).

Organizations and companies don’t make poor decisions, people do.  Destiny King is a fool, and a danger, and she should be fired.

Originally posted 5/5/11

http://money.msn.com/home-loans/neighbors-hurting-your-homes-value-weston.aspx?GT1=33032

Originally posted 4/21/11

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandamus

Originally posted 3/28/11

These posts are from the Operation Clean-Up blog at theResearchSource.net.    After about nine years of hosting that site I believe I am going to not renew the URL.  I will attempt to move the important pages here, including all the posts from Operation Clean-Up.

About Operation Clean-Up:

I suspect it will be a long road–people are fools who believe they can change the world overnight or that others will give up easily.  It usually doesn’t happen that way and one has to be prepared for the next move.  And sometimes, as in this case, it has a lot to do with culture change–people just don’t get it, and they may even want to do the right thing.  It also requires tremendous perseverance.  At many times I am tempted to give up–it becomes boring, repetitive, and tedious.

Still, I want to believe in this and I have to fight for what I believe in.

A good primer to what goes on at this site comes from the movie Absence of Malice, directed by Sydney Pollack.  My favorite scene in the movie where Wilford Brimley, the assistant attorney general, says the following:

“He don’t get paid to act on your instructions.  He gets paid to abide by and to enforce the law.”

I think that statement is a great way to say that the rules are there for a reason, and it is a reason that we should understand and respect.  You hope that people will be considerate and do the right thing, but if they don’t, there has to be enforcement.  Personally, given my background, work experience, and education, I am a student of human behavior.  To me, laws represent collective human behavior.  In addition to things like ethics, morals, compassion, consideration, laws are a blueprint for how we interact and how we can live together.