Well, things changed recently. I had the opportunity to fight City hall and I lost.
A few weeks ago I attempted to pull into the bank parking lot which is at the back of the bank. There was one spot left and it was a tight one. Well, it was raining so I wanted a convenient parking place. In attempting to squeeze into the parking stall I heard that dreaded scrape noise. I knew I had scratched the side of my car or more.
What I had scraped my car on was a huge garbage dumpster...in some places known as a garbage bin. Well after a major cussing session, I sadly went home.
After thinking things over I thought, you know the dumpster is in the wrong place. Aha! I'll ding the city on this one and get them to pay for my damages.
You don't really know where to start your fight. We checked the Waste management dept. They would send out an inspector who promptly got everything wrong. Up the ladder a bit and the guy claimed that even if the the dumpster was in the wrong place it was my responsibility to not drive into it. This sounded nuts to me. I also noticed how each official covered the other guy's back. They did contradict each other from time to time. They were plain dumb at times. At times I thought they were not telling the truth.
So I harassed some more people trying to see how far wrong the dumpster was out of place. I kept getting the line that it was my responsibility to not run into the dumpster even if it was in the wrong place. I thought the idea of hitting something in the wrong place was ridiculous. It didn't sound like common sense.
I checked further and phoned the police. They confirmed that indeed a driver should not hit a stationary object even if it was in the wrong place.
So Monday I'm going to have to concede to City Hall that indeed, they are right.
How about you? Have you had the opportunity to fight city hall.
I think it depends on who's "in" at city hall. Right now we have some doozies. They are on a power trip and suppress anyone who speaks out. I'm waiting for them to trip themselves up good and hopefully they'll be out in the next election.
ReplyDeleteAt least you didn't scrape somebody else's car and have two repairs to worry about!
Some people think they get in and run everything but they can only make policy and staff does the work.
DeleteSorry Red that you lost this fight and now have to contend with a repair bill to your car. No, I have never fought City Hall but have argued with some utility companies.
ReplyDeleteSometimes we have to accept defeat and go on.
DeleteIt's astonishing! They are trying to say that drivers should not drive into stationary objects! This is outrageous. Your human rights are being violated Red. In a free world we can drive into any damned thing we want! JUSTICE FOR RED!...What did The Micro Manager say when you told her about the scrape?
ReplyDeleteWell, I guess you're looking at the brighter side of things. It wasn't so much what the Micro manager said but how much she wailed!
DeleteNo, Red, I haven't every taken on a City Hall. But I'm glad to know that you have, even if you didn't win this one. Made for an interesting post anyway. :-)
ReplyDeleteI dealt with staff in this instance. Presenting to City council is another issue. It's more formal and democracy comes into play.
DeleteNever took them on,hope your car wasn't bad
ReplyDeleteThe car is minor but these days it costs big time to fix stuff.
DeleteCity goverment really sucks when it comes to paying out. They blamed a flood as an act of god before, literally.
ReplyDeleteCity limits in my town don't allow the use of digital signs except gas stations. It's so dumb.
There are some very bizarre policies in some towns.
DeleteI have yet to face that situation and hope I never do. I don't like fighting so I might just cave and deal with the consequences. Good try though.
ReplyDeleteI don't look at it as fighting but debating within the rules. Fighting doesn't get you anywhere.
DeleteAt least you tried! Nope, no interesting city hall stories from me.
ReplyDeleteYou have to be prepared to go up the ladder. They all cover each other's back.
DeleteMy city hall cut down two large trees and a red maple because they thought the leaves were clogging their drainage system. I know the trees were there first. Anyway, I just moved away from them as they all seem to be from another planet and I don't want to live in their city anymore.
ReplyDeleteCouncillors can get some pretty strange ideas.
DeleteI always say that at least you tried! I've never had to fight city hall but my best friend did many years ago and she won. With a lot of effort. But she won.
ReplyDeleteYou have to jump through many hoops.
DeleteSometimes city hall is wrong, and sometimes it's right.
ReplyDeletebest wishes to you conquest!
ReplyDeletei don't have idea of such fights but reading about it is interesting .
At least you tried, that is what counts. The only problem I had was a refund from my previous internet provider. The owed me €44 and told me it would be in the mail. After 7 months I had to get the county representative involved and finally received my refund. If only they didn't lie every time I called but that made me determined to get the refund. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don't but I think you have to try.
ReplyDeleteAny issues that involve city hall can have a potential to get complicated. Thank you for adding my post to google +1 Shabana Shaheen.
ReplyDeleteFrustrating Red, think it is called circling the wagons. I haven't had cause to fight city hall yet.
ReplyDeleteI've taken on the biggest of Big Pharma and won a legal settlement, also engineered two out my bosses in the educational bureaucracy out of our district and won a golf tournament and several tennis trophies. I do like a good fight when truth, justice and the American Way is on my side. Take on "City Hall" no thanks. Your have to pick your Windmills carefully and City Hall and it's often trivial concerns, surrounded by indifferent bureaucracy, is most often just not worth it....:)
ReplyDeleteI suppose that is a losing battle:(
ReplyDeleteI've recently had good experiences with city hall- the bureaucracy was doing its job and our city councilor was very helpful. And in the most direct way, a city inspector reading the riot act at those on the opposite side of the issue did the trick.
ReplyDeleteOh dear, so sorry to hear about your car damage, Red. Sigh... It happens.
ReplyDelete