Two Quick Updates!

Got a call from Barbara Pultz at the City of Denver office, asking for more details about the incident involving the Parking Permit clerk. Apparently, there have been multiple complaints about her, and mine was the proverbial STRAW. The City of Denver is undergoing budget cuts, and Barbara said that I just made her job easier. She's going to review the video tapes (YES!), and meet with the City Attorney and the Manager of Human Resources to initiate the termination procedure.

I mentioned the episode to my FO after Barbara called, and he said that he had almost the exact same experience with the same clerk about 2 months ago! I asked if he had filed a complaint, and he said no, because he'd never have to deal with her again.

How many times have you witnessed, or been a victim of, similar bad behaviour and disrespect? Did you complain? If not, I hope you will in the future. It can be as quick as a phone call. If you want more impact, a letter or a note will get noticed. But please, don't just be silent when you see an injustice, or when you are the victim. It's OK to be a squeaky wheel. Really.

Alternatively, if someone does an outstanding job, I always notify their manager. One of the workers at McDonalds really impressed me--she's always got a smile, and she fulfills about 2 1/2 orders in the time it takes other workers to fill one. I called her manager over and told him how impressed I was, and that I hoped he would give her an "atta-girl" for her personnel file. He agreed, and thanked me for saying something, since most of the comments he gets are negative. It made her day, it made his day, and it made mine.

The brightest news of all: I've rented half of the duplex, and the other half is waiting on a Section 8 inspection! A delightful young mother with two darling girls saw the unit tonight and paid cash. Allaine was up-front about the fact that she is breaking her lease--she's living in a basement apartment, and it has been filling up with water when it rains. Mold is growing, and her daughters are starting to cough and wheeze. The landlord hasn't been able to fix the problem. She gave me her landlord's name and address and said that I could call him. She had called an attorney to see if she could get into trouble for breaking the lease, and he said no; she gave me his number as well. I hope she'll be a good tenant, and my gut says that she will.

I wonder if I'm tough enough to be a landlord--I think I'm happier about helping someone in a bind than I am about the rent...although that does help a LOT!

Samantha is the other tenant. She's on Section 8; this is a first venture for both of us. Section 8 is the government housing program whereby the federal or state government pays a portion of the rent for low or no income people. It's a good program for landlords, as the check comes directly to you, so you know that most of the rent will be paid. Most Section 8 participants pay their rent on time and are good tenants--they lose their Section 8 voucher if they are evicted, arrested or have any other problems. Cheryl, my realtor, rented to one Section 8 family for 20 years!

Section 8 will inspect the unit next week, and if it's approved, she'll be able to rent it. They look for stuff like exposed wiring, non-working windows, inoperative furnaces, leaky water fixtures, etc. As long as a place is clean and in good repair, with bedroom windows suitable for egress, they will approve a unit for Section 8.

Busy weekend, then, getting the last of the duplex projects accomplished. Mostly minor stuff--finishing the window cranks, fixing a loose on/off switch, repairing that last gutter downspout, mowing the last strip of lawn and cleaning the oven! Allaine will be moving in this weekend, and Samantha should be able to move into the other side by mid-June.

And then I can take a breath.....