Kablooie - The Vent Just Blew [Temp 1]

[donk]

:angry: :angry: :angry: Did you all hear my head explode as I took yet another call from the local unwashed.

Ok, I need a place to vent and get sympathy from.

I have an applcation on my desk for a "conditional use". With conditional uses here, you can't refuse them, only attach reasonable terms and conditions. The proposed use is for a nursing home/residential care facility for up to 16 people. This use will require my employer's approval at a semi public meeting.

It turns out that the owner of the property, not the applicant, is one of the City's notorious dirt bags(and an immigrant /visible minority to boot). As per my employers's policy I sent out letters to property owners within 100 feet of the property. I am now getting phone calls from all over the neighbourhood telling me what a bad man the property owner is and how I should stop him from doing this thing in their neighbourhood. Meanwhile they have little to no "official" standing and are treating my rudely, one questioned everything I said and wound it up by asking where I was from and where the applicant where from. These items have nothing to do with planning items for a use of this type.

Hope my interview next month goes well, I can't take the bigotry and ignorance of this place much longer. Michaelski i'll trade your corrupt/unprincipled politicians for my corrupt politicians and bigots straight up. :angry:

[SGB]

All I can offer, Donk, is TGIF!

Blow off some steam tonight in any (de)constructive manner you see as appropriate!

[NHPlanner]

Hang in there donk.....you're not destined to remain there forever.....in fact I heard that the Town of Pelham's Planning Director position is still open....I'll see what I can dig up.....

[Tranplanner]

hang in there donk - we'll get you back to civilization yet!

[Seabishop]

Thank God its Friday. You're bound to get something soon - especially since you're not sticking to a certain area.

Underneath the bigotry are they right about the owner being a scumbag? I've found the locals have a pretty good handle on who's a scumbag.

At a public hearing the other night a neighbor said "I've been living here 30 years - what is this development going to do for me??!!" The development was a bad idea that was shot down, but it sucked having to listen to an hour of "apartment dwellers will kill your children" logic - especially in a city full of apartments!


OT: Why does NH always seem to have so many planning positions available? Is it because of towns trying to catch up with rapid growth?

[Gedunker]

I've noticed that the thicker my skin gets, the harder the great unwashed burrow to get under it. And they do a-plenty.

This too shall pass, donk!

[NHPlanner]

Originally posted by Seabishop@Sep 5 2003, 02:08 PM
OT: Why does NH always seem to have so many planning positions available? Is it because of towns trying to catch up with rapid growth?

Probably growth in Southern NH, but high turnover in smaller towns mid-north due to low salaries and difficult politics.

[Chet]

Shake it off, remember you're a better person for it.

[NHPlanner]

donk: Check your e-mail...I just sent you what I could find on Pelham's position.

[Cardinal]

Have you tried the "The law doesn't allow me to do that, but if I were you and I did not want this project to be built here's what I would do... and you didn't hear it from me" approach? It has usually turned those people around for me. Of course, you might have some really stoopid and annoying people up there. Either way good luck in getting out.

[donk]

I've been around here long enough to know, the owner of the property is a scumbag and the husband of the applicant is no peach, but that is not supposed to impact decisions related to land.

Chet, i must be an angel by now or at least up for being cannonized (if I were a Catholic)

NHP, thanks for the jobs in NH, i keep applying and I've had a few interviews, just like dating
I can't close the deal.

Cardinal, I start every response with a description of the process. it is hard to get through people's heads when teh conversation starts with I've lived here for 60 years and never heard of that person. I need to start asking women their maiden names so that when that comes up I can say well she used to be known as. I never say and you did not hear it from me, unless the person is in my office and has clearly identified themselves. Then i always make a note of it.

[michaelskis]

Originally posted by donk@Sep 5 2003, 01:03 PM
Michaelski i'll trade your corrupt/unprincipled politicians for my corrupt politicians and bigots straight up. :angry:

Oh I feel for you... Yes it is Friday, and I was told that I would know by the end of the week if I got the job (in SW Michigan) but here it is 3:15 on Friday afternoon and I have yet to hear anything. I called, but got a voice message box. Oh what fun...

Yet to day, I have been Yelled at in 3 Languages that I do not speak, threatened by an angry black man because his landlord is evicting him, and the house is being purchased to be rehabbed, a bird thought I was a toilet, watched a van go up in flames in front of an elementary school, and a man was denied a use variance because the administration instructed the board to do so, because this guy *although is not a minority* is a competing developer of the city. The sad part... is this is a good day.

I feel your pain. If I do not get this job, I am doing as much research on the place that I have an interview in on Tuesday, *and I have to thank those who have helped with information.

If anyone has any info on Jobs in Michigan or Wisconsin, please PM me..

[donk]

As for threats, here is my list of favorites:

1) Being followed home from a night meeting then at the next meeting being asked how the sheep and donkey are doing and being told to watch what they eat.
2) Same guy, different meeting, being threatened with a liquid amanure shower, only to leave teh meeting and see the manure sprayer parked by my car.
3) having a member of council throw a table at me
4) going to the hardware store and being followed around and harrassed the entire time.
6) racial slurs
7) not being able to find a family physician and being told it is partially due to my job and interest in the community by a few.

[biscuit]

Originally posted by donk@Sep 5 2003, 07:27 PM
As for threats, here is my list of favorites:

1) Being followed home from a night meeting then at the next meeting being asked how the sheep and donkey are doing and being told to watch what they eat.
2) Same guy, different meeting, being threatened with a liquid amanure shower, only to leave teh meeting and see the manure sprayer parked by my car.
3) having a member of council throw a table at me
4) going to the hardware store and being followed around and harrassed the entire time.
6) racial slurs
7) not being able to find a family physician and being told it is partially due to my job and interest in the community by a few.

Well that's what you get for being a rotten evil commie planner.

Honestly, what kind of backwater are you working in.
I mean, I thought I was from a hick town but man...
We apparently don't have anything on those Canadian rednecks.
I feel for you. I'll send some job relocation karma your way.

[Chet]

Originally posted by donk@Sep 5 2003, 07:27 PM
As for threats, here is my list of favorites:
6) racial slurs

What am I missing? Last time I checked you were an average white male.

[michaelskis]

Originally posted by The dork formerly known as Chet+Sep 5 2003, 03:51 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (The dork formerly known as Chet @ Sep 5 2003, 03:51 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin--donk@Sep 5 2003, 07:27 PM
As for threats, here is my list of favorites:
6) racial slurs

What am I missing? Last time I checked you were an average white male. [/b][/quote]

**I noticed I posted the wrong message.
I get racial slurs all the time. Here, a white male, is the minority. On friday I got called all sorts of fun stuff by some big black guy who wanted to kick my butt, because his landloard is kicking him out.

[Cardinal]

Donk - Get Out&#33; Get out now&#33; Oh, and get a gun. That kind of B.S. would land somebody in jail here in a heartbeat. While we may have our problems, our PD is good, and the chief would personally see to it that these people were "corrected" immediately.

[Seabishop]

Originally posted by donk@Sep 5 2003, 07:27 PM
As for threats, here is my list of favorites:

1) Being followed home from a night meeting then at the next meeting being asked how the sheep and donkey are doing and being told to watch what they eat.
2) Same guy, different meeting, being threatened with a liquid amanure shower, only to leave teh meeting and see the manure sprayer parked by my car.
3) having a member of council throw a table at me
4) going to the hardware store and being followed around and harrassed the entire time.
6) racial slurs
7) not being able to find a family physician and being told it is partially due to my job and interest in the community by a few.

Damn.

[Zoning Goddess]

Originally posted by donk@Sep 5 2003, 07:27 PM
As for threats, here is my list of favorites:

1) Being followed home from a night meeting then at the next meeting being asked how the sheep and donkey are doing and being told to watch what they eat.
2) Same guy, different meeting, being threatened with a liquid amanure shower, only to leave teh meeting and see the manure sprayer parked by my car.
3) having a member of council throw a table at me
4) going to the hardware store and being followed around and harrassed the entire time.
6) racial slurs
7) not being able to find a family physician and being told it is partially due to my job and interest in the community by a few.

Oh, that&#39;s bad. I thought I had it bad when a very-little-English speaker accuse me of taking bribes, right in front of a commissioner. I&#39;ve been cussed out, but not followed or threatened. Altho&#39; I have demanded that my bosses walk me to my car late at night after some hearings. i will admit I had to lay real low when I had to review a PUD revision for the subdivision I lived in (Oh God, don&#39;t let the neighbors recognize me&#33. I would completely freak if I had your experiences. Where are your bosses? They should be deflecting the fall-out away from you&#33;

[donk]

For clarity, the first two where at my last job, same province, slightly different area, only marginally more redneck/white trash then where I live now.

We&#39;ve had the RCMP on call for public hearings for one set of plans I did with my past employer. I&#39;ve seen fist fights in the parking lots after meetings (none of us involved).

For those of you looking to read about my community check out any book by David Adams Richards, especially "nights below station street". He paints the picture of the area pretty clear, and he may even be being kind.

I did get a written and public apology from the council member and a dollar after the implied slurs on my ethnicity and beliefs.

As for my boss and other employees, they tend to send the difficult cases my way, because they either know the person or are related to them. I&#39;ve taken the fall / been pushed over a cliff a few times for the City and my employer.

I always wonder if I should share these stories when asked at a job interview, "How do you deal with unpleasant people/difficult people?"

My typical response is I recognize that a certain amount of frustation is due to not understanding the process or the law on the applicant&#39;s part, it is part of my job to educate them and hope that this leads to a better working relationship. I follow up with, but there is a certain amount of politeness and civility that should be expected when dealing with people and if a person demonstrates repatedly that they refuse to be somewhat civil then I ask them to leave/call back when they can be. The leave/call back is usually only after the 4th or 5th threat or name calling and after they have been told that I won&#39;t be spoken to like that and that I would appreciate if they would tone down the language and be more polite.

[Rem]

Originally posted by donk@Sep 5 2003, 07:27 PM
As for threats, here is my list of favorites:....

That is a terrible list. You win.

I think Cardinal is right - get out now.