Comments on: Councilor Clegg Furious At Park Policy

By: TEX

TEX — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:32:31 +0000

The only issue I see here is that someone parked illegally and the vehicle was towed. I guess it just happens to be Ms. Clegg’s daughter…

I can understand being upset at leaving a young teenage girl stranded, luckily we have cellphones to contact others. But, the person(s) who wrote the policy, who had the car towed, and the tow truck company did not specifically target Ms. Clegg or her daughter.

Is Ms. Clegg in any higher of a position as a citizen of Boise or Idaho and should therefore have a different response from the city’s respective departments? I think not…her daughter did something illegal (maybe due to lack of respect since we all know NOT to park in yellow or red zones), she and her parents payed the consequence, life goes on.

I bet Ms. Clegg wouldn’t give a damned if it was someone else’s daughter that was stranded. She might say she would since this incident has happened, but prior to this…I seriously doubt it.

Finally, as a former government employee. You may use your government email account for personal business, but must know that it can become public record quite easily. In fact, that is something which is often pointed out.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:25:43 +0000

Stationed in D.C. with the military I read the Guardian to keep up with what is happening in my fine hometown. It always brings a chuckle to me when I read some of the responses to the postings on here, so here are my two cents (or about .001 cent with today’s declining dollar value).
If Ms. Clegg were truly worried about her daughter along with some of the other responses on here, why was her daughter alone and at dusk in a city park? Common sense as a father of a 17, 13 and 6 year old tells me if my kids are out at that time (which brings up the question, isn’t dusk in Boise now like 9 p.m.?) why? I am sure her daughter, as it seems just about 16 year old, has a cell phone and Ms. Clegg could have called her daughter to know where her underage daughter was. This seems like responsible parenting to me (yes I know you can’t track a 16 year old to save your life, but nonetheless it returns to how your children are raised), but then again, I am a simple guy.
So in the park there are not only the “faded yellow curbs” but as I do recall there are also signs everywhere saying that your car will be towed. So either a faded yellow curb or the sign right there should have been the clue to not park there.
The next question is where in the park was her daughter that she didn’t see, hear or notice a tow truck hooking up to her car and taking it away? This would lead me to believe that she was not in the vicinity of the vehicle and therefore took it upon herself to walk the park by herself at dusk. So this would seem to invalidate the issue of what if she was attacked. She apparently was nowhere near her car in if she was attacked so either way the car being there would not have been an issue.
I do feel sorry for the teen that her car was taken, but this is one of those great life lessons that teach you to ensure you know where you are leaving your vehicle so you don’t have it towed.

By: Mr. Logic

Mr. Logic — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:26:48 +0000

Daniel, you are treating the G-Man like he is a lowly politico. Had he not brought it to the attention of readers, no one would be aware of draconian policies you mention. Obviously the Councilor didn’t change things after the football overtime fiasco which resulted in the towing you mention. She only felt inclined to complain when her daughter’s car got snagged. You owe Dave an apology.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:02:37 +0000

Oh shoot. I came looking for some juicy and scandalous exchange in the email and got nothin’. But I have been interested in this towing stuff since all those people had their cars towed at the Humanitarian Bowl. There is something not right about towing cars out of the park all the time. It feels like a scam. It reminds me of that tow truck company that was constantly booting cars in old Boise a few years back. It’s bullying and verging toward extortion. I wish the park department would take on a more Boise-friendly tone. As far as Ms. Clegg, she is the mother of a juvenile so she has to deal with this situation with her daughter. And the last I looked, every organization I know of allows employees to use their work email for personal business. Since there was no juicy scandal in the email exchange I have to come down on the side that this is a NON-ISSUE and I vote Dave not try to drag people through the mud when it is not deserved. And on a side note, I tend to believe the saying that “if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem”…and for that reason I have respect for just about anyone who devotes their time to serving the public whether or not I agree with their political views. Nothing is more rancid than an Monday morning armchair quarterback whose ONLY contribution to society is criticism. Not that I am pointing any fingers at anyone in particular, but just wanted to throw that thought out to the universe for examination.

By: boisecynic

boisecynic — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:22:22 +0000

I’ve got an idea. Perhaps Ms. Clegg could tell us the exact location of the faded yellow paint area, and we the people could go take a look for ourselves. If Ms. Clegg doesn’t read this forum, perhaps Colleen could pass along the message.

EDITOR NOTE–Cynic, how about you do an inspection for us and report condition of stripes–also note if there are any NEWLY PAINTED yellow curbs. Perhaps that would tell us a lot as well.

By: boisecynic

boisecynic — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:12:30 +0000

And exactly how do we now Ms. Clegg did or did not give her daughter an earful? Too bad those conversations aren’t subject to FIA rules.

By: Rod in SE Boise

Rod in SE Boise — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 23:51:09 +0000

Thank you for your support, Old Blue.

“The authorities” have far too much authority.

By: OldBlue

OldBlue — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:47:28 +0000

Exactly Rod, unless it’s an abandoned vehicle or blocking traffic just keeping writing tickets. That way nobody is put in danger and the longer they break the law the worse the fine.

By: Chet Parker

Chet Parker — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 04:20:00 +0000

Interesting observation – I sent an e-mail to Clegg and to Ginger expressing my disappointment that Clegg directs her anger at the authorities instead of at her law-breaking daughter, and expressing my appreciation for Ginger’s professionalism in dealing with the totally out of line city council person. I got a thank you note from Ginger but, surprise, no response from Clegg. I hope her official e-mail inbox, which she misuses to try to intimidate other public employees, is full of mail from citizens who are furious at her arrogance.

By: cyclops

cyclops — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 02:10:54 +0000

Justified? Not justified? Cover-up? Influence peddling? When ya’ll get to “when an air-headed teenager doesn’t think about the consequence of her actions, dumb things,(or worse) happens”. Seems to me, the good councilor should be P.O’d at her daughter first.