It sounds like a horror flick: “Beware the Evil Meter Maids.” But with Halloween over, this is one trick that shouldn’t be rewarded. Yet two Denver parking enforcement agents are still on the job after harassing a citizen and misusing city time and resources.
Last August, Joshua Miscles returned to his car to find Eric Madril giving him a ticket for not displaying a license plate on the front of his truck. Miscles had the plate in the front window. An angry Miscles called Madril a “meter maid” and told him “to get a real job.” That’s not nice, but Madril’s response went way over the line. He asked co-worker John Culhane to write Miscles a false ticket for parking in a handicapped spot, which Miscles hadn’t done, and mail it so late that it ran up a tab of $300. A Denver magistrate finally discovered the deception and notified Public Works. Culhane was suspended for only two days. Madril wasn’t even disciplined.
Both enforcement agents betrayed the public trust, misused city time and, we think, deserve harsher punishments — if not being fired — for their actions.
Give bipartisanship a chance. Republican statehouse leaders this past week made some positive comments about working across the aisle with Democrats. Then, Senate Republicans replaced moderate Sen. Al White on the Joint Budget Committee with Sen.-elect Kent Lambert, one of four House Republicans who did not sign a letter opposing three tax-slashing measures on the ballot. The JBC doesn’t need to rule with an unanimous voice, but we hope Lambert is at least open to compromise on that all-important committee that writes the state budget.
Of course you don’t want fries with that. We’re as concerned as anyone about childhood obesity. But the recent move by San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors to ban toy giveaways in fast food children’s meals (Happy Meals) that have excessive calories, sodium and fat, while also requiring servings of fruits or vegetables, strikes us intrusive and unlikely to have much impact. We’re confident our local elected officials will focus on educating the public about high-fat foods rather than dictating our choices.
Voting: Another San Francisco treat. As long as you don’t want a Happy Meal, San Francisco is a great place to visit. However, we wouldn’t want to vote there. A vote inspector apparently fled a precinct on Election Day with a slew of ballots. No one is quite sure why. However, about 75 waterlogged ballots were later found in a pond. Since the chain of custody had not been maintained, there are serious questions as to whether the votes can be counted.
Short Takes is compiled by Denver Post editorial writers and expresses the view of the newspaper’s editorial board.
