When Public Employees Lie

Had a run in today with a school employee at a joint use park here in ABQ where the access is through the school grounds.  Was there to walk my diabetic, blind dog.  Dog was on the leash and we were leaving.

I've walked my dog in that park for the last three years - ever since I got her.  Without incident. For three years, I've walked past probably a dozen or more teachers and hundreds of kids without any teacher saying anything about the dog.

The employee told me I could not bring my dog there and she was very insistent about it.  Said it was a safety issue to protect the children.  I then picked up my dog and showed her the cataracts in the dogs eyes and told her the children were a greater danger to my dog than my dog was to them.  She then proceeded to tell me the local parks ordinance prohibited dogs there during school hours.  I told her she was being cruel and left, carrying my dog.

After getting home, I checked the city ordinances for parks and the HEART ordinance for dogs.  No such rule.  Then I went to APS's website and looked for anything in their policies section about dogs and all they had was referencing stray dogs only.  They don't even discuss service dogs. So my conclusion is the woman lied to me for her own convenience and/or to try and exert authority that she does not have.

So what did this employee win for APS?  Nothing.  What her lie did do was win a bucketful of ill will.  I don't need public employees at any level, lying to me or trying to impose on me a rule that does not exist.  So what she did win for APS is this:  After 35 years of consistently voting yes on APS bond issues for schools, facilities, teacher salaries I will now be votinge "No" on future APS bond issues.  I will be voting no because she lied.  The lie was self serving and unnecessary.  I will not vote to pay anything that could potentially go into her weekly paycheck!