Righteous indignation is a wonderful thing — as long as your indignation is truly righteous.
When you simply don’t understand what’s going on, that’s a different story.
An outraged taxpayer wrote me the following email:
“I live on Balch Street and for the last week or so we have had two streams of constantly flowing water down Crosby Street.
“The water [department] came out and placed a cone by one of them, a manhole in the middle of the road. The one by the sidewalk has made its own hole to get out of the ground.
“When you call to ask what is being done, you first must be routed through 29 people. When you finally think you have reached the right person, all they say is, ‘Yes, we are aware of the issue,’ and hang up.
“If it is alright to have two large water flows left unfixed, then why are our water bills going up? I asked that once to the water [department] and the man slammed the phone down.
“If the city can allow the water to constantly run, then why can’t I and not be billed for it?
“I just don’t understand why city employees make us feel that we have interrupted and bothered them when in truth they work for us and are paid by funds that we have sent in.
“I thought you might want to look into yet another wasteful action by our wonderful city.”
Relying on my vast repertoire of investigative skills, honed over more than three decades in journalism, I swung into action. I wrote an email to the city — and quickly got a return email with an explanation.
An explanation that made perfect sense.
The streams in question were not leaks, says Rick Forsythe, superintendent of Akron Water Distribution.
“We are draining a section of the 36-inch water main in preparation for the internal inspection of a long section of the pipe, including the section that failed April 11,” he wrote, referring to the massive break that inundated 33 homes, ruined cars and required the emergency rescue of residents and motorists.
The run of pipe targeted for inspection had to be drained completely before the inspection could begin — a process that takes quite a while.
Informed of the situation, the author of the heated email, Doug Grigsby, responded, “You’re right. That does make sense.”
However, he added, he wishes someone among the multitude of people he talked to could have given him the answer.
“I just think most city workers do not have any idea about customer service or common courtesy,” Grigsby says.
When I asked city spokeswoman Stephanie York whether I would have received a rapid answer if I didn’t work for a newspaper and a website, she said, “Absolutely.”
“Just like I return calls from you guys, I do the same for constituents. I always take their calls or return them within 24 hours.”
Mind you, fielding calls from the general public is not part of York’s job. Those duties belong to the folks who staff the city’s 311 information line.
When you pick up your phone and dial 311, an operator is supposed to guide you to a person who can address your specific question or complaint.
York admits that process doesn’t always go smoothly. By the time callers have worked their way to her office, they probably have talked to multiple employees and are frustrated. As a result, many of them begin their conversations in mid rant.
She says she bends over backward to accommodate them because she knows how frustrating it is to be shuffled from person to person (or, even worse, from person to unreturned voicemail).
York says she can’t address the rude treatment Grigsby says he received from the water folks, but thinks courtesy should go both ways.
“We at City Hall understand firsthand how these types of emergencies — water main breaks, computer hacking, flooding — can be disruptive and scary to citizens,” she says. “We are also victims … [because] we live in Akron and our lives also get turned upside down by these incidents.
“So while I agree that city employees should be kind and courteous as a rule to citizens, I also believe that city employees deserve the same treatment from citizens.”
Sounds reasonable.
So let’s make a deal:
From now on, citizens will not automatically assume the worst. In exchange, all 311 operators will efficiently direct those citizens to the proper department, where overworked-but-conscientious city employees will quickly and politely provide answers.
World peace would be nice, too.
Bob Dyer can be reached at 330-996-3580 or bdyer@thebeaconjournal.com.