Councilwoman deserves credit

By Susan Fong, Las Vegas

Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017 | 2 a.m.

Our elected officials are often maligned, whether deserved or not.

However, I wish to publicly thank a longtime conscientious public servant, City Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian, and her assistant, Anne Kilponen, for their help. They take their jobs seriously.

I have repeated problems with the disposal service utility, Republic Services. It misses scheduled bulk trash collection for weeks. Its customer service reps put me on hold for 30 minutes when I call to report missed pickups. Its reps told me (wrongly) that Republic Services will not collect trash contained in cardboard boxes.

Councilwoman Tarkanian and her staff responded quickly to my e-mails about Republic Services. Councilwoman Tarkanian called me herself from her home on the weekend because she cared about my problems. She told me she would take my complaints to the top, bypassing customer service.

Thanks to Councilwoman Tarkanian and her staff, a Republic Services operations manager finally contacted me. The manager told me that the company was fixing its bulk trash problem. He also told me that Republic has no policy that prohibits trash to be inserted into cardboard boxes for trash pickup. Cardboard boxes protect trash collectors when sharp or heavy items are disposed.

Customers who have problems with public utilities should contact your elected officials. They can help you.

Some, like Councilwoman Tarkanian, go extra distances to help people.