Letter: Column doesn’t tell whole story

Thursday, Dec. 3, 1998 | 11:58 a.m.

Regarding Mike O'Callaghan's Nov. 27 column on homeowner associations, "Nightmare or sweet dream," I think it was just a wee bit one-sided.

Associations are not always the horror he described and for many of us they are our only salvation against the evil side of individualism. Apparently he's never had tasteless wonders for neighbors who paint their home turquoise blue with bright orange trim then try in vain to find a buyer for this; or had to deal with those terrible creatures, better known as slobs, who have no pride of ownership and no regard for other people's; creatures who don't believe in watering let alone mowing grass and who are perfectly content to have their part of the street looking like Sanford and Son.

He's never had Mr. Mechanic living next door who thinks nothing of making his home a car lot of broken down automobiles while a boom box is blasting so loud out of his garage that walls vibrate blocks away. He's obviously never been up all night because of barking dogs owned by animal lovers who think that's what dogs are "supposed to do."

He's missed all the fun of having his neighbor's cats using his yard as their private toilet. He didn't have to wait forever to sell his home because of a wannabe Picasso neighbor who took it upon himself to beautify the neighborhood by turning his entire front yard into a gigantic cement blob shaped like a map of the United States. Well, it must be nice.

The good governor is dead right on one count, people who aren't willing to conform and follow a set of rules designed to give them peace and protect their property values definitely don't have any business moving to a place with an association.

They belong out there with the free spirits someplace or next door to someone as easy-going and tolerant as O'Callaghan, not bloody next door to me. Maybe if greedy developers didn't cram 10 houses where five would suffice we wouldn't need so many associations.

Jeanette Gant