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I have lived in Thousand Oaks for almost 30 years and have patronized the Do It Center stores in Thousand Oaks and Agoura Hills. Family friends work or have worked at the Thousand Oaks store. However, I will not shop at the Do It Center again because I strongly disagree with its corporate-financed effort to stop Home Depot from locating near the Do It Center on Thousand Oaks Boulevard.
The stated philosophy of the Do It Center is "serving others as we would like to be served." It is unfortunate the parent company's actions do not match these words.
The Do It Center must believe it cannot compete with Home Depot on price and service because it has embarked on a campaign of deceit in order to protect its turf. This campaign involved circulating a petition that would put the bogus but draconian Measure B before the voters. The effect of the measure, if approved, would stop Home Depot from going forward with its store. Measure B would also deprive the city of Thousand Oaks of needed sales tax revenue and would force a cut in basic services or an increase in taxes.
On several occasions, I was asked by paid petitioners to sign a petition to put this anti-competition measure on the ballot. The petition circulators, who lived out of town and were paid by the Do It Center owners, lied to me each time I asked them what the petition was all about. Their response was that by signing the petition, I would "save open space" because it would stop the city from selling and developing precious vacant areas. Though this was absolutely false, I personally observed many harried individuals pressured into signing based solely on the blatant untruthful statements of the paid petitioners. How sad.
But sadder yet is the fact that the Do It Best Corp. has stooped to this shameful anti-competition strategy. I believe this company's action in this case will end up causing it significant difficulties in the future.
I hope and pray that voters in Thousand Oaks will join a wide coalition of groups and vote no on Measure B.
— Grant R. Brimhall of Thousand Oaks is a former Thousand Oaks city manager.
Posted by rogerone on April 21, 2008 at 11:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Since when is voting "draconian"?
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