Knowing that, I understand even better the disappointment many people have expressed to my reaction to being rudely confronted by a downtown parking attendant last week

Thousands of people have supported our efforts to invigorate Downtown Akron, and they are entitled to a better account of these events than the one provided by letter-writers to the Beacon and on talk-radio this past week.

Terminating this young man from his job was a correct decision for his employer to make. It’s a decision I have been required to make when a citizen is on the receiving end of unexplainably rude treatment from someone we've put on the front line to provide customer service.

I have since clarified to the business-owner that if he chooses to retain the young man in his employ, he should not be assigned to Downtown. It’s clear to me that the treatment I received last week was not the first time that this particular individual made the experience of dining Downtown miserable for someone.

Some letter-writers to the Beacon think my reaction to this incident was harsh and unreasonable. I suspect that they don’t fully appreciate how hard so many people have worked to make Downtown a success. (I also suspect that they are the same people who would be the first to write to me if they were treated this badly by a city employee.)

Indeed, when we received complaints about parking lot attendants who manage the decks and lots owned by the City, we insisted that our contractor take steps to address customer complaints, and they did – even requiring their attendants to take classes in customer-service.

Here’s why. Good men and women have invested their life savings into starting businesses Downtown. Hundreds of young people are employed in more than 50 Downtown restaurants and clubs, and they depend on our success to pay their college tuition and living expenses. I have a larger obligation to these groups of people than to one discourteous person.

Hardly a week goes by that my office doesn't get a letter about some problem in Downtown. That’s why two years ago I convened a group of a dozen city managers who meet weekly with one sole mission: to continuously improve the Downtown Akron experience.

Not only have we encouraged valet parking companies to help us manage the problem of too many cars with too few close-up parking spaces, but we continue to look for new ways to accommodate this higher level of customer service to make their enterprise flourish.

To be sure, I’m passionate about our success: Downtown Akron has seen a billion dollars of new construction in recent years. Income tax collections have doubled over the last 13 years in Downtown alone. Nearly 3-million people each year come Downtown for entertainment. We continue to plan new special events that enhance the quality of life for everyone, and help us retain and attract the young professionals our businesses desperately need.

What hurts the most in recent accounts is the suggestion that I lack empathy for this attendant. As a young man, I did back-breaking work on loading docks, drove delivery trucks, and yes, for a short time I even worked as a parking lot attendant for Russell Harp -- where I learned that it’s too important to leave the goodwill of customers and the jobs of hundreds of others -- in the hands of any one rude individual who fails to treat customers courteously.