How to best fight city hall?

I am very sad and wish I had some wisdom to impart. The frustration must be enormous.

Since this is Spain, isn’t this a question for a lawyer licensed to practice in your city in Spain? Advice from lawyers elsewhere wouldn’t be very helpful.

Another solution, perhaps, is to get married and settled and have that behind you and then contact a journalist at a reputable newspaper to write an exposé. Would that be risky or dangerous for a reporter? Are there censorship problems or political ramifications?

Have you heard of Las Vegas?

The best way is to get elected to the city council, My dad did that when the sewers backed up because the city didn’t properly maintain the lift station. Surprising once there was someone affected by the backup on the council the coverup ended.

The council could no longer claim it was an Act of God and no one was responsible.
The manager of the water/sewer plants spent some time in jail over the incident.

FWIW’s:
Off and on again I will go or listen to city hall meetings. The most dramatic changes in stance occurred with dramatic rise in citizens attending and objecting.

I have heard of cases where city hall was sued and lost though I am not certain of many details though I seem to recall there was existing law in the suer’s favor and it was more of a blatant disregard for the law then a civilain rights issue.

I think an expose and drawing as much public attention to the issue, mostly sympathetic would be in your best interest regardless of whether you wish to delay or start the process now.

Anything else would probably be dependant on existing law in your area and proper protocol.

Another idea is to see if there are others who had or are having similar trouble getting married or gave up for specific immigration reasons. Make it a class action suit. I am not sure how you search for individuals. Maybe someone else has a good idea there.

My oldest grandson is running into various issues with paperwork getting lost or he is told it is incomplete. He has finally resorted to taking all paperwork in person and getting a receipt for it. He asks the person who accepts it to check and make sure it’s all there. He also makes copies before he turns it in. He has a lot less trouble since he started doing this.

@YARNLADY So true. I have taken to handholding admin assistents and clerks hands and not trusting anything is taken care of unless I follow up with it. Whatever beauratic or paper heavy organization it is.

Once people in the office get familair with me they remember me and are more likely to be on the ball, taking initiative or calling me to double check something instead of sending it to the bottom of the stack.

I make sure to remember or write down all of their names and detail date and time this and this occurs they will take some initiative on their own. *Always courteous efficient, i.e. having all fax numbers, phone, reference numbers emails and any other pertinent details available, and professional, balanced out with some friendly and warm remarks.

But these relationships are very short lived and must be maintained never assume that because everything was handled correctly before it will be again. Even if you know you have given them any numbers or what not before be ready to give it to them again as they won’t have to look it up and will put a sticky note directly on the forms on the top of their to do pile if not taking care of it the minute they hang up.

Sorry. Dealing with government is always tough since, in spite of people’s fervent hopes and desires, the government really does not give a shit about you, and never did. They only want their perks and privileges.

Good luck. You deserve better. Let us know how it goes. Because…

A lot of Americans are going to face similar barriers, frustrations and irritation when they start living under ObamaCare. Maybe you can send them to school.