Those who do not know Alison personally (as I do) might conclude, from reading the Herald, that she intentionally cheated her employees.

Would such a person take four of her staff on a paid wine tasting tour of Spain? Would she pay for Harmon’s trip to San Diego to become certified as a sommelier? Would she regularly give employees gift certificates to Ojo Caliente, Mexico, vacations? Would an employer focused on harming her staff give them daily house meals and drinks totaling tens of thousands of dollars yearly?

Suffice to say that a dog started barking up a tree and now all the dogs in the neighborhood are barking.

Alison Dance and the Cyprus Cafe have generously contributed to this community and its charitable organizations for almost two decades. She was the first in Durango to support local farmers/local food, not because it helped with her bottom line – it doesn’t – but because it was the right thing to do. That’s just how Alison rolls. Alison runs a business that is informed by her personal values and integrity. That’s more than I can say for the Herald’s mean-spirited, misleading reporting.

Brian Brown

Durango