Take a look at this dump!
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* For the uninitiated, the Gang of Four is comprised of city councilmen Dan Coffey, Bill Schmidt, Steve Price and Larry Kochert. See also "Profiles in abject and supremely petty moral cowardice: CMs Coffey, Schmidt, Price & Kochert publicly urinate on code enforcement in NA."
Tuesday evening update:
Neighbors brought the case to the attention of the Board of Public Works at its Tuesday meeting, and the NAPD's Chief Merle Harl promised to send police to visit the address above. We are told that they have done so already, and served notice to the landlord to begin the clean up. We'll monitor the results and get back with you.
I have to disagree with you on this, Roger.
ReplyDeleteI've dealt with Councilman Seabrook in attempting to resolve a similar, but worse problem, next door to my mom's place on East Market Street. He's been the only person willing to try to get the mess cleaned up.
The house I'm speaking of is located on the alley known as East Sixth Street, at its intersection with East Market. It's been slowly decaying for over 30 years now. I have a letter written to the owners, back in the 1970s, by then-building commissioner Robert Stocksdale, ordering them to clean it up and fix it up. I have a similar letter written last year by Bldg Commissioner Eddie Hancock, due to Seabrook's insistence that something be done about the problems there.
Each letter has only been sent after constant complaints, coupled with proof of violations. There has never been any follow-up to the letters and the problems remain.
What are the problems? Here are the various ones over the years:
Fences falling down either into the street or adjoining property
Junk cars on street and in the back yard
A goat being kept in the back yard
Starving bulldogs being kept in the yard
Huge piles of trash in the back yard
Rats in the back yard
Bricks falling out of decaying chimneys onto adjoining property
There's more, but you get the idea.
I've never heard Seabrook say he is opposed to the OEO position, or the recommended applicant for that position. He did express concern about the cost to taxpayers if Messer's position on the NAPD needs to be filled. I know you mentioned in one of your previous posts that you felt Seabrook's concern was suspect, but remember, his job is to oversee expenditures, and that includes the police department.
The point is, many of these problems fall under the jurisdiction of our building commissioner and the health department, and they are not giving us our money's worth. I'm all for ordinance enforcement, but let's get all responsible parties in gear on this.
Annie, I'm not disgreeing with your disagreement, and I've stated before that Mr. Seabrook is in a tough position on the current council, but at the same time, to comment before the public that he understands the problem but intends to abstain from a potential solution -- irrespective of the reasons, valid, invalid or in between -- is at best artless, and at worst, confirming stereotypes about his party that I, a contrarian, know aren't always true.
ReplyDeleteThe net effect of his latest take on "Hamlet" at last Monday's meeting was to take sides with the looters across the table, and for this, he should not be permitted wiggle room.
Nor should he be able to claim unfairness, as it's part of the game in the political jungle. Certainly he's been around long enough to know this.
Mr. Seabrook might also attempt to explain himself, something very few of our councilmen feel an obligation to try, except for the ones who do it so poorly that it reflects badly on the entire city.
I suspect that Mr. Seabrook is quite capable of eloquence, but he chose not to be eloquent last Monday -- he chose to buttress the obstructionists with his spin of the random objection generator.
I'm glad that he's helped your mom; we all know how rotten that situation is. I just returned from the Public Works meeting, at which much discussion of these issues took place.
In the end, I believe you and I agree that the problem is not the specifics, but the emergence of a whole culture of unaccountability.
I listened today to a former mayor and member of the public works board ask public speakers to let him know what the pertinent ordinances are. Mr. Hunter either didn't know, or had forgotten them. It's the culture that needs changing, and that's about ordinary people as much as it is the politicos.
Sorry for the hasty reply, but I'm late for work.
I suppose I'm dubious of the "solution" of an OEO, simply because it really isn't a solution. It's yet another person citing problems. The real teeth are the enforcement–and I fear once again we'll all be told that the letters have been mailed, the problems noted, but the city attorney is too darned busy. Or the court's too full. This isn't just baseless conjecture, because I've heard this round of excuses before, many times.
ReplyDeleteTrue, the culture needs to change. But the buck passing has to end, too.
If you were Mayor (and we both know that ain't NEVER gonna happen) could you listen to someone like Greg Roberts, for example, begging at each council meeting simply to receive the services we are paying for as taxpayers? Wouldn't you be compelled, as the man in charge, to go back to your department heads and appointees and say, "Get out there and get those junk cars towed. Cite those decrepit buildings. I want a town I can be proud of."
I don't doubt that an OEO is necessary. But I hope no one thinks it's the end-all solution.
I spoke to Councilman Seabrook a few days before the vote for the OEO. His main concern, as expressed to me, was the budgetary impact in terms of the police department needing to replace Messer. I thought that's what I heard him explain at Council the night of the non-vote.
I hope you'll post more on the BPW meeting, and I hope that more than discussion took place. I'm still waiting for someone in charge to jump up, pound the table and shout, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not taking it anymore!" And then go out and get something accomplished.
Brandon, what can citizens do to get this process started? Any advice?
ReplyDeleteThere are 2 particularly bad housing structures in the Rear Market area, down around 18th street.
ReplyDeleteOne is a multi-unit rental building and the other is an unoccupied, dilapidated multi-unit rental.
The garbage and the decay of the houses, especially in the back, is becoming a health risk as folks are reporting rats and other vermen around the properties.
I have called the Health Department 3 times, and they eventually just lied to me and told me they had been back out to re-inspect, post letter, and things had been cleaned up.
My follow-up visit showed quite the contrary.
I also contacted the building commissioner, and was told he had no idea when anything could be done as his office has been inundated with complaints.
To date, nothing has changed.
What are our options when city services are not functioning?
If you would post the addresses of the properties in question, I'll photograph them and post on the marquee. Then, we can follow up with public works.
ReplyDeleteOur option is to focus the spotlight on them until something happens.