Pat Harrison's Slumlord Uprising of 2008, 1/6: "Realtor Pat Harrison name drops 'Gestapo,' seeks monopoly on disingenuousness.

Eight years later, and it's déjà vu all over again as Pat Harrison prepares to defend our downtrodden slumlords against the Gestapo.

The following was originally published here on March 4, 2008.

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Realtor Pat Harrison name drops "Gestapo," seeks monopoly on disingenuousness.

Following is an excerpt from Wikipedia’s definition of Gestapo, an acronym for Geheime Staatspolizei, the “secret state police” in Nazi Germany. Any reader who can locate any conceivable correlation between the Gestapo as defined and a program of mandatory rental property inspections in the city of New Albany, as suggested twice last evening by local realtor Pat Harrison during blatantly disingenuous and self-serving remarks before the Building Commission, is encouraged to report these to us.

The video is here: Patience is a version.

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The role of the Gestapo was to investigate and combat “all tendencies dangerous to the state.”

It had the authority to investigate treason, espionage and sabotage cases, and cases of criminal attacks on the Nazi Party and Germany.

Laws passed in 1935 effectively gave the Gestapo carte blanche to operate without judicial oversight. Nazi jurist Dr. Werner Best stated that “[a]s long as the Gestapo ... carries out the will of the leadership, it is acting legally.” The Gestapo was specifically exempted from responsibility to administrative courts, where citizens normally could sue the state to conform to laws.

A further law passed later in the year gave the Gestapo responsibility for setting up and administering concentration camps. Also in 1935, Reinhard Heydrich became head of the Gestapo and Heinrich Müller, chief of operations; Müller would later assume overall command of the Gestapo after Heydrich's assassination in 1942 and Ernst Kaltenbrunner would take over as overall head of the RSHA and SD. Adolf Eichmann was Müller's direct subordinate and head of department IV, section B5, which dealt with Jews.

The power of the Gestapo most open to misuse was called Schutzhaft—“protective custody,” a euphemism for the power to imprison people without judicial proceedings, typically in concentration camps. The person imprisoned even had to sign his or her own Schutzhaftbefehl, an order declaring that the person had requested imprisonment (ostensibly out of fear of personal harm). Normally this signature was forced by beatings and torture.

During World War II, the Gestapo was expanded to around 46,000 members.

Pat Harrison's Slumlord Uprising of 2008, 2/6 (VIDEO): "Patience is a version."

Eight years later, and it's déjà vu all over again as Pat Harrison prepares to defend our downtrodden slumlords against the Gestapo.

The following was originally published here on March 4, 2008; text and video by Jeff Gillenwater.

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Patience is a version.

There was a council meeting last night but quite frankly, the Building Commission, who met a little earlier, had the more intriguing agenda.

Local Realtor and landlord Pat Harrison addressed the commission regarding code enforcement and rental property inspection. Deputy Mayor Carl Malysz did the same, and Commission Chair Steve LaDuke added some comments.

I won't, letting readers or, in this case, watchers make their own.




Comments at the time:

TedF said...
Thanks for being there to video Bluegill. There were some positives in the total exchange worthy of comment.

But first I would like to say now how distasteful, offensive and unprofessional it is to compare any code enforcement effort to a fascist effort to carryout genocide. Ms. Harrison made that comparison a couple times while speaking when using the term “Gestopa”. It was an extremely poor use of words and poor judgment.

New Alb Annie said...
I'm not a fan of the Harrison group's tactics. If this is a group of about 100 people, they should be directing their efforts toward the 'few bad ones' that she referred to. Why waste time meeting with the building commission if you're not doing anything wrong? Why not target the slumlords and apply some peer pressure to get them to clean up their acts?

Harrison has called my mother on several occasions--my 87-year-old mother--to get her riled up about property taxes and rental property issues. If this group has time to start a phone tree, I'd suggest they call the owners of the bad properties, and apply some pressure.

bluegill said...
"Harrison has called my mother on several occasions--my 87-year-old mother--to get her riled up about property taxes and rental property issues."

I got some of those early calls, too, about property taxes. I suppose it was from attending the tax "forum" at the Grand that was so falsely advertised.

It does help explain, though, why one of Harrison's group, when first arriving, leaned over to her and asked why he was supposed to be there.

Highwayman said...
Unfortunately I was unable to attend this meeting last night as my Jeep decided to turn engine parts into shrapnel on the way there.

As one of the more vocal proponents of this particular issue, I regret that I missed this opportunity.

However, had I been present my response to Ms. Harrison, the group she represents,as well as the city's representatives would have been as follows.

"All that was proposed sounded like the beginnings of a solution to the problem. Now let's see some action!!"

We as taxpaying property owners would much prefer that the rental industry in our city police itself.

Likewise, we'd like to see New Albany's government actually govern in the area of code enforcement as well as many other areas.

Having said that, let me assure all parties that platitudes alone will not suffice as success.

You have some time to bring in some results, but the clock is running!!

***NOTE*** To the editorial staff of NAC...feel free to extend this comment further if you see the need.

Greg said...
I find her remarks to be offensive and self-centered. If she really cared about cleaning up rental properties then she would have stepped up to the podium a long time ago. Also, if she thinks the "Clean Up New Albany" signs very negative, there were plenty of venues (a website, neighborhood meetings, letters to the editor, etc..) to provide feedback.

There has been plenty of opportunities for her to work with neighborhood groups to better our neighborhoods in New Albany, but not until her slums or purse strings are threatened she steps up as this caring perosn! I agree with Highwayman, it is time to see action.

I personally invite Ms. Harrison to our next neighborhood clean up. Also, I will be asking the ESNA president to invite Ms. Harrison and her group to one of our neighborhood meetings to speak with property owners and to layout her plans how she is willing to work with us to Clean Up New Albany. I am sick of the slumlords that Ms. Harrison has sold New Albany to and the ones that she represent.

Greg said...
Highwayman,
This is a issue that is on the top of my list this year and has been for several years! Let me know what I can do and how I can help.

Highwayman said...
Greg,

My suggestion for all of us is that we stay "persistent" and "consistent".

Attend every City Council, Building Commission, BZA, Zoning and Planning meeting you possibly can.

Mention it every time you see an elected or appointed city official or councilmen.

Stay involved in your neighborhood groups and above all stay informed & keep those around you informed.

The more we know about upcoming events or proposed actions, the better chance we have of either supporting or combating them.

New Alb Annie said...
What I find most irritating about the whole issue of code enforcement, especially regarding rental properties, is the incredible waste of time it is for everyone who just expects ordinances to be enforced, or whose job it is to enforce them.

I don't have time to waste, especially when it's the result of people simply not wanting to follow the rules. I don't think there are any of us posting here who have the luxury of time to waste on a slumlord's bad habits and poor business practices.

For example, the Harrison group showing up at this meeting. Why waste everyone's time? If you own property and you have violations, repair them--bring them into compliance. Seems it would be far less stressful and expensive, in terms of the time spent trying to delay the inevitable matter of codes being enforced, to just fix the problems. I can tell you this, if I owned a slum in one of the mentioned 'targeted areas' for concentrated enforcement, I wouldn't be lollygagging around in meetings--I'd be fixing my situation.

If you are an honest business person running a legitimate business, you'd be insistent upon following the rules for your business. I am very suspect of a group who is actively attempting to delay code enforcement and inspections.

The New Albanian said...
Just for the record, I've e-mailed Pat Harrison several times to offer time in this blog to present her case, or to respond to things that I've written here.

Total responses: Nada.

Iamhoosier said...
NA,
Have tried corresponding with her in German?(grin)

MommyKnowsBest said...
When was this meeting?

Who are the people with Pat Harrison that are n/k/a the "Harrison Group"? Has she ever come to your house (if you were a for sale by owner) to try and list your house? If so, can you say what happened with that?

Pat Harrison's Slumlord Uprising of 2008, 3/6: "Wrong tree, wrong dogs barking."

Eight years later, and it's déjà vu all over again as Pat Harrison prepares to defend our downtrodden slumlords against the Gestapo.

The following was originally published here on Repeat from February 19, 2008. Text by Jeff Gillenwater.

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Wrong tree, wrong dogs barking




As the chart above from the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance shows, 74.2% of the total county property tax levy is paid by residential property owners. While the implied argument for economic development as a method of property tax relief is strong as the development of additional businesses would reduce the portion of taxes collected from residential property, one factor that's not so obvious is the built-in landlord subsidy.

According to the 2000 census, there are 29,087 residential units in Floyd County at about 95% occupancy. Those units include single-family homes, trailers, apartments, and any other arrangement of separate living space. Only 68.6% (19,954) of them are owner-occupied, however. That leaves 7,557 of them as rental units. 26% of all housing units in the county are owned by someone other than their residents and are operated as rental businesses.

Why does this matter? Because the current property tax proposal being mulled over by our state legislature seeks to tax rental businesses at a different rate than other businesses. Owner-occupied residential property tax caps would be set at 1%, rentals at 2%, and other businesses at 3%.

It's difficult to exactly calculate how 7,557 rental units are divided up between various properties. One property could be comprised of 30 units while another could be a detached, single-family rental, i.e., one unit. For comparison's sake, let's assume a typical New Albany rental property of four units. 7,557 total rental units with four units per property is equal to 1,889 properties.

With that figure in hand, take into account the median county property value of $104,300. 1,889 properties multiplied by the median value equals $197,022,700 worth of taxable property.

That property, taxed at an as yet unjustified special rate of 2% would lead to $3,940,454 in revenue. If taxed at the same 3% rate as other businesses, however, the revenue would be $5,910,681. That's a difference of $1,970,227- a difference that would be made up by homeowners every year.

How would that affect individual households? Remember, as of the 2000 census, there were 19,954 owner-occupied homes in Floyd County. $1,970,227 divided among 19,954 homes equals $98.74 per homeowner each year. It may not seem like much on its surface, but those interested in fairness should take note. With the owner-occupied residential property tax rate set at 1% and the median home value at $104,300, the typical property tax bill will be $1,043. That means that if our "number of units per property" assumption is anywhere near correct, roughly 10% of every "average homeowner" property tax payment would be going to subsidize area landlords who refuse, via special interest lobbying efforts, to fairly pay the same tax rate as other businesses.

We've already been collectively subsidizing the rental property business for years by allowing owners to pay residential tax rates on their business property and have often been paid back with an alarming lack of property maintenance and the accompanying attraction of the criminal element into our communities. The newest take on property taxes further codifies that subsidy without requiring any additional responsibility from landlords in return for it.

At the very least, the Jim Bakers and Pat Harrisons of the area should be held publicly accountable for such a boondoggle, as should those public officials who would vote in favor of it.

Pat Harrison's Slumlord Uprising of 2008, 4/6: "Code enforcement and rental registrations back in the news."

Eight years later, and it's déjà vu all over again as Pat Harrison prepares to defend our downtrodden slumlords against the Gestapo.

The following was originally published here on February 7, 2008.

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Code enforcement and rental registrations back in the news.

Get, 'em, Lloyd.

Lloyd Wimp keeps his New Albany property maintained; he wants rental property owners to do the same, by Daniel Suddeath (News and Tribune).

(Lloyd) Wimp is leading a movement with like-minded property owners who want better enforcement of codes in New Albany. His current focus is rental property owners that live out of the city and do not keep their lots up to par.

Wimp spoke to the Building Commission on Monday about the problem.

“One of the big issues that I understand is they (code enforcement officials) are having trouble finding who owns the property, and when they find out who owns the property, finding out where they are at,” Wimp said.

After researching cities around Indiana, Wimp has come to the conclusion that requiring rental property owners to register with the local government would help solve some of the problems.

Better hurry down to the courthouse. I hear Pat Harrison's planning a public immolation.

Wouldn't want to miss it ...

Pat Harrison's Slumlord Uprising of 2008, 5/6: "More on the 'American Dream' of rental property exploitation."

Eight years later, and it's déjà vu all over again as Pat Harrison prepares to defend our downtrodden slumlords against the Gestapo.

The following was originally published here on August 28, 2007.

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More on the “American Dream” of rental property exploitation.

It’s a mellow morning accented by espresso, kippers and a multi-disc listening of the “Complete Stax/Volt Singles, 1959-1968,” and I’m hesitant to dive back into the rancor sure to be engendered by the topic of tax relief for rental property owners.

However, to judge by curent readership, I'm on a roll, so what the hell.

Yesterday in a private e-mail, a longtime NAC reader expressed annoyance with the apparent emergence of yet another campaign to improve the desperate plight of starving rental property owners, whose dented and soiled tin cups are expected to become a recurring feature of local editorial pages:

This is a joke!


Indiana landlords to make plea for tax relief (Courier-Journal).

I think this needs a spot on your blog, and there should be a group called, “Citizens against the Slumlords.” Everyone needs to call Indianapolis and request that their representatives vote NO on tax breaks to slumlords until they bring their properties up to code. These are businesses and should be taxed as such! These are problems and eyesores that I’m very passionate about …

After reading this note, I composed an e-mail to Pat Harrison:

Greetings,

I'm the senior editor of the NA Confidential blog, and we share your concern with certain problems associated with rental property in New Albany and Floyd County, although our emphasis as long suffering residents -- i.e., single family homeowners – in New Albany's long neglected historic core centers on the absence of applicable code enforcement and the proliferation of "slumlords."

Having viewed your recent advocacy on behalf of rental property ownership, and likewise perusing statistics suggesting that a high rate of rentals runs hand in hand with overall societal decay, we'd like to ask you a couple of questions.

Now many rental units do you currently own?

Do you hold mortgages on these?

Do you support the enforcement of applicable codes for all citizens?

Thanks for helping us understand your side of this question. Rest assured that we will continue to publicly advocate meaningful codes and rental property inspections as a means of alleviating the problems that have been experienced with irresponsible rental property management, irrespective of the tax burden -- which is but one side of the coin.

Twenty-four hours later, we’ve not received a response, but the situation is being monitored.

Alms, anyone?

Pat Harrison's Slumlord Uprising of 2008, 6/6: "Endangered Slumlord Protection Act? Local rental property mogul and realtor cites a 'pitiful' absence of tax breaks."

Eight years later, and it's déjà vu all over again as Pat Harrison prepares to defend our downtrodden slumlords against the Gestapo.

The following was originally published here on August 22, 2007.

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Endangered Slumlord Protection Act? Local rental property mogul and realtor cites a “pitiful” absence of tax breaks.

Back on August 12, the Tribune’s Chris Morris heeded the squeaky realtor’s wheel and considered the outer limits of the “American dream” (unlimited-horizon-free, New Albany-style):

Rental property owners in Clark, Floyd counties say enough is enough.

The idea sounds like a winner. You buy property, fix it up, find someone to rent it, and then sit back and collect the monthly check.

However, it’s not quite that simple, according to local Realtor Pat Harrison. In fact, she said what used to be the American dream of owning property has turned into a nightmare for many. The reason, she said, is property owners are being taxed to death.

“This state is not giving any kind of tax break on commercial and investment property. It’s pitiful,” Harrison said.

Chris didn't intend to be insightful, but his line, "sit back and collect the monthly check," is a classic.

Why do we get the sneaking suspicion that the next grinding trench warfare phase of trying to bring New Albany’s enduring “slumlord protection program” into line with the dictates of the 21st century will inevitably revolve around fanatical opposition (vigilance with Bics in hand, just itching to flick) to absolutely necessary rental inspection reform, on the spurious grounds that extreme poverty caused by Harrison’s “pitiful” absence of tax breaks should absolve owners of adhering to community standards?

We can hear the tune already, and it is discordant -- and dysfunctional -- as ever.

Remember back in 2008, when Pat Harrison feared the rental inspection Gestapo?

Ignorance of history is a New Albany birthright. Last night it was ethnic cleansing, but in March of 2008, Pat Harrison saw the Gestapo lurking behind rental property registration and inspection proposals.

That's right.

Seven years of nothingness ago.

Bluegill recalls ...

One of the funniest episodes in the past 10 years of New Albany political history: When Harrison again used the term Gestapo to refer to rental property inspection at another meeting after the one I mentioned, Greg Phipps called the comparison out as offensive, given that the actual Gestapo had murdered so many people like him. Harrison thought he meant Jewish and justified it by saying she had read Anne Frank's diary. You just can't make this stuff up.

NAC's coverage at the time:

Realtor Pat Harrison namedrops "Gestapo," seeks monopoly on disingenuousness.

Patience is a version.

The latter includes a video clip. I think it was just repeated, last night.