.jpg "Salisbury mayor Jim Ireton")
Today’s front page story in the Daily Times regarding Salisbury mayor Jim Ireton’s new “Slumlord of the Week” policy fails to answer several questions:
- Is this “policy” meant to accomplish anything?
- Why doesn’t Ireton actually do something to fulfill his campaign promise “to ‘close loopholes’ in the city's municipal codes and get crime out of neighborhoods”?
IF Ireton was actually doing something to close these loopholes and to actually enforce the spirit, as well as the letter, of the city’s zoning laws that would be one thing. Instead, we have seen one woman loose her rental income because of zoning (last Sunday’s DT), but we’re not seeing any progress in taking care of the scores of non-conforming uses in the city.
Ireton isn’t pushing the issue in the appropriate forum – the city council – because he knows that the “council majority” of Gary Comegys, Louise Smith, and Shanie Shields are owned by the city’s slumlords. Instead of exhibiting a backbone, my friend Jim is doing what liberals do best – making a show without accomplishing anything.
Does he really believe that a slumlord is going to be shamed? It’s time for a little reality check Jimmy.
Because Ireton is unwilling to stand up to either the Barrie Comegys bloc on council or the bureaucracy within his own administration, Salisbury’s citizens are being forced to pay for Allan Webster’s six month paid vacation, watch city officials spend money that has not been appropriated, and now they are being given a “show” rather than real solutions to the rental problems that have faced Salisbury for years.
In just over a month, Ireton will present his first budget. I am confident that it will include a sizable tax increase. I can’t wait to see what kind of show Ireton will put on to justify that “policy” as well.
Jim needs to learn that the people who elected him expect solutions, not a “show”. Jim needs to learn that voters want him to DO SOMETHING rather than just claim to “feel their pain”.
from Delmarva Dealings
17 comments:
A lot of rental properties are run by slum lords. I could name them off but I won't because I don't want to be attacked. I have customers everyday who come to me to assist with problems like, no hot water, no electric in one or more rooms, septic coming up in the bathtub etc. YES..there are some terrible renters but from where I sit, the landlords far outnumber the renters for not fixing their properties.
This slumlord campaign will result in lawsuits, just as the Webster departure has done. The mans only management skills are running a class of second graders. The promises he made sounded good at the time, but nothing has changed in his first year. His suporters are increasingly losing confidence and feel they made a bad choice. Was there a good choice ? Comegys and all that comes with hiim or Jim full of promises and a record of quitting in mid stream. Time will tell what was best, but Salisbury is in deep trouble everywhere you look. Make the Code Compliance officer empose fines and correct the problems. Bandstanding on a website is just that.
Jim Make code and compliance do their job! Kick ass and take numbers OR we the voters will find someone who will. Do what you promised. Take care of things! Be a 'bad guy" and be damn proud of it. The nice guy dont get anywhere and you get kicked in the a$$. along with the taxpayers.
His policy is not a scam. Jimmy is a scam.
Sorry, but I have to disagree with the two commenters AND Jim Ireton.
You can't legally pick your renters, and these violations listed are just legal violations committed by the renters; domestics and whatever. No cause for the landlord to evict. If they are paying the rent, they have the right to stay, and landlord has no right to evict.
Ireton has a right to point this out to the community, as it is public information, but only as to the names of the violators of the laws; the tenants! It's not the landlord's fault these folks can't control themselves.
This is standard Ireton posturing in the public media but doing nothing serious to change things. We will know he really is serious if he asks Richard Insley to resign from the housing appeal board (or throws him off).
Seems to me if the mayor is successfull in shuting down these below standard units, he better be prepared to find new places of residents for the folks that become homeless. My opinion is that this action by the mayor will only make matters worse for Salisbury. So what happens to the displaced people Mr. Mayor? Are you really helping them or are you really hurting them in the long run?
G.A. again nails it in his commentary. In an economy of words G.A. tells it like it is.
only one way to deal with the donnie william's of the world. hold their feet to the fire and fine the heck out of them for every single violation! It is a shame what they have done to the city of salisbury. I wish I had the money to buy the house's on each side of his, then I would go to baltimore and find the worst dregs of society and let them live there rent free just to give him a taste of his own medicine! See how he likes it!
4:52:
Love your last sentence...could be used in so many places (present company excluded, right?)!
Spending money??? Tight Budgets??? Yet Salisbury just bought brand new leather fire helmets for everyone at Fire Station # 1. I dont think we are in a state of hard times.
I'll add to my previous post.
The problem here is lack of law enforcement. If these folks were incarcerated for 3-4 months without work release, they would default on their rent and it would enable the landlord to evict.
Trouble one is that these folks would have to still have to live somewhere.
Trouble two is that they would be the next cancer on the next landlord.
It's not like they are going away unless we, as a city, make it the best choice for them.
I cannot remember the last time I voted for someone I was happy for, will there ever be another canidate who is actualy who he says he is ?
Code & Compliance HAS levied fines against these properties. The City of Salisbury HAS done what it legally could to get these properties in line. I liken Ireton's effort to publicizing the names of johns picked up on solicitation busts - maybe the threat of some bad publicity will get these absentee slumlords to clean up their properties.
I can't believe you guys fell hook, line & sinker for that love letter to SAPOA on the front page of the DT today. Gannett should have charged them for ad space.
C&C has done what it can, SPD has answered dozens of calls. Ireton said the C&C case publicized last week by the DT was unfortunate. Do not confuse that property with the out-of-town slumlords Ireton featured in his Slum Property of the Week.
I can't believe people are sticking up for these absentee landlords who suck money out of our community, add nothing to it, and cost the city tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, in manpower to answer the calls generated by the people they rent to.
And all the information Ireton publishes with the press release of the slum property of the week is public information. Don't want to be on the list? Fix your house!
I don't get it, is it the landlords or the tenants causing the problems? If that question cannot be answered than the problem cannot be solved at all. With all the rediculous laws that the landlords have to contend with no wonder it's such a problem.
Slum of The Week makes more people aware of the properties and the landlords. It's a great first step.
Replace Comegys & Smith with two who aren't owned by the slumlords is the next step.
Then Council can start to clean up the City.
These houses are slum houses. When people rent this type of house they keep it like it is. Leaky roof, sewage back up, rotten floors, no heat, roaches. If the landlords would offer a decent place to live MAYBE the tenant would take better care of it. Years ago each house was to be inspected by code and compliance. What happened? If they can "ride" Joe about paint on his windows/mildew on the exterior walls why not leaky roofs, no heat, rotten buildings. Some of the houses people are afraid to use a bath tub up stairs for fear of the tub falling thru the floor. There is no reason for this.
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