Optimism in Pottstown looks something like this:

- NO borough tax increase this year

- NO water/sewer rate hike

- NO county tax increase

To top all this good news off – There’s This:

The Borough Authority has been empowered to take immediate action against anyone who steals water.   Rental property investor, Frank McLaughlin , called attention to this underhanded theft of water by installing his own by-pass meters in several of his rental properties.  He was arrested in June, charged with Theft of Services – the case is moving through the judicial system.   Meanwhile…

A new legal tool belt, carefully crafted by the authority’s legal council, Dave Garner, and supported by borough manager, Mark Flanders, was handed to the authority.  I anticipate that it will be very difficult for unscrupulous investors to make the same choices that Frank did, but if they do…

They leave themselves vulnerable to a host of costly retributions, and they will face criminal charges, as in the case of McLaughlin.

Pottstown borough authority adopts new policy in wake of water theft case

Will this translate into the same re-vamping of the codes department and swift “make-no-excuses” enforcement of rental ordinances that many parasitic rental owners openly, (proudly), defy?

Frank became the Poster Child for parasitic slumlords in Pottstown.  Unsavory investors take calculated risks here that usually pay off for them.

The odds are in their favor that if they are not paying taxes, municipal fees or bringing substandard housing up to code, if they don’t register their rentals, deliver a tenant list and have their properties inspected, they will continue to profit just the same, (or better), than if they comply.

Not even MontCo Voucher housing pulls the plug on slumlords’ profit, in the case of slumlords that collect government money for their rentals in Pottstown.

Tax Liens – NO PROBLEM

Unpaid Municipal Fees – NO PROBLEM

Dangerous furnaces, electrical, mold, bats, bed bugs, roaches – NO PROBLEM

A disabled woman, raising a teen-aged son on her own, has lived in the same rental home for the past six years.  Due to her disability she receives voucher housing.   I’ve been to her home, she and her son are neat and tidy – a landlords dream, really.

When you look beyond the care they take with their possessions, to the physical conditions of the housing, there is no room left to give the property owner the benefit of the doubt.

Virtually no maintenance on the place – ever – tax liens, municipal liens, he even told the responsible tenant that he didn’t need his government check so, “he gambles it at the casino,”  (but don’t let the little wifey know, it’s a secret).   SLIME.   That hurt her feelings given that she could see a million and one ways he could spend the money to improve the circumstances at his rental property.

And the worst part?  Many of these people are AFRAID to speak up about the conditions.

Afraid they will lose their voucher

Afraid the property owner will retaliate

Afraid that the borough will let them down – again – making their efforts a waste of their time 

And yet, this man will walk into the codes department to register another rental and he’ll be greeted like a long lost friend by some who work there. Why is that?

So yeah, a lot of renters live in fear…filth, danger and FEAR.   And the good property owners suffer right along with them, because their homes are losing value, their peace and goodwill are stretched thin, good landlords and their tenants put up with the same B.S. and can’t get a foot hold.

So, whatever the rhyme and reason that Council voted to install Remington, Vernick and Beech to conduct a $33,000 “analysis” of the Codes Department, for whatever reasons the District Attorney dropped the Grand Jury investigation of Codes, let me sum it up for you in a few words,

NO CHARGE:

GET A GRIP ON IT.  Get QUALIFIED MAN/WOMAN POWER in place NOW and ramp up the staff.  Put technology in place and a “no fail” process that CAN survive an audit.  

STOP TREATING SLUMLORDS LIKE OLD FRIENDS. If the people in that department can’t or won’t do what it takes – weed ‘em out.  We ARE taxpayers, we pay their salaries they work for us, and we are not getting what we pay for.  

And here’s a piece of advice that local government has already bought, paid for and neglected.  The Urban Land Institute:     

TRANSFORMATION STRATEGIES FOR POTTSTOWN, PA

~ An aggressive neighborhood stabilization partnership among Montgomery County, the codes enforcement department, the housing authority and the police department should be established IMMEDIATELY.  This partnership can assure strict compliance of units using Section 8 and other federal and state housing vouchers.

We’re Growing Old.

It’s been THREE YEARS and we’re STILL waiting.

You don’t have to spend time going in and out of rental properties in Pottstown, as I’ve done this past year, to know that something is seriously wrong with the codes department that overlooks important safety issues, inspections and applicable violations.

The Pennsylvania State Department of Labor and Industry knows there are problems too, as you will see.

There’s also the fact of a check, a sum of money, ($5,000), that passed hands from Frank McLaughlin to Michelle Borzick (Fry) the Zoning Work Leader in the Codes Department.

Were favors granted for that money?  I don’t know.  This doesn’t seem to be a concern for the D.A., managers, supervisors at borough hall, nor any of the elected officials – for that matter – but it should be.

Taxpayers want to know what’s going on.  Enforcement is arbitrary, spotty, some are cited for inconsequential, (questionable), violations while seriously dangerous conditions are ignored.

This summer, I was called by a tenant who was living in a rental unit at 361 Jefferson St. owned by Alan Childs.  These are the conditions I encountered at the apartment:

After explaining to me how she couldn’t get any help from the property owner or codes, the tenant said: “it makes me wonder if the landlord is paying off the inspector, Charlie Weller, to pass this place?”

By this time, in July, other renters had voiced the same question and, I couldn’t ignore their concerns.  But, I didn’t have the answers.

I felt an obligation to take that information to the Head of the Codes Department, Maria (Gerber) Bliele.  I told her about the living conditions I’d seen and what renters were telling me.

Maria said that she would have no way to determine if the renters suspicions about Charlie were right.  I agreed, it would be difficult to prove that somebody in the field was receiving payola, nevertheless, I anticipated that information would be taken seriously and there would be follow up and an investigation.

Not long after that, I heard about D.A. Risa Ferman’s Grand Jury investigation of the Codes Department.  It seemed, I thought, like an opportunity to examine the circumstances in that department and take a indepth look at the ethics of the people who work there.

At first, people were optimistic that the D.A.’s office would get to the bottom of the dysfunction, but it  appears that wasn’t their objective, and they have not facilitated the necessary fact-finding.

Now, it is believed that the investigation is, or soon will be, concluded and still we have no answers.

Today, the fact remains that homeowners are frequently sited for the most inconsequential issues yet larger-than-life codes violations and dangers inside and outside of many rental properties are never addressed while fees and fines for some investors are forgiven.  Why?

Remington, Vernick and Beech are on the scene in the Codes Department now too and it’s unclear why this (expensive), analysis of the Codes Department is taking place?  Does their presence muddy the waters or will they get to the root of the problems?  The presence of RVB, based on their history of service and legal woes is not exactly, it would seem, the model of professionalism that will be required to begin to make a dent on the housing woes in Pottstown.

No matter what the outcome, one thing is for sure…

There has been no measurable benefit to Pottstown because of the D.A.’s investigation or RVB’s presence, as I write this today.

Ultimately, where do taxpayers turn to find help and solutions when our county and local leaders fail to look for, acknowledge and remedy the real problems?

A knowledgeable, functioning codes department is VITAL to the future of this community.

The documents below were recently brought to my attention and I avail them to you, the public, for your scrutiny.  Please read carefully and understand that, in some cases, you may have been charged for permits that you should not have had to pay for:

How about the borough manager and council who are playing “footsies” with the public servants in the Pottstown Codes Department.

WHY?

Why does it, increasingly, seem as though they are trying to “blind side” the people who pay for the unparalleled lack of services from this department while our town crumbles at our feet?

Taxpayers  have bought and paid for a valuable investigation and report from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, outlining serious failings of management and employees of the Codes Department.

Flanders says they are getting their certifications….geeze….

only NOW getting their certifications?  What about managerial skills?  What about ethics?  What about healthy, supportive, non-sexually charged work environments?

The District Attorney launched a Grand Jury investigation of the Codes Department, again, at the expense of taxpayers.  But, NO report is forthcoming from this investigation – nothing – nada!!

Yet – everyday people, (the people that you meet when you’re walkin’ down the street), are aware of, (alleged), gross unethical behaviors from some individuals in the Codes Department.

How do people know??  Because one public servant, in particular, wasn’t able to keep quiet about her bounty and, was in fact, very open about it with friends and colleagues.

How does that reflect on the District Attorney’s Office and their *GRAND* Grand Jury Investigation?   *Knock *knock  ANYBODY HOME?

Flanders makes an arbitrary decision to throw $33,000 taxpayer dollars at Remington, Vernick and Beach Engineers to “analyze” the Codes Department, (WHILE the Grand Jury is convened and the Department of  Labor is doing their investigation).  Why?  I mean…

against all rationale and in spite of the fact that RV&B have a mottled history of service, billing snafu’s AND their employees are currently embroiled in a Federal Lawsuit brought about by their actions in a failed Norristown development?  It doesn’t make any sense.

WHAT THE HELL is going on here?

It’s beyond time for council and the borough manager to “man/woman up” to the task of setting a determined course of action to find qualified, experienced management and codes officers for that department, people who can “hit the ground running.”

No more waste of tax monies trying to investigate, rehabilitate and educate when our buildings are wasting, we’re wallowing in filth and NO ONE wants to buy property or wallow in the muck along with us, except…

opportunistic rental investors, aka:  Slumlords.

All this avoidance is calling the borough’s motives into question.

We’re not blind, we’re not stupid  BUT we are runnin’ out of money and runnin’ out of patience.   Show us the leadership.

Digital Notebook:  Uncertified Inspections and Reviews

The following is a reply to a comment in last Sunday’s Mercury News Sound Off.  It’s reprinted here with permission from the commenter whose struggles have become personal.  We became friends about a year ago when she reached out for help and advice – with determination to protect her investment in her home, and her sanity.  

After purchasing a home and moving to Pottstown this homeowner has been totally under served and let down by the system here.  Despite doing everything she’s been advised to do by the police, the codes department, even the cockroach and, finally, even filing a complaint with MontCo voucher housing, (who also have done virtually nothing about the situation) … the same crap continues today, just as it did when she excitedly purchased her first home –  5 years ago.    

The owner of a nearby Section 8 rental property was $30 some thousand in arrears on taxes and municipal liens until his property went to sheriff sale a couple months ago.  

How, under the sun, was he able to continue to rent his property and receive taxpayer money, through MontCo, while ignoring his own taxes, maintenance, the tenants and the misery of his neighbors literally FOR YEARS?  It is – indeed – a mystery.  He has born NO consequences for his choices while he, in fact, has been pocketing the spoils of his negligence. 

The house is rife with codes violations.  The tenant and the people who frequent the rental  have harassed and intimidated the homeowner and her pets.  Guests of the Section 8 tenant and her various “live-ins” openly consume drugs, exhibit stolen merchandise. pee on things, shoot pellets at her pets, trespass and freely defy the law as well as the rules of  Section 8 voucher housing – all with no consequences for their actions – NONE – NADA.

As a last resort, the homeowner in this situation is speaking with an attorney regarding the legal remedies.  She has asked to remain anonymous until it’s determined weather she will be filing lawsuits.  

“To the homeowner considering going Section 8: funny you should say that. I, too, am ready to get out of this town- but cannot sell due to my home’s depreciated value. I am also considering Section 8 for the following reasons: Codes will let even the most rundown properties slip thru the cracks. No fines, they don’t force the owners to fix the eyesores- oops, I mean dilapidated state. They don’t enforce their own ordinances. As a Section 8 landlord- you don’t have to pay your taxes- you can remain behind for years and no one cares (this is a big incentive to me as my taxes exceed 4,500/year – currently, I pay my taxes on time, everytime…. I look forward to no longer being obligated). You can try to get good tenants, I’m sure your neighbors would appreciate that. However, in the event you do not- no one (besides your good neighbors) will care. The cops may have to visit your property frequently, but no worries- they will rarely press charges and virtually no follow-up will be performed.

Until the boro starts getting serious about the many issues going on in this town, I suspect there will be many more contemplating the same.”

Why does it have to be this difficult for people who own homes and live in Pottstown to get help?  

Why does a homeowner/taxpayer have to resort to seeking the advice of an attorney, potentially having to pony up the cost of lawsuits, to assure their right to the enjoyment of their home?  The homes are worth nothing because of the long standing neglect of these problems by borough and county officials. Selling isn’t an option – so now, they realize they have to begin to fight back with the only options available to them. 

It shouldn’t have to come to this but, it may become more and more common while homeowners are taking steps to protect their investments and sanity.  They are, increasingly, no longer willing to take it on the chin and suffer the consequences of the profound failings of this borough and the county.  

Can the borough and county really afford this?  

Something has got to give. 

Just before the Holidays, and again this week, an onslaught of rental property owners contacted me.   And, believe it or not, they weren’t making contact to chew me out for featuring their antics on the Golden Cockroach or defend their slovenly business practices – NO – in fact, these conscientious, good business people want to know what they can do about the slum properties in proximity to their nice, well maintained rentals…

They want to know how to find quality renters so, they asked me if I could keep an eye open for respectful, good tenants.   If you are reading this and,  you are one of them…email me ptownadvocates@hotmail.com   There are nice 2 & 3 bedroom homes available – rent negotiable IF you have a decent track record and know how to take care of your living environment and be good neighbors.

Some landlords have simply given up the Section 8 routine.

Yep, they ALL said the money is good – better than market rate rents – but the heartache and hassle of repeatedly cleaning up, making major repairs behind some of these tenants had outweighed any benefit they could see.

In one case, right up the street from where I live, a Section 8 grandmom moved her 5 daughters and 27 grandchildren into the rental home with her.  I suspect that 5 daughters and 27 grandchildren were a burden on that small home and I believe it’s not what HUD has in mind when they provide assistance to elders but, it happens quite frequently here.  If the landlord or MontCo Voucher Housing were aware that they were housing 3 generations and, few assorted boyfriends, they condoned it by their inaction, (if they weren’t aware of it, why not?)

Soon after they moved in, the rental furniture truck arrived and a house full of nice looking furniture went in the front door…I thought, “hmmm they have nice taste, and maybe it’s a sign that they intend to keep their home and belongings in good condition.”   But, in time, out came the mountains and mountains of toys and household do-da’s and stuffed-to-the-gills garbage bags to adorn the sidewalk and curb in front of their house.  **Which reminds me**….

when there are alley ways and access to them behind our homes, why is it acceptable for people to keep their trash and recycle bins in front of their houses?  Aside from stained, filthy, bed bug infested mattresses there is not another, singular eyesore that brings the appearance of our neighborhoods down.   I’ve brought this up a number of times at public meetings and Doug Yerger will say that not all alleys can be navigated by the trash trucks, and I get that.  But, where they CAN be navigated, bins can be taken to the alley.  The trash trucks won’t have to use the streets, impacting the infrastructure of our roads, tying up traffic as they go and, depositing waste that flies out of the trash cans on our streets, left for us to pick up behind them.

Next, they left – moved out in the dark of night and vanished, no surprise there.  The owner must of  been by at some point to see what he had to deal with, hammers have been flying over there for a couple weeks now, right after the trash haulers arrived with a giant box van and 3 or 4 strong guys started hauling stuff to the truck.  Nothing that came out of that house looked anything like the nice stuff that went in, man oh man, the destruction and disregard I can’t conceive of how they were living, if the contents of the rental was any indication… whew – nightmare.  

So I wonder, did they walk away from the lease on all that furniture too?  What do the furniture rental companies contribute to these situations?  Anybody can rent furniture, apparently, but when they up and walk away from it = what then?  Think about the mounds of waste, the “footprint” this leaves on our environment. Maybe the rental furniture companies should chip in a chunk of dough toward the trash fund since usually most of it ends up in our alleys and we, the taxpayers, pay to have it removed – eventually.

Anyway some landlords here are growing weary of the routine.  Some of them have purchased homes that were eyesores and have spent a good deal of money and time renovating them into nice, comfy housing and they don’t want to see them destroyed. Problem for some of them is:  the houses next door to their nice properties are falling down, packed with trash, rotting garbage, used broken down furniture  -  like this one.  It was a nice looking house when it was purchased for $4,000 back in Nov. 2002.

425 Lincoln Ave. Owner of Record is William Heuer  P.O. Box 114 Sassamansville, Pa.  The property has a tax lien.  Word is that William Heuer has some kind of an “in” with a codes inspector here – so he gets to skate – Not doing this community any favors for sure, while the good property owners in the vicinity are unable to get the borough or the health dept. – or anyone – to budge and take care of this – the house is infested with rodents and roaches, that’s when you would like to see the health department show a meaningful interest in the public health.

Pottstown’s Residential Rental License Ordinance 

The deadline is looming for rental owners to submit tenant reports to the borough in accordance with the rental ordinance.  Responsible landlords will have no problem meeting this timeline.  Others will need prompting from the borough.  

There are rental owners who have never complied and have never suffered the consequences of non-compliance.  Some go back as far as 2010.

As a conscientious taxpayer, I think I can speak for all of us who live here, when I say that we’d like to see them comply or pay up.  Because basically, most of us stay in compliance and if we misunderstand an ordinance or screw up WE PAY.

Consider former homeowner, civic minded resident, Jeff Leflar as example:

Here’s Your Codes Violation…

Jeff’s bill for removing his grass pile arrived, as predicted, in the handsome sum of  $117.00  We wonder what the borough did with the grass pile?  Hopefully they didn’t put it in the trash, that’s against the rules.

With or without the use of advanced technology, Codes seems to manage to catch up with people, mainly homeowner/occupants – people who, as a general rule, aren’t going to buck the system or force their hand by waiting for the borough to take them before a judge.   No, they pay.

The sheer volume of rentals in Pottstown would make catching up to the investor “scape goaters” a job – real work – made especially difficult without the use of tracking software and a staff trained to use it.  

Codes tracking software isn’t rocket science:  

CITIZENSERVE, for one – (has a nice ring to it), I must say.  

What’s the use of ordinances if they’re not enforced?  When the borough’s legal council is instructed to create or re-write ordinances, that’s another service we pay handsomely for – so, we’d like to see them enforced.

102.  Submission of Annual Tenancy Report:    The property owner and /or rental agent is further required to file, annually, a completed Tenancy Report on or before January 31st of each year.  

103. Penalty For Violation:    Any person (which shall include any individual, partnership, association or corporation) convicted for violation of any provisions or requirements of this Part shall be sentenced to a fine or penalty of not less than $250.00, and not exceeding $1,000.00, plus costs and, in default of payment of said fine and costs to a term of imprisonment not to exceed 30 days.  For the purpose of this Section the failure to submit the required Tenancy Report for each apartment building, rental, etc…shall be a separate offense.   Beginning, December 1, 2010.

Luckily for taxpayers, we’ve seen no increase in property tax from the borough this year.  But, there are a few things that could move our community light years ahead, and make living here a lot nicer – like –  WALA….a street sweeper.   NOW THERE’S AN IDEA!!!

I don’t know what these things cost…but if the borough went after all those fines and fees, with the same gusto they pursue homeowners – it wouldn’t take long before we could see a cute, little green machine, like this one, zipping down our streets!!  What a difference that would make, eh?  

These probably cost less, and would do the trick while we save up  for the whole schlamole.

Or, at minimum, trash picker uppers, ($21 each), and bags, could be used by the kids who are sentenced to community service.  Maybe even pay someone to supervise them and coordinate their services with the judges.

A colorful vest, (couldn’t cost too much), would also serve as a reminder that if you get in trouble with the law in Pottstown, you could be relegated to picking up trash for a while.

A little of something would go a long long way.  Especially, on the heels of a conversation I had recently with a real estate professional.  He was asked by a commercial developer, out of Pittsburgh, to take a tour of Pottstown with an eye toward investing in a major downtown project.  

After seeing and commenting on the trash, broken furniture, and grime of our streets, alleys and the downtown, this company took their expertise and money to a nearby community and were very successful.   

How about enforcing the Litter Ordinance - it also has some “teeth” in it:

Section 906 Violations and Penalties   Any person who shall violate any provision of this chapter, shall upon conviction, be sentenced to pay a fine not to exceed $600.00 plus costs.  Each day that a violation of this Ordinance continues shall constitute a separate offense.

Frank’s Flamin’ PEEEE – U it’s a stinky, greasy mess back there.

Behind Mr. Butt’s place in Lesher Alley. This mattress has been there so long, another one has joined it and the neighborhood kids built a ramp on ‘em to ride their bikes over, cleaver.

Another pot of gold just lying around for the picking.  Only, nobody’s picking!!  A date stamped photo, EVERY DAY, would probably stand up real well in front of either one of our judges.  

Consider this:  the mattress in the photo above has been there for at least 2 months, conservatively.  So, 60 x $600 (for example)  $36,000 - ZOW –    

While it’s not realistic to think everyone would have to pay $600 a day…

Just one big time violation like that would send a loud and clear message to other would-be-violators, don’t you know??

Register your tenants and DON’T DROP YOUR NASTY CRAP IN POTTSTOWN!!  We have ordinances and we know how to use ‘em. 

According to a recent report from CBS.  Uh, yeah…#2 in the Nation….

Pottstown has more than our fair share of voucher holders moving here from Philadelphia.  Renters from Philly will tell you, straight up, the rents are cheaper here than in Philly and MontCo sends voucher holders to “the square” aka downtown neighborhoods. 

We have a BIG problem with bed bugs in Pottstown.

Last summer I did a piece on the blog about bed bugs after I was contacted by an incredible number of renters looking for help.  They still get no help from many of the property owners, the borough and the health department and I contend that this is a problem that has potential repercussions for everyone who lives, works or visits Pottstown.

A lot of rental property owners refuse to exterminate.  So, a lot of renters move, taking the problem with them to the next rental.  Even if these rental property owners want to say it’s not their problem, it is their problem – or it soon will be…

And, it can easily become YOUR problem too. Teachers, children, grocery clerks, hairdressers, barbers, bus patrons, waiting rooms, borough halls, codes inspectors, police officers anywhere people congregate or enter infested homes  - – -  These tiny hitch hikers get around in your purse, backpack, clothing, shoes – you get the picture.

So really, what I’m saying here is that Bed Bugs are everyone’s problem and potentially your biggest nightmare.

Odds are they won’t be completely eradicated until people who study such things like, Entomologists, can figure out the bed bugs “achilles heel”… their fatal weakness.

If there were ever a reason and an opportunity for unity between the schools, the borough, the county, homeowners, renters, doctors, rental property owners, EVERYONE, this would be it.  Just because you haven’t yet been impacted by bed bugs, at the rate they are spreading here, it’s only a matter of time.

I strongly encourage the Borough, the County and the School District to work together and lead the way to find solutions and minimize the increasing problems with bed bugs in our community.  

I encourage county voucher housing, health department, the schools and the borough to make education for landlords & tenants available, to require extermination as an imperative of the rental ordinance and enforce it without fail.  

Community leaders around the U.S. are becoming PRO-ACTIVE, for example, Boston:  Housing Division- Bed Bugs

Until steps are taken, locally, to protect the community as much as possible, I’ll be populating a list of addresses and owners who refuse to exterminate and work with their tenants to resolve the bed bug issues.

Bed Bugs ARE a COMMUNITY WIDE ISSUE:

Property Owners and Managers

TENANTS BEWARE:  DO NOT SIGN A LEASE WITHOUT VERIFICATION THAT THE APARTMENT/HOME HAS BEEN PROFESSIONALLY EXTERMINATED BY A REPUTABLE COMPANY.  If you are moving from an infested property, take every precaution to dry your clothing and bedding, towels, etc. in a hot dryer for 30 min. before moving them to a new abode.

In many cases tenants are walking away from their furnishings, bedding, toys and other household items – they start over from scratch – for now, there are few other choices AND Please  if you aren’t taking your household stuff with you …. DON’T THROW HOUSEHOLD ITEMS IN THE ALLEYS OR ANYWHERE OUTDOORS where kids can get into it – thank you.

If you are currently living in a rental and have a bed bug infestation – email:  ptownadvocates@hotmail.com

What health risks do bed bugs pose?  CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL dot Gov.

“A bed bug bite affects each person differently. Bite responses can range from an absence of any physical signs of the bite, to a small bite mark, to a serious allergic reaction. Bed bugs are not considered to be dangerous; however, an allergic reaction to several bites may need medical attention.”

The space where the choices are difficult and the answers to “what is the right thing to do in this situation” are never easy.

That’s how I see the issues of poverty and homelessness in Pottstown.   It is a formidable challenge to find enough housing, at the right price, well maintained, safe and where an income property owner doesn’t require large deposits to move in.  The need clearly outweighs the available resources.  And…

Apparently, Deb Campbell has positioned herself as a resource to organizations here that endeavor to shelter the homeless and the needy, (sources say she has the county’s blessing).

This is what Deb promised the good taxpayers in her vitriolic comments last year in the Patch online. Doug Campbell is said to be providing half-way housing for the drug and alcohol addicted that are sent here to find a way to make a life for themselves in a community that has minimal opportunity for jobs or quality housing.

How and why Pottstown has found itself the epicenter of poverty in MontCo along with hard working agencies that have sprung up and who strive to serve the needy – the answer is embedded in a long sordid history.

Montgomery County has certainly played a major role, aided by decades of  lax, undereducated local leadership.  Take a quick look again at Westchester County, NY :

There are 3,141 counties in the U.S. on the list of the highest income counties  you’ll find Westchester County at #47 and Montgomery County, PA at #51.

A lawsuit brought by the Anti-Discrimination Center, a fair housing org, against Westchester County for intentional discrimination was won by the Center in 2009, a precedent setting case in the U.S.

Although the politicians in that county have dug their heels in to spare the wealthy, white communities from pulling their weight in these matters, the struggle goes on.

The strongest sanction against Westchester County was the loss of Federal CDBG grant monies that totaled over Forty Five Million Dollars while the county falsely contended that they were in compliance with funding requirements of the Fair Housing Act to affirmatively ensure fair housing

Craig Gurian, executive director of the Anti-Discrimination Center, which brought the original lawsuit said, ” the county’s housing pattern resulted from “explicit, intentional discrimination” by landlords, homeowners and the real estate industry after World War II.”

Look around at the circumstances in our own community.  When I first began to read about the lawsuit against Westchester County my eyes snapped wide open and I thought:

Is Montgomery County doing everything they can to ensure fair housing in this county?

I am now compelled to ask:  is the county doing everything they can to ensure the solvency of our school district and our borough, protecting the interests of good taxpayers?

Or, are they in the business of promoting rental properties that are owned by deadbeat, tax delinquent property owners like Deb & Doug Campbell?

It seems like we’ve been shoved into a 6′ deep hole and the County is shoveling dirt over the top of us while the Borough looks on.

Last year Deb and Doug Campbell defaulted on the mortgages on rental properties in Pottstown and Norristown, mortgages valued at over $2,000,000.  They also accrued tax & municipal liens in the thousands of dollars.

Today, they still own rental property in these communities and they still have liens on some of them.

Check the MontCo Prothy site for details, type in Campbell, Douglas or Debra.  You’ll find THIRTY FOUR civil lawsuits, you’ll also find school taxes and municipal fees STILL owing in Norristown and Pottstown – those cases read “OPEN”.   She’s making good on her promise to “screw the P.town taxpayers” for her own enrichment.

In November, 2011 Pottstown council adopted an amendment to the code of ordinance, known as the “Neighborhood Blight Protections and Enforcement,”  based on PA State Law Act 90.   15 years in the making, this law assures that municipalities have the necessary tools to hold extractive investors accountable for their tax and municipal debt as well as codes violations.   Specific to this situation is the following:

Ordinance 2087

The Borough or a Board may deny issuing to an applicant a Municipal Permit if the applicant owns real property in any municipality in the Commonwealth for which there exists on the real property:

(1) Tax and/or Municipal Services delinquencies on account of the actions of the Owners…

Naturally the question becomes:  

WHY ISN’T THE BOROUGH DENYING RENTAL LICENSES TO DEB AND DOUG ?  THEY ARE IN VIOLATION OF THE BOROUGH ORDINANCE AND STATE LAW.   Who’s benefitting from this alliance? 

It’s clear that the organizations and churches in Pottstown, who have embraced the mission to find housing for the needy, have no other alternative than to do business with people like Deb and Doug Campbell, who have always had the choice to do the “right things” and can always be counted on to do whatever it takes to assure their own best interests.

Where is Montgomery County in this mix?  They have an obligation to step up and assist in meaningful ways and, NOT continue to promote the people who don’t pay their taxes or take care of their properties in Pottstown.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Last summer, during the height of her rage at me for exposing her rental business practices, Deb Campbell left an anonymous message at another blog site.  The blogger declined to publish due to the hate filled, discriminatory nature of the comment.  The IP address however, was familiar, and had often been associated with comments left by Deb Campbell.  Here’s that comment:

“Who disagrees that in the USA anyone has the opportunity for an education, not to have children, not to do drugs, not to be a criminal. This means you or I did not put them in the situation they need to settle for a property that you would not live in.” 

I find it beyond disturbing that the county would promote anyone who feels such contempt for the poor and under privileged, let alone enable her to profit from her disdain for the less fortunate.  And that, folks, is the reality the agencies in Pottstown are forced to grapple with as they strive to do what’s right for the people who depend on them for solutions to their housing needs.

Shame on Montgomery County, the Borough of Pottstown, Deb and Doug Campbell and everyone like them.  If you’re a responsible taxpayer in Pottstown, you’ve made an investment here too and…

IT’S TIME TO DEMAND BETTER FROM OUR COUNTY AND OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

Meet with County Commissioners  

Monday, February 11th Monday, Feb. 11, 7 p.m. — Montgomery County Community College, West Campus Community Room, 101 College Dr., Pottstown 

“So what can Josh Shapiro, Bruce Castor and Leslie Richards do for us?”  

That IS the question posed by Evan Brandt today in the Digital Notebook:

Dear Commissioners, Let’s Talk Price

“Concentration of low-income housing + lack of living wage jobs = high crime, high taxes and low quality of life.”  The simple equation that defines the issues in Pottstown ….

To borrow from Governor Christie, advocating for the State of New Jersey in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy:

They Picked the Wrong State

Pottstown is a long-term unnatural disaster that could have been prevented and intervention is urgently required.  

There is no excuse to further the destruction of our community for the sake of assuring political favors from wealthier towns and boroughs in Montgomery County.  

Let the Commissioners know that the politicians that preceded them Picked the Wrong Borough and they have an opportunity/responsibility to make right the deeds of the past in our community !!

We do not expect anything more than what is being done for all other communities in Montgomery County, (excluding Norristown).  And we will not accept anything less.

POTTSTOWN:   A TESTIMONY TO MONTGOMERY COUNTY’S  POLITICAL MAELSTROM

The long-term, utter devastation of the heart and soul of an entire community at the hands of its own government is no less heart wrenching than the immediate devastation in the wake of a natural disaster.  The end result is the same.

SavePottstown!!  To Tell the Truth

Friends and Neighbors, I hope to see you all at the meeting tomorrow night.

 United We Will Stand

Are Our Neighborhoods Making Us Sick?

There are TWO Montgomery Counties on the list of the Wealthiest Counties in the U.S.

Montgomery County, MD is #10 on the list

Montgomery County, PA comes in at a respectable #51

The average median income of households in MontCo MD is $92,909 Population:  989,794

The average median income of households in MontCo PA  $76,220  Population:  804,210

(POTTSTOWN:  $35,785 median income is less than half the figure for the whole county)

(Source: wikipedia)

The list of wealthiest communities is where the similarities end between the two MontCo’s, for the sake of  conversation about integration, housing, education, job opportunities and the poor.

John F. Kennedy :  

“If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.”

Montgomery County Maryland took a proactive stance, beginning in the 1970′s, with their model Inclusionary Zoning Program, and many counties have followed their lead.

          Seattle:  A Neighborhood Model

Inclusionary Zoning :  ”A policy that requires real estate developers to set aside a portion of the homes they build to be rented or sold at below-market prices. The zoning stipulation has caused the production of more than 12,000 moderately priced homes in the county since 1976. Similar inclusionary zoning policies have since spread to over one hundred high-cost housing markets in California; Massachusetts; New Jersey; New York City; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Denver and Boulder, Colorado; the greater Washington, D.C., metro area; and Burlington, Vermont, among others.”

Heather Schwartz, A Century Foundation Report

As you can see, Inclusionary Zoning has become a benchmark for many towns and counties throughout the U.S. yet, MontCo PA remains behind the cue ball.   But it is a concept whose time has come.

Obama’s efforts to address fair housing in the news:

Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities is…

“the product of an interagency partnership between Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Run by Shelley Poticha, a veteran of the Smart Growth movement who previously held leadership positions at several top advocacy groups, the office’s mission is to “create strong, sustainable communities by connecting housing to jobs, fostering local innovation, and helping to build a clean energy economy.” To start with, the office has been allocated $140 million to distribute to regions and communities that embrace the Administration’s vision of sustainability.”

 “For a community to be sustainable, first and foremost, people need to have a job,” says Mariia Zimmerman, Poticha’s deputy. “And having access to that economic opportunity for all households throughout the region is really critical. We can’t just have affluent neighborhoods in one area of the region, or jobs centered in a couple parts of the region… We see social equity, racial equity, income equity as being very critical and central.”

What we see taking shape now, in Washington, is a re-vamping of the concepts in housing and opportunity for the poor.   The approach has been well received by advocates who focus on racial and economic integration:

“The model, though, is very much opt-in. “We are not forcing communities to have to do something,” says Zimmerman. Rather, the idea is to support local leaders who buy in, and try to demonstrate success that will generate momentum. “It’s not something that’s a top-down approach,” she says.”

The pivotal idea to impart to our state, county and local leaders is this:  Opting In for a share of the $140 million is a choice we need them to make on behalf of our community.  

Did MontCo seek a share of the office’s $100 million in regional planning grants that were required to provide data about segregation in their region?

See:  Remapping Debate February 11, 2013   A useful and very informative read.

Heather Schwartz, A Century Foundation Report   The Case for Inclusive Zoning,

Montgomery County, (MD) as an Exemplary Case of Economic Integration and…

a solution to our failing school policies:

“School enrollment patterns are closely tied to residential patterns. In short, housing policy is school policy.”

—David Rusk

On a similar note:  The word is making it’s way around Pottstown that there is yet another Low-Income Tax Credit Investor on our horizon.  Housing Visions, a New York tax-credit developer, is interested in the Fecera’s Building.  

Fecera’s is currently owned by a group of investors, some who are from Phoenixville.  This group has met with success rehabbing market rate housing and commercial spaces, contributing to the continued upswing of opportunities and the economy in the community of Phoenixville.  

But we are not Phoenixville, (a fact you may have noticed), and while the owners of Fecera’s may have been loath to put a development like this in their own back yards, Pottstown is another story… 

The groups original plans to build condominiums for homeowner artists and entrepreneurs, (gallery and commercial space on the main floor), is now being re-visioned as low-income rental housing, for artists, with commercial space remaining.  That sounds cool but there are two main realities:  #1 it would contribute more rentals in an already glutted low-income rental market.  #2 “low-income” is the operative:  by the guidelines implicit in the Federal Fair Housing Act nobody with a voucher could be turned away – artist or otherwise.   

An unfortunate turn of events for a community already struggling with too many poor and low-income.   A development of this nature would best serve the needs of the poor and their children by being located in a community that has good schools, job and educational opportunities.   Pottstown must attract market rate developers and strive to achieve balance for the existing homeowner/taxpayers and businesses.  Low Income does not bring expendable income to our community nor does it elevate our prospects for attracting other investors.

For now, there are more questions than answers about this proposal however…

locating additional low-income housing in disadvantaged communities is an archaic approach and it is in complete opposition to the anthesis of the new model for affordable housing at the Federal level …

“The Administration’s stance represents a real break from a past — and some parts of the present — in which federal policy tended to focus affordable housing investments in poor neighborhoods even as it accelerated the flight of opportunity, in the form of both good jobs and good schools, to outlying areas. (To cite just one example, a recent analysis of the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit in Southern California conducted by The Civil Rights Project at UCLA found that units funded by the credit, which now supports the bulk of new subsidized housing nationwide…

were disproportionately located in high-poverty, segregated areas that fed into low-performing schools.)”

…Meanwhile as I rally to get homeowners to attend tonight’s meeting with the commissioners, I hear defeat in many of their voices.  They can see no other way to survive financially and acquire quality of life than to walk away from their homes and Pottstown – if you have any doubt about it….

we are in crisis

The first story is the plight of a family, Tammy and Phil, who carefully chronicled their experiences of the out-of-control renters that resided in the twin attached to their own home.   In her own words, Tammy said in an email:

“I was afraid–i was afraid they would be outside one day when i went to work or when i would come home at lunch by my self–i am so glad she is gone.”   THIS crosses the line, things have gone too far when homeowners are made to live in FEAR.

The renter, Tracy Jackson and her 17 y.o. daughter, Chanel Martin, were spotted many times by neighbors selling or buying drugs in front of their rental home. Tracy and Chanel harassed and intimidated their neighbors when the  police were called.  2011-2012 Tracy has a criminal record for controlled substance, use/possession of drug parapha while living in Glenside.

At some point, after her legal troubles, she relocated to the mecca of clean living, peace, tranquility and consciousness – Pottstown – a nice place to sort out ones life, get clean and plant her feet on solid ground, you know, be a good mom and make something special of her life?  Right.

Tammy and Phil didn’t let fear stand in their way, they stood their ground, as you will see, they did the two most important things they could have done:

They documented everything and never stopped calling police.

Thanks to their conscientious efforts, the police department enabled the property owner to evict.  However, the tenants destroyed the property when they left around the 1st of Feb., 2013.  Additionally, the police offered Tammy and Phil an option of filing a harassment lawsuit against the tenant, Tracy Jackson, which they did.

The outcome was disappointing.  Although the tenant was found guilty and she was ordered to pay court costs plus a $25 fine.

 A $25 fine – OUCH – Really Pottstown?

The Judge had no leverage.  Officers had not issued citations to the tenant each time they were called to address problems with the her.  It seems that a better outcome could be achieved and perhaps some valuable insight can be applied to future, comparable situations. We know, for sure, there’ll be no shortage of opportunity to fine tune this approach.

A common theme, as you’ll see in the next story, is that…

tenants are not held accountable for their behavior.

Often, when they are evicted, they move on to the next rental and the same destructive behavior is repeated.  If Tracy Jackson is renting near you – be aware, keep a log and CALL THE POLICE.

<click here to see their log>  Timeline  <then click again on “Timeline” on the page that comes up>

**************************************************

This next story is about a good, conscientious landlord, Chris Dailey, who rented out his very nice twin home, 508 N. Evans St., to a MontCo voucher housing mother, Tracey Accor, and her children.  Tracey and her family have recently moved to 377 Charlotte St.  It is reported that the cops have already made several visits.

Despite the thousands and thousands of dollars in damages that Tracey, her family and friends purposefully plied to their former rental, they have the good fortune to have found another landlord, another rental home and neighbors who will, no doubt, rue the day they encountered her.

I met with Chris, a couple weeks back, to tour the home and see the destruction.  The home was filthy, there were expletives painted in black on the walls.  Neighbors reported that when Tracey was mad at her young children, she would banish them – out a 2nd story window onto the roof of the front porch to play unprotected and unsupervised.  It goes without saying that Tracey Accor also abused the services of law enforcement….

Chris was told by the police that they had been watching the house for some time, as there was continual drug traffic.  The said on several occasions they had surrounded the house with guns drawn, making arrests of certain people who were visiting Tracey Accor. It’s assuredly horrifying when the police draw guns.  In another situation, the sherrifs department rammed in the front door to arrest a daughter of Tracey Accor who lived in the subsidized home, regardless of  her outstanding warrants for arrest.

Has Voucher Housing BECOME the new drug of choice for SOME people who can’t control their own lives or those of their children?

If so, who are the enablers?  

Tracey Accor knows all the tricks of her evil trade, some say she knows “how to work the system” like a pro.  As far as I can tell, she’s soaking up valuable tax dollars and doesn’t appreciate what she’s been given where another might appreciate the help and take the opportunity to become self-reliant.

I met with Chris, again, once he had completed the repairs to his property.   During our conversations I garnered that…

Chris takes his business seriously.  I judge a landlord and a rental by the same standards I would look for if I were a renter – this home was ultimately clean and tastefully refinished, a rental I would recommend, and Chris is making a sincere effort to be a good landlord and protect his investments against some mighty challenging odds.

After moving out, Tracey Accor’s son returned with his friends to attempt to break into the house.  It’s interesting to note that Tracey’s son was not permitted to live in the home, according to the status of her voucher, yet…he did.  When MCVH pays no attention, the tenants take advantage, and we all pay the price.

Outwitted, thwarted in their destructive mission, Chris had taken proactive measures to keep one of his workers in the house, day and night, while it was under repair –  he caught Tracey’s son on the back deck, of an evening,  plotting to enter and ravage the premises once again.

Think about it. If every time a tenant gets a noise complaint, a trash complaint – give them a citation. And ENFORCE it. If they don’t pay the fine, put them in jail over 25 bucks, yeah that’s the ticket…they’ll get the idea fast that the Borough of Pottstown won’t tolerate their animalistic ways of “being” in this community.  Frankly, child welfare and MCVH need to have a full-time staff in Pottstown, they’d never run out of work.

Chris took responsibility to report this abuse of voucher housing to Lynda Haley, Manager at Housing Voucher Choice Program of Montgomery County, who, according to Chris was polite and, she opened an investigation.  

Polite is good but results are even better.  Polite AND Results?  A winning combination.

In another voucher housing situation where drugs, guns and bad behaviors have been allowed to go on for 5+ years, their antics…

Smile You’re On Candid Camera!

are captured on a nearby homeowner’s video surveillance cameras.  The homeowners filed a complaint with Montco Voucher Housing and, although video shows people from that agency contacting the tenant at her front door, it appears to have been a 30 second investigation in which the tenant, no doubt, didn’t own up to the B.S. and the investigators took her word.  

This voucher tenant knows how to turn on the charm when necessary, she knows how to game the system.  

The investigators from Montco never asked to see the video or photo’s, probably didn’t ask about police reports either.  

They beat it out of Dodge, got back to the office in Norristown – CASE CLOSED.  The lil’ Miss and her band of hoodlums are still in business today, living off the taxpayers and doin’ whatever they please.  

We certainly encourage MCVH to do a FULL-ON, NO HOLDS BARRED investigation. in this, and frankly ALL situations. If you, or someone you know, has any information about Tracey Accor that could assist in this investigation, please contact MontCo Voucher Housing:   (610) 275-5720

We’ll update our readers with information regarding this investigation.  I am grateful that Chris contacted me and chose to share this story.  It is clear that without the support of the agencies who are responsible for oversight and enforcement, the road is long and bumpy for people who work to do the right thing, homeowners and responsible landlords are paddling, up stream, in the same boat.

Above photo’s were taken on Oct. 1st and Oct. 8th, 2011 at 312 High St. A property managed by Affinity/Brian and Lori Patrick.  

May 2nd,  Brian shares his thoughts about this post in an email to Attorney Jordan Rushie:

http://goldencockroach.wordpress.com/2013/05/02/xxx-rated-no-further-commentary/

April 30, 2013

Brian sued me for defamation, last spring, over this post, (below).  He was STRONGLY encouraged to drop the erroneous lawsuit by the most excellent attorney, Jordan Rushie.  Jordan explained to Brian, in no uncertain terms, that the THE TRUTH is THE TRUTH…and….friends, it is what it is…

Jordan also gave Brian a chance, and he asked me to give Brian a chance to do better.  Brian didn’t take that opportunity, I’m sorry to say, and very good, very trusting people have been caught in his web of deceit.  I apologize for NOT taking the opportunity to counter-sue him under the Pa Dragonetti Act.  I could have prevented a lot of heartache….

http://goldencockroach.wordpress.com/2012/10/30/affinity-property-managementbrian-patrick-lets-talk-trash/

Hate to regurgitate old news but………HMMMMM – BRIAN PATRICK OF AFFINITY PROPERTY MANAGEMENT HAS DISAPPEARED.  Doors are locked on his business / home and he doesn’t answer his phone, (that’s nothing new).  Brian hasn’t returned phone calls or dealt square with his customers for quite some time now.   

DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHERE HE’S HIDING?  Sources say he would like people to believe he’s in Florida but there’s some reason to believe he’s in Maryland or Delaware…they believe he’s setting up ANOTHER AFFINTY PROPERTY MGT. in one or the other of those states.

Reports are rolling in at Cockroach Central and have been for a few weeks.  People are pissed and they’ve been screwed by Brian and Lori Patrick.  They’ve asked me not to mention their names as they are pursuing lawsuits against Affinity, Brian and Lori Patrick.   

Brian owes money He owes a lot of money and it appears he’s on the lamb.  WATCH OUT.

Brian got a DUI in December, 2010 NOW folks are saying he’s got a “little” problem with the drink – Makes sense . . .

Pa Criminal Records

Brian’s got BIG troubles – something the Cockroach predicted some time ago.  We know Channel 3 CBS Philly was at Affinity a couple weeks ago….but haven’t seen a thing on TV.   

The fancy building on High St.?  TAX LIEN.  That’s right folks.  Here’s the article from 2010 when Brian and Lori moved to Pottstown:

Downtown dwellers: Couple completes classy renovation in Pottstown

I took the original post down, as I agreed to do, when Brian shook my hand in the meeting room at the court house, last May.  He said that he would clean up his business and look after his rental properties by setting a new standard for every investment property owner in Pottstown.

Brian Patrick lied.  

Here’s the original post from 2011 …

Today, Sunday November 6th, 2011. Trash scattered by animals in flimsy bags.  Nowhere else on this block is there trash sitting out on the curb. TRASH COLLECTORS ARE NOT GOING TO PICK THIS UP TODAY so it’ll sit out all day to be scattered all over downtown.  Why?  How does this reflect on Pottstown and on Affinity?

Come on Brian and Lori, tell us all the good things you are doing for Pottstown we want to know and we think other residents and the borough leadership might what to know too.  ENLIGHTEN US.  Do one good thing today and pick up this trash.  Talk to the tenants, teach them to dispose of their trash according to ordinance and with respect for the environment.  Just do it.

UPDATE 11/5/2011  By private message on FB, Brian and Lori Patrick have expressed their displeasure with the facts of this blog.  We have invited them to state their position here, and it will be published in it’s entirety.

It is our position that just because codes enforcement doesn’t catch these violations it is, nonetheless, a civic duty born by all who reside here, (or guests in our community), to do their part in making our street attractive, clean and safe.  Unsightly as it is, trash left on the streets is an even larger health concern for the general public.   If we all pitch in and do the right thing it will make our community a better place to live, work and play.

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Almost a year ago the Mercury ran a lovely story about a couple who bought a beautiful old building downtown and renovated it to become their home and business. Such a touching fairy tale we thought it was the beginning of a wonderful friendship between the residents of Pottstown and Brian and Lori Patrick of Affinity Property Management.  IT WAS NOT MENT TO BE.

“You could say Lori and Brian Patrick are fully committed to the revitalization of downtown Pottstown.”  OR, today, you could ask WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?  This is just a small sampling of the quality of rentals that they represent and it is very near their own home too.  We wonder if the trash and filth that is left out at this rental on High St. is working for them?

BUT WAIT….there is an Ordinance in Pottstown about trash:  it’s to be put in TRASH CANS  no sooner than 4PM the day before it will be picked up, not left on the sidewalk, in a cardboard box OR a trash bag or the tree well.  Functioning knowledge of the local ordinances would seem to be a no-brainer in the property management field.

Today, the Ace Roach on the Street Reporter snapped a pic as  the pile of trash just gets bigger and bigger.  Nearby business owners reported that the upstairs tenants were hurling their trash from the window onto the sidewalk, and had done for a long long time.

 AND AGAIN…

this past Saturday.  MORE  TRASH in front of this Affinity rental property, which is actually  located in the 300 block of  High  St. although the address says  ”213″.  Building Code requires that every building have a correct address so the police and fire dept’s can find them in an emergency.   *** After this blog post went public, Brian corrected the address on the building.

It is our opinion that Professional Property Managers have an obligation to educate their clients about the ordinances and codes and offer guidance about making their rentals safe and attractive.  If not then we wonder what is required to become  a “Property  Management” entity?

Hang a shingle, collect the rent and call it a day?

Why should Affinity Property Management, (or any property management co.), not only prosper from the “ills” that plague this community but contribute to them?  What are their buisness ethics? Here’s how you can reach Affinity, maybe they can answer these questions.

***  This email was sent to Golden Cockroach’s attorney, Jordan Rushie, yesterday – May 1, 2013.

Jordan,

She has gone too far.

http://goldencockroach.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/affinitybrian-and-lori-patrick-have-vanished/. We are selling the firm and leaving Pottstown.  I hope she is happy.  I hope the fuckin town rots with her.  If she doesn’t take this down I am suing her for all she is worth.  This DUI is supposed to be expunged under ARD.  I have a job application in and if I don’t get it because of this fucking bull shit blog I’m gonna flip the fuck out.  We are closing our doors.  Tell her to pull this shit down I fucking cannot believe she would stoop so low.  I should dig up her past and post everything she ever did online.  Everyone makes mistakes and has a past.  She is brutal and a fucking cunt!!

Brian Patrick
Broker/Partner
Affinity Property Management and Realty, LLC
E-mail: brian@affinitypm.net
Web: www.affinitypm.net
Phone: 484-624-3338
Fax: 484-949-9206

They don’t even make a meter large enough to register the epic failure of the people that run the Pottstown government.

ON THE HEELS OF THAT LAST POST ABOUT BRIAN PATRICK OF AFFINITY I HAVE TO ASK…

how did his activities go undetected by employees of the borough or…. did they go undetected?  BRIAN WAS MOVING TENANTS IN WITHOUT INSPECTIONS, for one thing, frankly, a lot OF PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY KNEW he was up to no good.  

Now this…  I’ve been writing this blog for about 1 1/2 years.  Here’s a disturbing observation:

It is primarily women and children who are suffering at the hands of heartless slumlords and a borough administration that is equally heartless and dysfunctional.  

The Cockroach learned of a young woman a loving, frightened mother, Tiffany Horton-Stevenson, who recently became a single mom when her marriage ended.

Now, Tiffany is rearing two young children alone. One child suffers with asthma the other is autistic.   Let me introduce you to the family:

When Tiffany realized the house she had rented at 716 Adams St. was not safe she began to see a change, for the worse, in the health and behavior of her children.  She saw mold showing through the paint, in corners of baseboard, ceilings and the like, in fact, the house smelled like mold.  Tiffany did what any loving mom would do…she called the landlord.

When it looked like they weren’t going to see eye to eye she called for help, that was this past Wednesday, May 1st….

Tiffany called Borough Manger, Mark Flanders around 3:30, 4:00 pm – he was in a meeting.  Ginny took the information and kindly, (as always), referred her to Maria Bliele, Head of Codes.  Tiffany left a message on Maria’s answering machine, Maria wasn’t at her desk either.

The next day, Maria phoned Tiffany.  She said that another codes inspector would come check the property.

Today is Saturday and NOBODY came out from the borough – Nobody even bothered to phone Tiffany to say they were going to BLOW HER OFF.

ACCOUNTABILITY: 
We will obligate ourselves to account for all of our actions and accept responsibility for those actions.  (boro mission statement)

 IT WAS ALL A RUSE.

Tiffany called her ward representative, Joe Kirkland.  Joe didn’t call her back – EVER.  NOW that’s terrific representation, don’t ya think?   Sorry Joe, what have you done to help make Pottstown a kinder, gentler place to live and raise a family?

IT’S A MISTAKE TO IGNORE PHONE CALLS FROM PEOPLE IN YOUR WARD JOE KIRKLAND.

The property owner, Al Dunn, did the right thing by registering his rental and having a rental inspection that set him back $75.00.  WHY THE HELL DID THIS HOUSE EVER PASS INSPECTION- EVER – FOR AT LEAST THE PAST 10 YEARS?  This house has been under par for a long time.

Would you like to know what that inspection entailed?

Codes Inspector, Charlie Weller, stuck a voltage thingy in the bathroom GFI outlet, he did the same in the kitchen, (one of those outlets had charred smoky stuff around it) –  he tested 2 of the 5 smoke alarms – he glad handed the owner, chatted him up – His Job Was Done.

Why is Charlie still employed as a Codes Inspector?  For that matter, why is Maria Bleile still the HEAD OF THE CODES DEPARTMENT?  

Is Flanders blowing smoke up our collective derriere’s?  We know council is.  HERE’S A TIP FOR THE TERMINALLY DENSE UP AT BOROUGH HALL:

REPLACING CODES WITH REMINGTON, VERICK AND BEACH IS NOT A SOLUTION. <click>  

Councilman DAN WEAD LIED ABOUT THE REASON HE SUPPORTS RVB, it’s not because he wants to make the codes department the best, I mean…how could RVB even remotely be misconstrued as competent professionals, given their bleak history of failures?  

No, Dan has no ethics no scruples and Dan is campaigning for Joe Kirkland.  TAXPAYERS these guys DON’T HAVE YOUR BACK, Dan has his own back and Joe must have Dan’s back too…This borough will not survive this kind of self-serving avaricious behavior.

Corruption is Authority plus monopoly minus transparency

Look at this Rental Check List – straight from the Borough’s own website:

http://www.pottstown.org/DocumentCenter/View/105

• The property must be in a clean, safe and sanitary condition both interior and exterior.

DOES THIS LOOK CLEAN, SAFE AND SANITARY TO YOU?

HOW ABOUT THIS?

AND THIS – SPRAY FOAM, (a slumlords best friend), IN A LARGE CEILING CRACK…

HOW ‘BOUT A PLYWOOD INSERT TO BLOCK THE WATER TO THE CRAWLSPACE…WHEN THE YARD GRADES BACK TO THE HOUSE? Yeah that’s effective.

The bathroom floor IS A FRIGGIN’ SPONGE from being wet.  Charlie must have stepped on it, as I did, to poke his electrical thingy into the outlet, eh?

Everything in that house was wet and yes….

there is mold.

After only a week and 1/2 in that environment the kids were not thriving.  Mom, Tiffany, is a bright, thoughtful, well-spoken young woman.  When it looked like she needed help she phoned Borough Hall, the Mercury and Channel 3 cbs Philly.

Channel 3 contacted Al Dunn and spoke to Tiffany too.

Finally things were resolved when The Cockroach took the bull by the horns.  

Here’s Tiffany’s story in her own words, as sent to CBS and the Mercury:

After moving into a small home in Pottstown, Pa with my young daughters, ages 11 & 2 on April 22nd, I discovered the home is uninhabitable despite having been inspected by Charlie Weller from the Codes Department.

The inspection was inadequate and Charlie appeared to be chummy with the owner of the property, something that is quite common here. A zoning worker in the codes department was recently fired for accepting a personal check from a rental property investor, I believe this type of activity is common in our community.

http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20130219/NEWS01/130219304/police-investigating-pottstown-codes-worker-regarding-landlord-146-s-check

Additionally, I learned there is a tax lien on the property. According to the borough’s own ordinance, the owner should not have been allowed to rent this property to anyone.

http://digonline.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010.09.28-Residential-Rental-License-Ordinance-CLEAN.pdf

Mold that had been covered with paint began to bleed through the paint and rotted, mold covered, spongy floors threaten the health of my family. My eldest daughter has severe asthma and my youngest is Autistic  this mold has been a big set back for both of them and they are suffering drastically.

Yesterday I had to flee the premises, leaving behind my household goods when the owner began tearing out walls and the home filled with mold and we began to feel ill.The owner, Al Dunn, said he would return my deposit so I can find safe shelter, but now, he’s refused. I have nowhere to live and I’m afraid for my family. As a single mother I don’t have a lot of money to seek adaquate shelter so we now share an air bed in a friends living room.

My request for help from local authorities have gone unanswered.

Yesterday I contacted the Pottstown Borough Manager, Mark Flanders, whose secretary told me to talk with Maria Bleile, the head of the Codes Department.

Maria called this morning and said that she would send another inspector today but, they have not. They have not called me to explain why. I feel I’ve been given the run around by the very people who are responsible for running this borough and I’ve nowhere else to turn.

I left a message for Councilman Joe Kirkland, Ward 7, this afternoon but have not received a call from him either.

Please help!!! I fear we will become homeless, or even. Worse my children will be taken away from me!!!

Thank you.

Tiffany L. Horton-Stevenson

In the end, yesterday, Al Dunn stepped up and gave Tiffany back some of the deposit/rent she had paid him so she can move BUT not without a struggle.

You see, once a renter hands over the deposit and rent money they are stuck and stuck is not a good place to be when you’re worried and your children are not well.  Why do we have Codes Departments in the U.S.?   To inspect buildings for safety issues… things that might harm people – right?

What’s the point of maintaining a useless department that doesn’t do what is necessary to help keep people safe?

Al made an effort to repair one area by opening the wall…that’s what drove the girls out of the house as the mold spores dispersed everywhere throughout the small home.

Wednesday night Tiffany had to buy an air mattress for herself and the girls to share on the floor of her pervious rental home, she could take nothing with her for fear it was covered with allergens.  Tiffany’s gracious and concerned former landlady made sure the girls weren’t left homeless and they’ve been sleeping on the floor for three nights now, with very little real sleep for Tiffany.

MARK FLANDERS, MARIA BLEILE, CHARLIE WELLER went home, to the burbs.   They  settled into their clean, safe homes and comfy beds.  Homes and beds that are bought and paid for by the Pottstown taxpayers.  

They never gave another thought to the plight of Tiffany and her young daughters…they could care less.  

Joe Kirkland didn’t muss a hair on his pony tail, surely he slept soundly with nary a care.

ETHICS: 
We will strive to uphold the public trust by conducting ourselves with integrity, setting high standards in our personal, professional, and organizational conduct.  The new mission statement on the boro website.   There’s no time like the present…

I’ll end this with a bit of wisdom that Tiffany shared with me, as told to her by her grandma:

SECRETS MAKE YOU SICK… the secrets that this borough is keeping are MAKING OTHER PEOPLE SICK TOO.

My grandma wasn’t quite as eloquent as Tiffany’s, as we sat in the shade of the old weeping willow.   Grandma would lament:

“Well now, they’re about as useless as teats on a boar hog.  Don’t ya know?”

THINK ABOUT IT.

Sunday Morning:   Tiffany sent me a photo of the new book bag she purchased for her daughter.

She and the girls had to flee their rental house but, the mold and mildew didn’t take a holiday.  She’ll use bleach and water to clean her water safe household items before moving them into a new place.  But if you’ve ever had mold issues you know how invasive it is.

Not everything will be salvageable and there will be additional expenses and added work, for which there is no compensation.

I received this email from a property owner who contracted with Affinity.  

Like many of you, they have not received a dime of the deposit or rent money paid to Brian Patrick.

They are very concerned that when the renters move, they will have to also come up with the deposit money.    

According to a client of Affinity, Ian at Atlas, (see below), spoke with Brian who said he will be cutting checks to you, toward the end of the month.  

Please keep us up to date and we will report anything that impacts your situation.  

DUE DILIGENCE IS THE BUZZ WORD.  FIND OUT WHO YOU ARE DOING BUSINESS WITH.

As you may know, Affinity Property Management will be closing it’s doors on May 31st, 2013. I wanted to thank all of our clients and residents for their loyalty and business throughout the years. I certainly do not want you to think you’ve been left high and dry.

We are very happy to announce that Atlas Property Management LLC will be servicing your contracts to assure that your management needs are met. We have already begun the transition internally, but it will not be finalized, completely for the next week or so. At that time they will contacting each of you directly to help ease the process.

Atlas Property Management LLC is an exceptional company that will provide timely answers and solutions. To keep the transition smooth, you will still have a familiar voice to work with. Dan will continue to facilitate interactions on the properties and will soon be employed by Atlas Property Management. If you have any immediate questions you can email ian@atlas-pm.com or call 215.839.3428

UPDATE:  The facia board you see dangling in this photo that was taken on May 22nd fell off the porch, Sat. June 1st, landing on the sidewalk. If the Levy’s thought they had problems just imagine if this board had landed on a child – or anyone – this house is:

PUBLIC NUISANCE NUMERO UNO IN THE 3RD WARD:

5 W. Fourth St. is located in Ward 3 – Jeff Chomnuck – Vice President of Council.  42 E. Fourth St.  484-524-5526  If diminished property values, crime and blight are of concern to you – let Jeff know.

A little snooping on the net produced interesting results:

Christopher Levy faces a $353,000 bill for payroll taxes. His ex-boss is accused in a $16 million scheme.

So it stands to reason then that the Levy’s are still doing their shaky business in Pottstown, where the chances of getting caught renting out squalor are equal to re-building the Titanic to it’s former glory.  Possibly one of those “cash only” rentals… I wonder if the IRS has a clue?

In November 2006 when Christopher and Jennifer Levy purchased this home it looked like this:

5 W. Fourth St. Pottstown
Purchased in 2006

Nearly 7 years later:

Slum Property Owned by Christopher & Jennifer Levy of 324 Anthony Rd.
King of Prussia, Pa

Yet - SURPRISE – there is a “FOR RENT” sign on this dangerous hovel that should be shut down by the Codes Department and blighted until such time as Christopher and Jennifer Levy make good on the multiple codes violations that are visible from the outside and hint at what conditions must be like on the inside:

5 W. Fourth St. Pottstown

Here’s the tidy, well-maintained home that is enjoyed by Christopher & Jennifer and their family:

Home of Christopher and Jennifer Levy 324 Anthony Rd. King of Prussia, PA

It seems from the listings on the net that Christopher and Jennifer have a family.  Would they move their children/grandchildren into this house?  Would they, themselves, live like this?

It’s time for the judicial system to take a bold stance and stand up for this community.  Order the Levy’s to live in their own rental house and see if they have a head – spinning attitude adjustment.

They also own 232 N. Evans St. purchased in February, 2008.

All it would take in this community is for just ONE slumlord to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and the ripples would be felt through out the Western Montgomery County Landlord Club and beyond.  A guaranteed claim to fame for the MontCo D.A.’s office and “hero” status for the first Judge to stand up and stand strong for Pottstown.

There are a million and one ways to approach things like this – why not make the choice to meter out swift action in lieu of the long, painful, costly-to-taxpayers approach that’s taken in this borough?

Just do it.

March 27, 2013  Landlord Accused of Endangering Tenants

SEPTEMBER 10, 2010 police from other boroughs work with P.town police to gain control of a violent gang of tenants on Washington St.

Take the ‘Norris’ off the town, add ‘Potts’ and Part One, in a series being published by the Times Herald on crime and “possible answers to stem the tide”… could be talking about our own community of Pottstown.

In fact, renowned historian and author, Michael Tolle, a former resident of West Norriton has written a book entitled, “What Killed Downtown”  (Can’t wait to get my copy).  Based on excepts from the book and interviews with Michael, he has thoughtfully crafted a chronological timeline of influences and events in Norristown’s history – leading up to what it has become today – Michael is quoted from the article:

“Whatever happened to Norristown was fundamental enough that it applies elsewhere. That was my hope when I started. I never intended to write a book about Norristown that was meant to be read only by people in Norristown.”

My focus here is Section 8, (naturally).  Call me obsessed but I own my home in Ward One, Pottstown, that is notoriously overrun with sub-standard rental housing. The tenants who rent here don’t seem to feel the need to keep the fact of their vouchers a secret, contrary to the guarded vault of privacy that HUD proclaims is designed to ‘protect’ the poor from being labeled.  Voucher renters here take pride in their ability to acquire a voucher and, little else…

In fact, many times, it is touted as an honor, a special reward – like winning a trophy – for being poor enough or pulling the wool over the governments eyes.

I have a next door neighbor whose social life consists of sitting, endless idle hours every day, on his side porch or at the back of his yard under his carport on the alley, drinking with men from the area – holding court in loud and raucous conversation with the men and women in Pottstown who have nothing better to do with their time.

Often, there are people who live, courtesy of Section 8, in homes and apartments nearby and they loudly discuss the various techniques they have learned to avoid the rules of subsidized housing.  From boyfriends who live with their babies mama’s, selling drugs from the rentals, while keeping it on the “low-down” (*wink *wink) – to women who openly discuss their young daughters pregnancies and how much money she will get, I hear it all – to my chagrin.

I know how many times a day, a week, or a month that either my husband or myself call the police to a Section 8 property for violent activity, drug sales, drug abuse, physical altercations and, situations that I consider child abuse.  I know when other neighbors call and I KNOW which rentals are Section 8 and which rentals are not.

Neighbors, throughout Pottstown, know who the Section 8 renters are on their blocks too, unless the rare voucher renter happens to be respectful and discreet, there are predictable behaviors, incidents and mannerisms common among most voucher holders, and besides, they don’t mind boasting about their virtually free rent.

So when I read and hear comments from the executive directors of Voucher Housing programs say:

Smoking from a pipe on the steps of a Section 8 rental. Reported to MCVH = they took NO action.

“However, studies don’t bear out any connection between subsidized housing and crime”, an observation from Joel Johnson, executive director of Montgomery County Housing Authority, in the Times Herald article, I ask myself and…

I ask all of you to think about the reasons HUD and directors who administer voucher housing, across the land, rotley repeat the same mantra? (We heard Joel say the same thing at the County Commish’s meeting in Pottstown too).

The directors don’t site studies that back up their statements, although they are easy enough to find on the internet. I’ve come across oodles and oodles of academic studies and research, every one of them appear to be slanted to the expected conclusion of the governments desire to impress upon you that section 8 has nothing to do with crime. They could very well be funded by HUD for that very purpose, for all I know, that is until….

July, 2008 when the Atlantic published this piece, by Hanna Rosen.  I’ll set the scene, but PLEASE be sure to read this story – it is a fabulous “who done it” !!

Set in Memphis, riddled with violent crime, live a normal married couple:  U. of Memphis Criminologist, Richard Janikowski and his wife, U. of Memphis Housing Expert, Phyllis Betts.  Both doing independent research, Janikowski mapping crime and Betts mapping Section 8 households, once the public housing projects were torn down and people were given vouchers, they dispersed throughout Memphis.  

Because this couple were workaholics, (most likely), and because they brought their work home with them they, (somewhat reluctantly), merged their maps of crime and Section 8 housing together.  Here’s what they found:

“Janikowski merged his computer map of crime patterns with Betts’s map of Section8 rentals. Where Janikowski saw a bunny rabbit, Betts saw a sideways horseshoe (“He has a better imagination,” she said). Otherwise, the match was near-perfect. On the merged map, dense violent-crime areas are shaded dark blue, and Section 8 addresses are represented by little red dots.

All of the dark-blue areas are covered in little red dots, like bursts of gunfire. The rest of the city has almost no dots.”

An American Murder Mystery:  ”Why is crime rising in so many American cities? The answer implicates one of the most celebrated antipoverty programs of recent decades.”

THIS IS AN ABSOLUTELY AMAZING READ – BE SURE TO CLIK THE LINK – YOU’LL BE GLAD YOU DID.

So let’s dissect Mr. Johnson’s conviction here, for a minute:

The Suburbs:  Pottstown is worried over tax-credit developer who answers few questions

Taxpayers of Pottstown who have formed Progress Pottstown to oppose low-income development in our borough, were awed yesterday, when we discovered this magnanimous gift of time and talent in researching and  writing a powerful prose on behalf of our efforts to block a low-income housing development. We had anticipated a simple plug on Facebook.

<insert shameless plug>  DON’T FORGET TO SIGN OUR PETITION - clik here:  Change.org

We’ve only a heart-felt thanks to offer Philadelinquency and the assurance that we will pay it forward.

Allentown to Philly, Norristown to Bellvue PA and Pottstown too, residents and activists are reaching across the miles, via the internet, to support each others efforts.  And, because there is far more commonality in the challenges faced by these communities than there are differences, (mainly population size and the size and structure of their local governments), we’ve a lot to share and learn. 

The mortgage bust and economic downturn left many without homes, shattered credit, job insecurity and lighter paychecks…

Enter – a whole new population of renters.

It’s been a sad and unfortunate outcome for those who pursued the American dream and lost but, a happy “coincidence” when you look at it from the perspective of income property investors.

The National Association of Relators, (NAR), headquartered in Chicago, is one of the largest trade associations and lobbying groups in the nation, the subtle and not-so-subtle impact of their persuasion is felt across all aspects of our lives.  (source:  Wiki ).

It’s no secret that a vast majority of income property investors in Pottstown, as elsewhere, are real estate agents affiliated with the SUPER SIZED realty corporations like Re/Max, Keller Williams and Coldwell Banker, that comprise the NAR.

Recognizing the advantage of buying housing on the cheap, knowing how, where, when to do it and renting their properties for a guaranteed monthly check from the government, under the polices of HUD, has been a path to wealth since 1974 when the Federal government got out of the business of managing low-income housing projects turning it over to the private, free market enterprise we know today as Section 8.

There are groups comprised of relators, who educate and share trade secrets among themselves and other would-be income property owners.  “Wealth with Real Estate Investor’s Group” of MontCo, is one of those groups.

I have found the character and integrity of some of the members of these organizations to equal or exceed the attributes of successful used car salesmen.

Remember the “wealth builder seminars” that frequented Holiday Inns around the nation not so long ago?  Seems they’ve consolidated into meet ups and private, by invitation only, clubs.

Among the “secrets” they share are which municipalities will accommodate their investors with the least amount of oversight or the hassle of rules and regs, like Pottstown and Norristown.

As properties fall into disrepair and values sink further, club members are enabled to buy more rentals, for cash, often recouping their costs in the first year, or less.

It has even been suggested, by an ‘anonymous’ member of the aforementioned group, that they have influence over local officials in Pottstown – a lot of hot air? Who really knows for sure?

In general, I’m a big fan of free market, less government, but this free market, glutenous binge by extractive real estate investors is grossly under regulated at the Federal and State levels, (very likely not by accident or omission, considering the strength of their lobby).  The “hands off” policy of county officials is, at best, onerous.

What I’m learning from my counterparts in PA is that every municipality and the taxpayers that support them are left to their own defenses in designing and or implementing zoning and other regulations that keep rental housing safe and hold their owners legally responsible for their renters and their properties.

Some municipalities are really good at it whereas, Philly, Norristown and Pottstown – - – eh, not so much.

Some local, county governments regulate effectively, enabling businesses, homeowners, renters, landlords and even Section 8 to peacefully, prosperously and respectfully co-exist  <sarcasm on>  despite the outcry from the poor, under appreciated investors when they’re made to follow rules  <sarcasm off> 

These governments effectively enable their communities to expand and attract a stable tax base.  Others, by omission or powerful, trickle down incentives from the NAR, simply look the other way while their cities and boroughs gradually lose their healthy tax base, jobs become scarce and the income property wealth builders just keep on truckin’…

When we put our heads together here, in Pottstown and with our blossoming network of activists and concerned citizens, one question looms large:

Given that the municipal officials we elect to represent us also live in the communities that they serve, we know that they share our experience, to some degree, of strife, lost quality of life and declining home values, increasing tax burdens, etc…

What, then, motivates officials to remain silent, ineffective and even insolent toward homeowner/taxpayers while handling income investors with kid gloves?

Why do they lump homeowners and income property owners into the same heap when discussing codes violations, unpaid taxes and municipal fees when the latter are profit making machines and nothing more.  Whereas the former are volunteers, neighbors, employees and business owners, the backbones of any town, invested not only in their own properties but in the success of the communities in which they live and work.

Income investors come in all shapes, sizes and levels of competence and now, in Pottstown, Fishtown/Kensington, Norristown, and other struggling communities we are being asked to ‘SUPER SIZE” the low-income Section 8 experience at the bequest of government sponsored “nonprofit, low income tax-credit” developers and their investors.

Those big, super sized housing complexes were not a huge success.

For certain, the investors behind the fast food joints didn’t care about the long-term health and quality of life for their customers.  The communities, in which they operate, haven’t been their first, second or third priority.

The NAR, in cooperation with the government and lending institutions, plumped their prey with nice homes and material things that seemed easily in reach of middle-class America.

They stunned them by suddenly taking it all away…

Now, they are quietly leading the former middle-class to the “restraint box” in preparation for inducing instantaneous insensibility.

That’s the process employed by large cattle ranches and commercial slaughter houses.

Neatly wrapped in a pretty label – “Artists Housing” – we don’t know what the final cost will be but, for sure, the health and quality of life in our communities won’t be their first, second or third priorities.

Yesterday, a local homeowner and someone I consider a friend, (who is also dedicated and works to make positive change in Pottstown), reached out to share his perspective on the proposed Housing Visions development for Fecera’s.

It’s always refreshing when people here reach out to communicate, even when they know there will be differences of opinion, it’s the differences that challenge us to learn and see things from another point of view.  It’s also one of the only ways I know to reach compromise when decisions need to be made.

Although the conversation was passionate and there are many aspects to this development about which we will continue to agree to disagree, I appreciate that he felt compelled to talk with me and I think, despite our differences – we remain friends – although I haven’t confirmed that today!!  LOL….

I believe that there is a faction of people in the community that feel, as he does, that a developer who wants to sink $3.5 million into Pottstown should never be turned away at the door…

Just get them here and iron out the details – the basic crux of the conversation.  ”Ironing out the details” is a part of this concept that worries me as much as adding more low-income rentals to an already saturated neighborhood/community.

He holds the belief that the Fecera’s warehouse, the proposed site of the development, will continue to sit and blight unless Housing Visions, of Syracuse NY, is granted the tax credits to move forward with their 43 low-income rental units project.  

As I explained to him, it is evident to many of us, in the existing rental housing and overall conditions of the borough, that “ironing out details” isn’t a strong suit of our local government so, how can we trust that they can or will hold a developer of this magnitude to task once they are already here?

My friend also said that he took objection to the video that depicts conditions in and around rental housing in our community.  From his perspective, it appeared that I was implying that is what would become of Fecera’s over the long term.  

It’s understandable that it could be seen that way however, the intention was to bring awareness to the conditions that, again, exhibit a lack of skill and/or the right tools to assure the safety and benefit, to the community, of the  rental housing we already have.

Nothing, in my opinion, could be more detrimental to Pottstown than a $3.5 mil development that goes the way of most of the income properties in the core neighborhoods…

And besides, why isn’t this project being proposed in Bryn Mawr, Gladwyne or Penn Valley, if it is such a positive concept? Again…

Because it is aimed at low-income and voucher housing renters and that is what Pottstown is known for. 

It’s not difficult to feel a tug at the heart strings when I think about that beautiful old building, rife with possibility, and what could become of it.

The original plan, by the current owners, to retrofit the building with condominiums, a cafe, art studios and retail space was well loved and received warmly by a community of thoughtful people and town leaders alike.  The value of this plan for Pottstown, (among its many features), was the “homeownership” aspect of it.  Properly marketed and managed, it could have been THE development that turned the page. 

Every study I’ve come across maintains that homeownership markedly improves conditions in communities that are marred by blight and run down properties. A lot of renters just never feel the same connection or responsibility for their rental housing.  

Pride in ownership is the key.

The same remains true for tax credit low-income developments where statistics, in the studies I’ve read, point to the fact that they have only marginal positive impact on the neighborhoods surrounding them and there is an increase in crime that remains a mystery to researchers.

I think it’s a long shot to expect this development to deviate from the statistical observations in other communities. 

Why the owners of Fecera’s have chosen to walk away from their plans is not well understood at this time and, in fact, if the tax credits are not issued and the building remains empty the owners have a legal obligation to make repairs and keep it safe – in compliance with code.  The borough leadership has an obligation to make certain that they do.

The same can be said for all buildings in Pottstown and while it is perceived by homeowner/occupants that they are the focus of codes violations, residents also perceive reticence, on behalf of the borough, to violate absentee owners with the same fervor.  Another symptom of the diminished trust residents feel for their leadership.

Overall, there is a pervasive lack of information given to residents when projects pop up on the borough’s radar.  I see this developer, (and there have been others), as having not been forthright in attempting to engage the community, answering questions or making an effort to gain the goodwill and  support of residents.  They wooed the opinions of a few, who were carefully chosen, in the community and for all intents and purposes, slipped their proposal in the back door

But then, the same can be said of local government.   It’s not o.k. any more to assume that people here don’t care or use that as an excuse to avoid communicating with them.  Officials would serve their positions and taxpayers well to make the effort to bridge the communication gap.  Pottstown residents, in my experience, care deeply.  On this point, my friend and I agree.

The information and opinions shared on this blog and, by the people who comment, is this:  Communication between the elected and paid officials in Pottstown is the missing link that leads to vast misunderstanding and has built a moat, inhabited by snapping alligators, that separates residents from local government.

This blog can be edgy, at times.  From this edginess has come permission for others to express themselves, which is an important aspect of community.  I’ve received more than one call from people who have a vested interest in the prosperity of the borough, expressing concern for what they read here, some take umbrage with my style of delivery, but they have the integrity to speak with me about it, and still we remain friends.

What is new and exciting for residents is that through awareness and freedom to speak up, this blog has opened doors of communication between them, even when they don’t see eye-to-eye, a bond of trust is growing…

People in Pottstown can feel free to disagree and still remain committed to the same goals for our community and above all, still remain friends and associates.

Taxpayers and residents are putting their differences aside to join with their friends and neighbors to speak up, to share ideas and discuss solutions.

**THAT’S A GOOD THING**

The door is always open to the leaders of Pottstown and, I speak for all of us when I say, they are welcome to step over the threshold and join us, if they will enter with an open mind and leave their disdain for differing opinions at the door step. 

My fellow blogger, RoysRants, put up a piece today about Conshohockens new Residential Rental Ordinance.  Times Herald reports that officials unanimously approved the ordinance over objections from the landlords representative:

“Jamie Ridge, the president of the Suburban Realtors Alliance in Malvern, criticized the provision that requires landlords to evict tenants that violate police regulations. Conshohocken officials “should have a strong ordinance in place. I think <the new ordinance> will keep some good investors out of the borough, Ridge said.  The bad ones are not even going to register.”

Elected officials voted unanimously and Solicitor Michael Savona said:

“We have a requirement that landlords have a designated rental agent.  Conshohocken will have a very comprehensive and cutting-edge rental license ordinance.” 

After much research and thought on the subject of landlords and rental ordinances, over the past 4 years, ironically…

I agree with Jamie Ridge, representing rental investors.

Blanket regulations and fee structures that penalize knowledgeable, educated landlords discourages them from investing while the slumlords go underground, willing to take the risk of not registering their apartments.  The consequences of unregistered rentals are costly.

In Pottstown, the revised rental ordinance that is similar to the new Conchy law has had little impact on the quality of rentals, quality of life or substantial reduction in police, codes and other municipal services.

In the trenches, we still see rental property owners with major codes violations, destructive tenants, police calls to babysit the renters and, this summer, massive drug activity.   We’ve been told, by a couple of landlords in our area, that they don’t know the proper steps to evict!!  The ordinance has done nothing to attract a better quality, educated investor and by virtue, better quality, educated renters.

Punitive”one size fits all” measures are not the solution…

PREVENTION IS KEY.

Ogden Utahs, “Good Landlord  Program” incentivizes education.  Started in 2004 the objective of the program is to:

This is important, we see many landlords in Pottstown who want to be good business owners but they don’t know how, they get into trouble with maintenance, bad tenants and they give up, leaving taxpayers to clean up the mess.

In giving up, they often pocket the rent money they owe a bank for the mortgage, stop paying taxes and just wait for the property to be foreclosed on or sent to Sheriff’s auction, either way, the property becomes another blight on the community.

We’ve seen income investors sell off valuable architectural pieces of  historic  buildings – for example – Loto’s on the corner of Washington and King St. where the investors sold the beautiful, original old bar, dumb waiter, etc. before defaulting on their loan with Malvern, leaving Pottstown with a shell that didn’t even attract investors at public auction last month.

The rich daddy real estate programs teach HOW to buy real estate, claiming anyone can do it, but not just anyone can manage their rentals and that’s the part that can make or break investors who start out with the best of intentions.

In Ogden, landlords MUST complete an 8 hour course and a 4 hour refresher course every other year.  As I’ve said elsewhere on this blog, MontCo Community College offers a course for Landlords.  So, why not swing a deal with them to educate Pottstowns investors?

Utah seems to be a leader in this innovative, Good Landlord, approach to regulating rentals, it can be found in Salt Lake City and elsewhere with RAVE reviews.   And the GOOD NEWS is, municipalities elsewhere don’t have to re-invent the wheel…

Although, the FIRST municipality in this area that would implement a program like those found in progressive parts of the nation would truly be recognized as an innovator, as would their attorney.

While municipal attorneys in PA may consider stringent ordinances to be  ”cutting edge” – the fact will remain that UNLESS education is mandatory, many income investors will still be unable to comply because they don’t understand how to be  good property managers.

Those are the investors that will cost all of us in the short and long run when they give up, default on their taxes, municipal fees, mortgages, and…

Until that happens they contribute blight, crime and quality of life problems that can be prevented all together, on the front end.

That’s why I consider education and incentives a better objective and one that is truly cutting edge.  Although each program may require fine tuning as they go along it definitely seems a much better expenditure of tax dollars and energies than trying to catch up with the investors that go bad then go underground.

Here’s a few good reads on the topic:

Google/Good Landlord Program

Three Benefits of Good Landlord Licensing   This site suggests that good landlords can have a plaque on their properties, like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, that lets neighbors and tenants alike know they’ve met educational requirements and have no violations.

It’s a fantastic marketing tool for landlords!!!

Some communities even CELEBRATE their good landlords, and that has merit!!!!  Like this one:

Frog Hollow Celebrates It’s Good Neighbors