Didn't Robbie Perkins try to gut RUCO for TREBIC in 2008?

He who wishes to deceive

will never fail to find willing dupes.

Niccolo Machiavelli

"As the city of Greensboro nears complete certification of more than 30,000 properties in its rental housing stock, the city’s inspections director has signaled to property management industry a willingness to exempt some properties from mandatory inspection, while reassuring safe- housing advocates that the city will not tolerate substandard housing.

The program makes inspection of all rental properties mandatory, and the city gave itself five years to complete its first cycle. Certificates of occupancy are withheld until housing code violations are corrected.

Under the rental unit ordinance, landlords who fail to make repairs can be fined and ordered to vacate substandard units.

...A system reliant on tenants to bring substandard rental properties to the city’s attention would not adequately protect renters from dangerous and substandard conditions, in the view of Lori Loosemore, the city’s supervisor of neighborhood support.

“In the past, people didn’t know we were here,” she said. “They were scared to call because they were afraid their rent was going to go up if they complained. They were afraid their landlord was going to evict them. We have people from different countries, and some people don’t trust the government. If we go back to the complaint-driven system, it will go back to the way it was, and people will be afraid to call.” Despite being on record as listing proposed changes to the RUCO program to Placentino, Simmons insisted that any proposal would come from a group of “stakeholders,” who would in turn recommend changes to the city council.

Simmons said he and his staff are in the process of convening the group and confirmed that likely stakeholders would include property management companies, in addition to industry representatives such as the Triad Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition, or TREBIC, the Triad Apartment Association and the Greensboro Landlords Association...

Aren't they among Robbie's biggest campaign donors?

Many of those entities are also represented on the 15-member Rental Unit Certificate Advisory Board.

[Peter] Placentino, who serves on the Rental Unit Certificate Advisory Board, indicated in an Aug. 22 e-mail that his company holds no vested interest in the outcome of the tussle.

Brown Investment Properties is a Greensboro real estate company with 2,392 apartment units under its control

Didn't Robbie call for Mr. Placentino to be placed on the RUCO board?

Robbie Perkins, ...a real-estate developer who often votes with the more liberal and African-American members of the council, indicated he holds full confidence in Simmons’ handling of changes to the city’s rental inspection program.

“Butch Simmons is someone I place a high level of trust in his judgment and ability,” Perkins said. “Butch is the one who developed the RUCO ordinance. If he feels it needs to be adjusted, I will support him. City council shouldn’t be getting into the details of RUCO. Does it have a goal that is laudable? Yes.” Neither council member expressed any discomfort about Simmons conferring with a representative of the property management industry ahead of serious talks between members of the “stakeholders group.”

It's not a lie if you believe it

George Costanza

If the folks that are managing the program say they can improve it and this is how to do it, let ’er go." [Perkins said]

Was Simmons for "improving" RUCO,

or was he pressured to cave into some TREBIC demands?

"Are the changes reasonable? Yes. Are the recommendations being made by someone who knows what they’re doing? Yes. Why should I dispute that?”

Why would Robbie want to dispute something his supporters want to have happen?

Asked whether amendments to the rental housing ordinance brought to council for approval by Simmons were likely to garner the required to five-vote majority to pass, Perkins gave a simple answer.

“I would hope so.”

Jordan

How to play the City of Greensboro for chumps,

to the benefit of fellow "stakeholders"

by Robbie Perkins?