Let's not forget the African American Leadership of Greensboro and Guilford County that may have prevented: Thomasville apartment fire under investigation

"The fire department is investigating an afternoon apartment fire at 300 C James Ave.

Crews were called to the apartments around 2:30 p.m., Sunday, and left by 5:15 p.m.

There were no injuries, according to police and fire reports."

When will the African American political leadership

of Greensboro and Guilford County

acknowledge they betrayed their own people

for letting Robbie and friends at TREBIC kill RUCO?

What will the new City of Greensboro manager suggest?

Will that she was the lobbyist for the Greensboro Parnership,

which also means Downtown Greensboro Inc. do the right thing,

or shall we all wait untill some have the blood of dead renters on thier hands?

David Hoggard on Robbie Perkins and RUCO: How is Greensboro's press not covering up Robbie Perkins' blatent lies?

David Hoggard,

Did or did Robbie not screw poor renters state wide or not?

George Hartzman

Yes he did.

David Hoggard | September 29, 2011 at 09:15 PM

A Greensboro Election Linkfest
I Emailed to Several Members of North Carolina's Press:
Perkins, Jordan Green, Matheny, Allen Johnson, TREBIC,
Cardes Brown, John Hammer, Amanda Lehmert,
Guarino and Bev Perdue

Did Yes Weekly's Jordan Green
just let Robbie off the hook for RUCO because he appears to be the lesser evil?

If Robbie Perkins was actually for RUCO, why did he vote to eliminate inspections?

"Donna Newton, advisor to the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress,
said proponents of the city’s Rental Unit Certificate of Occupancy, or RUCO program
had already compromised two years ago.

Which Robbie Perkins voted for.

“We have already compromised when we went from full-on inspections to sampling,” she said.

Which Robbie Perkins voted for.

“A ‘trust-me’ system – ‘we’re going to do everything right,
and everything’s going to be fine’ – is not believable.”

Jordan

Did Yes Weekly's Jordan Green just let Robbie off the hook for RUCO because he appears to be the lesser evil?

"Ms. Dellinger [Koury] moved to eliminate 2% sampling on multifamily property,

seconded by Mr. Sims.

The vote was tied 6-6.

(Ayes: Dellinger, Nelson, Placentino, Chaney, Sims, Perkins.

Nays: Akin, Rotruck, Cannon, Giles, Tuck, Smith.)

The vote died due to lack of a majority."

MINUTES OF THE GREENSBORO RENTAL UNIT COA

ADVISORY AND APPEALS BOARD REGULAR MEETING

OCTOBER 14, 2010

"Perkins has said that he got into city politics
through his involvement with an organization
that was a forerunner to the Triad Real Estate and Building Industries Coalition,
or TREBIC.

Did the Editorial Board of the Greensboro News & Record disenguously misinform their readers on Bev Perdue and RUCO?

"...last week the General Assembly stuck a fork in the city’s proactive and clearly effective
rental unit inspections program.

There the GOP went again, meddling in local affairs.

By signing the law, didn't Bev Perdue also meddle?

From: Marlene Sanford - TREBIC (E-mail) To: Knight, Bill; "Trudy Wade"; Mary Rakestraw; Danny Thompson; Kee, James; Zack Matheny: Did Sue Schwartz out Robbie Perkins and Bev Perdue?

From: Marlene Sanford - TREBIC (E-mail)

To: Knight, Bill; "Trudy Wade"; Mary Rakestraw; Danny Thompson; Kee, James; Zack Matheny
Cc: "Jon Lowder"

Subject: Council Agenda Item 44 - RUCO

Date: Monday, June 06, 2011 4:34:33 PM

Importance: High

North Carolina Govenor Bev Perdue on what is in everyone's best interests, unless not

All animals are equal,

but some animals are more equal than others.

George Orwell

"Perdue Stumps for NC Pre-K Program" after signing a law that harms children and may increase illegal immigration to North Carolina?

Gov. Beverly Perdue is visiting the Outer Banks to boost a new front

in her ongoing contest with legislative Republicans over education spending.

Gov. Perdue Says State is Going "Backwards": Like the rental inspection bill Bev signed that will most definitely harm North Carolina's low income renters?

"An energized Gov. Bev Perdue launched a statewide campaign in Winston-Salem...

...it's about determining where North Carolina's "heart and soul"
is following the recent passage of a controversial $19.7 billion state budget.

During an impassioned 20-minute speech,
Perdue gave her assessment of the "good, bad and ugly"
from the budget and the recent legislative session.

Did Bev mention the rental inspection elimination bill she signed

that probably benefited many of her campaign contributors

at the expense of North Carolina's poorest residents?

"I believe at the end of the day,
it's done some core damage to education in North Carolina," Perdue said.

Like not trying to prevent increased Medicaid costs for North Carolina taxpayers

who may now have to cover more harmed low income renters?

Perdue said the tense budget tug-of-war only serves as the vehicle for discussion,
"not about money, but about who we are as a people."

People who make poor people's homes less safe?

"That's why I'm on the road.

That's what I'm asking you to think about when you look at your children,
what do you want for them as an adult."

Bihsllut.

Her voice rising with emotion, Perdue said
"we all want it to be better for them than it was for us.

North Carolina, my friends, is going backward on making it better for them.

"This is a debate I can't have for the people of North Carolina.

This is a debate each of you has to have in your own hearts
and your souls about what's important to fight for."

Except for successfull rental inspection programs

that retard the profits of Bev's financial supporters?

She said North Carolina is at another crossroads -- like it was in the 1950s and 1960s
-- where business, civic, educational and elected officials need to talk honestly
about which direction they want the state to go for future generations.

WS Journal

Hypocrite

A person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc.,

that he or she does not actually possess,

especially a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.

A person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude,

especially one whose private life, opinions, or statements

belie his or her public statements.

Hypocrite

City of Greensboro Information Request

Please provide any and all City of Greensboro employee emails
including emails between members of the RUCO taskforce
including but not limited to TREBIC's Marlene Sanford
between the beginning of 2010 to the present
that contain any of the following:

"RUCO"

"683"

"554"

"Rental Inspection"

"Rental unit Inspection"

"Residential Building Inspections Act"

George Hartzman
Triad Watch, July 6, 2011

RUCO with Stacked Deck on Board from Lobbyist Group Wants State Law To Help Their Cause

In the past few days we have one post each from both Yes! Weekly and The Greensboro News and Record in regards to a state law that will probably do away with the Residential Unit Certificate of Occupancy for the City of Greensboro.

Yes! Weekly post titled "Some on Greensboro Council Lukewarm to RUCO" CLICKHERE
Greensboro News and Record Inside Scoop titled "Will City Council Back RUCO" CLICKHERE


 The RUCO board which is  stacked with members of the Triad Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition which is the local non registered lobbyist group headed by Marlene Sanford. In a post from yes weekly in past here is what she had to say about RUCO in Greensboro:

"“It’s no secret that my constituency would like to see this program go away,” said Marlene Sanford, president of the TREBIC, which hosted the meeting."

Then this past week during a work session Jordan Green from Yes! Weekly does a great job of tweeting from the Greensboro City Council chambers and had this as a twitter post:

"Perkins says the RUCO board voted 6 to 5 against sending a letter to the mayor urging the city to oppose the legislation"
Perkins: "The majority said we don’t need RUCO


Now we see that the RUCO board voted against sending a letter to mayor in regards to what is going on in the state house in regards to legislation that will probably do away with RUCO in Greensboro if the state passes a bill.

Who are the members of the RUCO board? and who stacked the deck on the RUCO board with Marlene Sanfords constituencies?

Jordan Green also reported this on 7-21-2010,

"Early in the meeting, Newton caused distress among some of her fellow task force members by expressing the view that the makeup of the RUCO Advisory Board, which hears and determines appeals from decisions of the building inspector, should include more “representation from people who do not profit from rental property.”

Reynolds added that he receives questions about the board makeup “quite often,” and handed out a roster of members to delineate the various members' ties and affiliations. The roster shows that, not counting city council liaison Robbie Perkins and two staff members, six out of 11 members are either agents or owners of rental properties, including Dellinger; Sims; District 3 appointee Peter Placentino, who works for Brown Investment Properties; Bobby Akin of the Greensboro Landlords Association; Bryon Nelson of the Triad Apartment Association; and Todd Rotruck, the representative for the neighborhood congress"

The whole RUCO Board needs a complete overhaul if a majority of the members want to do away with what they are there to do for the citizens of Greensboro. This is a clear indication of what is a real problem with boards and commissions , where a lobbyist group has a stacked deck on a local board and votes the way they did on this issue of RUCO in Greensboro.

Nancy Vaughan on HB 554 on Residential Building Inspections: "I found it interesting that the bill has no sponsors... So far all Senate bills have sponsors. The House seems to be changing the rules. I don’t like it. I’d like to know who is proposing new legislation."

I found it interesting that the bill has no sponsors.

I believe this is something new that this legislature has instituted.

So far all Senate bills have sponsors.

The House seems to be changing the rules.

I don’t like it.

I’d like to know who is proposing new legislation.

Nancy Vaughan

http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2011&BillID=H554

http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/Committees/Committees.asp?sAction=ViewCommittee&sActionDetails=House%20Standing_16

http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Sessions/2011/Bills/House/PDF/H554v2.pdf

Triad Watch: Jefferson Davis used the following argument

in favor of the equal rights of [Countys and Citys]:

Could North Carolina House Bill 554 on Rental ordinances

usurp local NC governments?

How could more people not die?

Jefferson Davis used the following argument in favor of the equal rights of [Countys and Citys]: Could North Carolina House Bill 554 on Rental ordinances usurp local NC governments?

...the union of these [Countys and Citys]

rests on the equality of rights and privileges among its members,

and that it is especially the duty of the Senate,

which represents the [Countys and Citys]...

to resist all attempts to discriminate either in relation to person or property,

...which are the common possession of [North Carolina]

—to give advantages to the citizens of one [County or City]

which are not equally secured to those of every other [County or City].

Jefferson Davis

What right does North Carolina's legislature have
to overide a rental safety ordinance in Greensboro
that has been proven to be a benefit to our community?


Whose interests are served most
by eliminating the right of a local municipality
to act in the best interests of many?

Ed Cone: Undoing RUCO

The Bill: North Carolina House Bill 554

How could more people not die?

STOP HB 554: Don't let North Carolina's legislature increase the death toll in for-profit rentals: How can anyone who believes in state's rights vote for this?

A mom with three young daughters found a house with a RUCO
(Rental Unit Certificate of Occupancy,

showing that it passed city inspection) and can breathe easily now.

She moved from an apartment which was rented unlawfully without a RUCO,

where the mold from leaking plumbing resulted in respiratory problems;

she and the girls had to go to the doctor so much she lost her job.

The employer lost a good worker,

health insurance paid thousands for medical care,

the city inspector has to spend hours trying to get the apartment manager
to comply with repair orders,

and the apartments have expensive repairs

(plus a fine for renting without a RUCO).

All this could have been avoided by the manager fixing a small leak

and scheduling a RUCO inspection.

Because the apartments look OK from the outside

and the other tenants are afraid to complain,

this dangerous housing unit would not have been inspected at all
under proposed state legislation

that would only allow inspections when there is “probable cause”.

"HB 554 prohibits local jurisdictions from inspecting residential properties
unless there is “probable cause”
—eliminating effective proactive systematic inspection programs
that promote preventive maintenance before conditions deteriorate
to the point that tenants complain or inspectors see problems from the street.

The City of Greensboro approved a local ordinance in 2003
requiring that all rental properties be inspected and certified
as meeting minimal safety standards.

Since the creation of “RUCO” (Rental Unit Certificate of Occupancy),
the number of substandard housing units has dropped
from over 2000 to 500 because the inspections:

• Award certificates to properties kept in good condition
• Prompt attention to small issues before they become dangerous
• Turn around long-neglected properties
.
.
Benefits of proactive inspection programs:

• Reduce complaints and expedite compliance with repair orders,
saving inspector time and enforcement cost.
• Reduce health and safety risks, saving medical expenses and human suffering;
substandard housing results in over $100,000,000
in health and related costs for North Carolina children each year.

If many of the costs of healthcare for residents of substandard housing

are picked up by taxpayers through Medicaid,

how is this not privitizing the gains and socializing the losses?

• Promote justice and fair housing by requiring all rentals to meet minimum safety standards;
too often what may be considered “good enough”
for persons with disabilities, families with children, immigrants, and minorities
is actually below standard.
.
.
Tell your legislators to STOP HB 554
so that local governments can choose to adopt the proactive inspection program
that best fits its community.

HB 554 was referred to the NC House Committee
on Commerce and Job Development on 3/31/2011.

Why does who want to overide Greensboro ordinances

that limits taxpayer liability via increased healthcare costs?

Visit www.ncga.state.nc.us to read the bill,
see who is on the committee and find contact information for your legislators.

For more information about “RUCO”,
contact beth@GreensboroHousingCoalition.com, 336-691-9521."

If TREBIC tried to kill RUCO and failed, why not take a shot at the entire state of North Carolina with the same tactics deployed in Greensboro? If more people die, shame on anyone who to votes to kill more people? How could more people not die?

"...members of the real estate industry
have consistently contributed one out of every three dollars
received by victorious city council candidates.

How much have the sponsors of

"(House Bill 554) that will prohibit cities from conducting housing inspections proactively."

received from the same kind of special interests as Greensboro?

Hat Tip: Ed Cone 

...from 2007 to 2009,
donors employed by companies that are represented
by the Triad Real Estate and Building Industries Coalition, or TREBIC,
have maintained consistent giving levels and their share has increased from 12 percent to 21 percent.
.
.
.
2007 election cycle

Total amount raised by victorious candidates
for Greensboro City Council in the 2007 election cycle:
$251,717

Top contributors, by sector

1. Real estate-development — $88,441 (35 percent)
...3. Lawyers and law firms — $19,855 (8 percent)

Top contributors, by employer

1. Granville Capital — $8,200 (3 percent) [Robbie and Zack]
2. Carroll Cos. — $6,265 (3 percent) [not counting about $6,000 in PAC money, TREBIC]
3. Mega Builders — $6,000 (2 percent) [Mike Winstead, TREBIC]
4. Koury Corp. — $4,900 (2 percent) [TREBIC]

Top Contributors, PACs

1. North Carolinians for Leadership in Government — $5,965 [Roy Carroll]
2. NC Realtors PAC (NC Realtors Association) — $5,500
...5. Skenes for City Council — $484
6. Build PAC (NC Homebuilders Association) — $450

Amount of money received by victorious candidates to city council in 2009
from contributors whose income is derived from companies represented by TREBIC:
$30,421 (12 percent)

How about at the state level?

.
.
2009 election cycle

...Amount of money received by victorious candidates to city council in 2009
from contributors whose income is derived from companies represented by TREBIC:
$28,120 (20 percent)...
.
...Contributions to the campaigns of Trudy Wade and Jim Kee,
who respectively won their races in districts 5 and 2, were dominated by real estate interests.

Total amount raised by victorious candidates
for Greensboro City Council in the 2009 election cycle:
$142,471

Top contributors, by sector:

1. Real estate-development — $47,530 (33 percent)
...4. Lawyers and law firms — $7,119 (5 percent)

Top contributors, by employer:

* Carroll Companies (TREBIC)
1. Kotis Properties (TREBIC) — $6,750 (5 percent)
2. Signature Property Group (TREBIC) — $4,600 (3 percent)
...4. Koury Corp. (TREBIC) — $3,600 (3 percent)

Top Contributors, PACs

1. NC Realtors PAC — $3,250
2. Greensboro Landlords Association — $1,600
3. Elect Mike Barber — $892
4. Triad Good Government PAC — $700

How about at the state level?

.
.
2009 victors

Highest amount raised:

1. Mayor Bill Knight — $29,596
2. Zack Matheny (District 3) — $23,960
3. Mayor Pro Tem Nancy Vaughan — $23,949
4. Robbie Perkins (at large) — $21,230
5. Trudy Wade (District 5) — $19,670
6. Jim Kee (District 2) — $10,065
7. Mary Rakestraw (District 4) — $9,190
8. Danny Thompson (at large) — $4,810
9. Dianne Bellamy-Small (District 1) — >$1,000

Most real estate-dependent:

1. Trudy Wade, District 5 — 64 percent
2. Jim Kee, District 2 — 53 percent
3. Robbie Perkins, at large — 46 percent
4. Zack Matheny, District 3 — 41 percent
5. Mary Rakestraw, District 4 — 23 percent
6. Mayor Pro Tem Nancy Vaughan — 20 percent
7. Danny Thompson, at large — 19 percent
8. Mayor Bill Knight — 9 percent

Most TREBIC-dependent

1. Trudy Wade, District 5 — 50 percent
2. Jim Kee, District 2 — 44 percent
3. Robbie Perkins, at large — 27 percent
4. Zack Matheny — 23 percent
5. Mayor Pro Tem Nancy Vaughan — 17 percent
6. Mary Rakestraw — 15 percent
7. Mayor Bill Knight — 6 percent
8. Danny Thompson — 4 percent"

Jordan

Stacking The Deck With Developers on Boards and Commissions Greensboro City Council Style, Video Embedded

UPDATE: ROCH101 has a new post titled "Too Cozy: Board Appointee's Company Lobbying City for Trash Business" CLICKHERE  on top of what is written in this post.



During the Greensboro City Council meeting on November 16, 2010 councilman Jim Kee at the end of the meeting when each council person gets to speak on matters important to them decided to reappoint local realtor Paul Gilmer to the zoning commission. Why is this appointment so significant ? Who knows but in the embedded video above we have fellow councilman Zack Matheny really taking to task this appointment from Jim Kee.

There has been a little history with Paul Gilmer on the Greensboro Zoning Commission with this post at TRIADWATCH back on September 20, 2008 with a title "Greensboro Zoning Commission is in a mess and needs fixing, memo from city attorney:, CLICKHERE .

Also we need to remember that Paul Gilmer is a part of the group called CICO where we have Jordan Green from Yes Weekly have this to say in a article on opening up the white street landfill,

"The politically connected enterprise has retained lawyer Cameron Cooke, also a former councilman, and Paul Gilmer, a realtor and area resident who formerly served on the zoning commission. Cico touts its private waste disposal project as a boon to economic development in the area and its plan as “the most important element for the revival of the area.”

 You can see from the embedded video at around the 1 minute and 40 seconds it seems like Zack Matheny said something that really ticked off fellow councilwomen TDB Small who was pointing her finger at Zack Matheny, then we see the mayor bang his gavel and sternly say that Zack Matheny has the floor and enough with the rest. Just another day in the life of a Greensboro City Council meeting.

Something that needs to get explained from the embedded video above and am sure is what is at the heart of this problem comes at the 2 minute mark of this embedded video. Zack Matheny had this to say

" When you tell me your gonna "

Then Zack Matheny catches himself mid sentence after this quote above then he mumbles

 "i just this is a tough one for me out of the blue"

It would be great to know what more Zack Matheny wanted to say about the appointment of Paul Gilmer back on the zoning commission where in the past week he had talked with Zack and was interested in the planning board not the zoning commission. There must have been something worked out between Zack and Jim on something and him appointing Paul Gilmer to the zoning commission was a total blindside to Zack.

There has been a lot of controversy over how the Greensboro City Council appoints it's members to certain boards and commissions. Back in around July of 2009 we had the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress address the Greensboro City Council on the need for a change in how the council appoints people to boards and commissions. Here is what was stated in the scuttlebutt section of the weekly paper called Yes Weekly!

"Call for more diversity on Greensboro boards made The Greensboro Neighborhood Congress presented a proposal to the Greensboro City Council on July 21 to reform the process of appointing citizens to city boards and commissions. The congress’ recommendations include making boards and commissions more representative by gender, district, ethnicity and profession, conducting an annual analysis of the demographic composition of the citizen boards and requiring that applicants provide relevant personal information. One oft-made criticism of city boards and commissions is that they’re stacked with real estate professionals. District 5 Councilwoman Trudy Wade suggested that the city consider moving meeting times later in the day that would accommodate more citizens’ schedules, and speculated that “people in real estate and development may have more flexible schedules that allow them to serve on boards.” — JG "

As we have seen with this appointment of Paul Gilmer a local realtor to return back to the zoning commission, this is just par for the course where we have plenty of instances in the past to show you how the local lobbyist group called TREBIC which stands for the Triad Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition likes to stack the deck on these boards and commissions. Here is a few post on TRIADWATCH from the past on this subject.

Marlene Sanford, Greensboro Partnership, TREBIC = Stacking The Deck on Boards and Commissions


CLICKHERE


Here Is What Stack The Deck with TREBIC Developers Looks Like in Greensboro N.C. on CAT Team
CLICKHERE

TREBIC + RUCO = Fox Guarding The Hen House
CLICKHERE

It is amazing how someone like realtor Paul Gilmer gets to jump all the people who are waiting in the databank line to serve on a board or commission and he has already served his time a few years ago but gets to be reappointed to the zoning commission. This appointment is just one instance of how certain council members want to stack the deck in the favor of TREBIC and we haven't even talked about mary skenes, betty smith, gary wolf, russ parmele, rick pinto, de sean alston, chuck truby might be on 2 boards, and  plenty of commissions who were completely tilted to the real estate lobbyist group called TREBIC. It is time for everyone to be aware of what is going on and there needs to be a complete analysis of just how many people are waiting in the databank to serve Greensboro city council on a board or commission but to see someone like Paul Gilmer jump everyone in line is not fair to the other people and the process. Time for a complete overhaul and a fair process for all the citizens not just the select few with connections.

News 2 Report on RUCO and Embedded Video That Proves Why It Is Needed in Greensboro,

News 2 had a report last night which talks about the RUCO inspection process that the City of Greensboro has in place and the local special interest lobbyist group TREBIC and their president Marlene Sanford want to eliminate this whole process . After seeing the embedded video above how can you not be for inspections on these rental propertiess all over Greensboro when you have landlords with rental properties like the one in the video. Here is a link to the online report titled "Landlords Oppose Required Inspection", CLICKHERE

Open Letter To Greensboro City Council on RUCO from Donna Newton and Greensboro Neighborhood Congress

The focus of the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress is the preservation and improvements of our neighborhoods in terms of quality of life, property values and safety. As we all know, sub-standard housing undermines surrounding property values - even one substandard property can undermine the property values of an entire neighborhood. Also, we know that sub-standard properties invite crime into our communities.


Other organizations that are partnering in support of the pro-active aspects of RUCO,such as the Greensboro Housing Coalition and the Human Relations Commission, are focused on the human rights issues of improving sub-standard rental properties, in that renters have a right to live in safe housing and that many of them won't complain about substandard housing out of fear of retaliation from their landlords.

Key information and talking points:
RUCO is a sucessful program

Since RUCO was implemented, known sub-standard housing in Greensboro has been reduced from 1679 units in 2003 to 705 in 2010.;

Since RUCO was implemented, complaints about sub-standard housing have been decreased 77%;

Since RUCO was implemented, inspections staff have been reduced by 22%.

Since RUCO was implemented, inspections staff have been more successful in getting deteriorated housing to the Minimum Housing Commission more quickly and the number to go has steadily increased from 17 in 2003 to 105 in 2010.

RUCO is reasonable

Once inspected and a certificate is issued, the RUCO is good for the life of the property unless there is a complaint on the property or violations are found during the sampling inspections and not repaired within the prescribed time frame.

The time frame in which a violation must be repaired is 45 days from the written notice of the violation and can be extended as long as in the judgment of the inspector, progress is being on the repairs.

The sampling inspection process applies only to a random 2% of rental properties.

Rental properties that have not yet been inspected that come on the rental market are required to pass inspection and be issued a RUCO before they can be rented.

Opponents of RUCO plan to propose an elimination of the pro-active portions of RUCO, and as they couch it: "target problem properties". Their proposal will in effect eliminate RUCO. We agree that problem properties should be targeted. However, the Housing Code already provides the means to address the obvious problem properties and the City staff have already done 100% exterior inspections at least once. Moreover, where the staff find indications of violations from the external inspections, they are pursuing internal inspections. However, staff will tell you that you can not know what violations may be present inside a residence solely from an external inspection. It is doubtful that you will see electrical problems from the exterior; or rotting floors, or problems with the heating or air conditioning, etc. The question is: do you want to wait until the problems are apparent in the exterior where they negatively impact your entire community? That's what the opponents of RUCO are proposing we do.

You can go to the City website CLICKHERE and email all Council members at one time at their City email. You can also link to the Council directory which provides their home addresses and phone numbers CLICKHERE

Moreover, you can write a letter to the editor at the News and Record at this link CLICKHERE

The Greensboro Housing Coalition also supports keeping RUCO in tact and they state the following reasons:

1. RUCO has achieved tremendous improvement in housing safety for problem properties, reducing substandard housing from 1679 units in 2003 to 705 in 2010.

2. Substandard housing conditions impact health; health care and disability costs for NC children hurt by unsafe housing conditions totaled $108,000,000 in 2007.

3. Proactive inspections prevent conditions from sliding below standard, beyond the focus on problem properties. Analogy: waiting for conditions to become big enough problems for people to complain (or inspectors to see from the street) is like waiting for restaurant kitchens to get so dirty that people see rats before the Health Dept sanitarian comes. Wouldn’t you rather have proactive inspections so that restaurants keep kitchens sanitary all the time and that rental properties stay at or above minimum standards?

The Neighborhood Congress and the Housing Coalition are, however, interested in improving the administration of the inspections programs and we have offered to assist City management and staff in identifying areas that need improvement and finding procedural and other solutions. However, such administrative improvements do not require that we remove the certification requirements within RUCO.

Three of the Congress participants who are willing to assist you with your questions about RUCO and/or drafting your comments include the following:

Laura Jackson ; Michael Pendergraft ; David Wharton .

Again, you can go to the City website CLICKHERE

You can also write a letter to the editor at the News and Record at this link: CLICKHERE

Thank you.

Donna

How is going from an inspection driven, to a complaint based system for RUCO, not killing more people?

It’s no secret that my constituency would like to see this program go away.

Marlene Sanford

TREBIC President

“Our inspection process [for commercial properties] is very proactive.

We do inspect 100 percent of commercial properties.

If we were to change our inspection process for commercial properties to a reactive,
complaint-based program, it would be a huge disaster for a number of reasons.

And I don’t think it would be successful
on account of tenants and people that work for business owners who would not come forward.

Like renters who won't come forward

for fear of higher monthly payments and eviction?

They would be fearful that they would lose their job,
their livelihood or whatever the case may be.

Seventy-eight percent of structure fires occur in single-family houses and duplexes..."

Greensboro Assistant Fire Marshal David Lindsay

[Koury's Lisa] Dellinger said,

“It’s also come to our attention that there is a movement on city council to….”

[Jeff Sims, who represents the RUCO Advisory Board on the task force] finished her sentence:

“Go to a complaint-based system, and even, in some quiet corners,

to do away with it altogether.”

Yes Weekly

Where is the Greensboro News and Record Editorial

supporting a strong RUCO policy?

.

Hypocrite - A person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.

.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypocrite

.

If 78% of structure fires occur in residences,

doesn't it make sense to try to make sure they're safe?

.

If the chances of a residential fire occuring at a rental property

are most likely higher than at an owner occupied home, how is gutting a rental inspection regime

not killing more people than would otherwise die, if the program had been left alone?

.

Are we our brother's keepers, or not?

.

Where are the leaders of the affected communities?