Local News

Heated Committee Meeting Highlights Housing Issues

The City Council's recent Housing Committee meeting was commandeered by an intense argument between Crystal Surdyk, city director of development, and a local resident with complaints about housing issues and the city's inability to hold landlords responsible for code violations.

Melissa Paterniti, a local resident, expressed her frustration at the city's response to code violation issues that her friend has experienced as a tenant with an absentee landlord.

"I'm very mad," she said. "I'm very disappointed in the city because the city said that they would get back to my friend and check if the violations have completed and they have not. She has not heard, I mean I can call her right now, I'm not going to fight about it. She has paperwork, she's emailed you. You haven't responded."

While Surdyk explained that she has not personally received any emails from the local resident in the situation Paterniti described, Paterniti said she has had her friend contact every single council member besides Regina Brackman, D-Ward III, and William Reynolds, R-Ward V. According to Paterniti, city officials said they would return to the particular property in question after May 17, but have not yet returned. Nevertheless, Surdyk said she has been made aware of multiple conversations and text messages between a city code enforcement officer and those responsible for the property Paterniti described that her friend is currently living at with multiple code violations.

In response to Paterniti's complaint to the Housing Committee, Surdyk explained that the city is limited in its code enforcement methods.

"We have cited, we have worked with the person who is not even a property manager, she is stepping in for the owner because the owner is in Hawaii," she said. "We have to get the owner into court, which means we have to processor the owner. We can't hold anybody else responsible besides the owner for the repairs that need to be made. There are things by law that we can do and there are things that we cannot do."

Surdyk explained that until the city is able to get the owner of the property to appear in court or receive an order from a judge to make the necessary repairs to the house, the city is not able to do much more to address the situation. While the Department of Development having code enforcement as part of its description, Surdyk said the city is not legally able to force landlords to make changes without going through the court process, which she indicated that the city is in the process of doing to adequately address the situation.

Despite Surdyk's assurance that the city is taking steps to address issues with landlords and properties that are in violation of city code, Paterniti argued that the Department of Development keeps "turning a blind eye" on housing issues in the community.

"We are not turning a blind eye," Surdyk said. "There are laws and there are things that we can do and there are things that we cannot do. We cannot go in there and do it; we can't. We are bound by the court; we are bound by the law."

In response to Paterniti's concerns that housing issues are allowed to continue in Jamestown, Surdyk told Paterniti she is "getting angry with the wrong people." Surdyk added that the Department of Development's code enforcement officers are working hard to try to address the overwhelming amount of housing issues in the city.

"We cannot enforce by law," she said. "We can cite until we are blue in the face. We can give appearance tickets until we are blue in the face. We cannot go and make somebody appear in court. We can't drag them in kicking and screaming; that is not something that we have the ability to do, so unless bench warrants are issued or unless people are showing up for their court dates, there is nothing more that we can do besides cite. We cannot physically go and force people to do what they should be doing."

Surdyk explained that her department is "extremely frustrated" with the amount of housing issues in Jamestown just like everyone else in the community.

In an attempt to regain control of the meeting, which quickly escalated to a shouting match, Housing Committee Chairwoman Marie Carrubba, D-Ward IV, said the problem facing the city is that everyone wants every problem to be addressed immediately and that the city does not have the ability to address every problem without going through long processes, such as the court system.

Addressing Paterniti's complaint about housing violations, Carrubba explained that it is difficult to hold landlords accountable because the court often allows extensions for landlords in the hope that the landlords will make the necessary repairs to properties throughout the city rather than simply fining the individuals with housing violations.

"I think everyone's hope is rather than fining them, they spend the money on fixing the things and making the repairs," she said. "Fining them without them doing anything doesn't help anybody."

Carrubba also emphasized that the city is currently running "short-staffed" with regard to code enforcement due to a recent code enforcement officer vacancy. After talking recently to city staff members, Carrubba said the Department of Development is "literally swamped" with different issues throughout the city.

Finally, Carrubba said the housing issues plaguing Jamestown are the result of both irresponsible property owners and irresponsible tenants.

"It isn't just one or the other, and we're all trying," she said. "It's unfortunate when you have people that don't recognize the problems they are creating for their neighbors and their neighborhoods, and it's exasperating. There is no easy quick fix."