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PAY-TO-PLAY PERSISTS
After reading the article “Capital Area Realtors opposes registration for Landlords” (June 15), I came away frustrated, disgusted, disappointed and not at all surprised.
It was a smoke-and-mirrors act for the Capital Area Realtors or, as Polly Poskin stated at city council June 6, comparing city ordinance 98.6 Chronic Nuisances to landlord registration is comparing apples to oranges.
I doubt the public will hear a briefing from Public Works or Corporation Counsel in regard to the request made by Ward 9 Ald. Jim Donelan requesting a summary of how many properties have been put on the “chronic nuisance list and what we are doing for enforcement.”
So the residents of the inner city older neighborhoods, consisting of Ward 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, are left with a very poorly written, confusing and impossible to enforce chronic nuisance ordinance.
Four of the six council members mentioned in the article as receiving contributions from the Realtor Political Action Committee did not have opposing candidates in the last city election held in April. It cannot be more obvious.
Bill Baskett
President, Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association
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ABYSMAL CONDITIONS
I personally am rather appalled that Springfield does not have a landlord registry or decency standards to which landlords must keep their rental units. As someone who has rented in the lower range of affordable for most of my adult life, the state of potential rental houses can be abysmal. I have toured places “ready to rent” with a hole in the wall to the outside, filled with vermin and reeking of human or animal waste.
When I lived in Urbana, I was shocked at the state of rental houses in that the standards in place meant all rental stock, no matter the price range, was in actual livable condition – no standing water in basements, all windows in working order, no black mold below kitchen sinks, no roof leaks, etc.
There was also a tenant association that dealt with complaints. If you visit the Springfield Families Helping Families Facebook group, there are often posts about heat or A/C not working, water leaks and so on, with zero accountability for landlords. The most vulnerable of our citizens are dealing with the most predatory, and we absolutely can and must do better than this.
We don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There are plenty of cities that hold landlords accountable to a quality standard of living. If a landlord cannot keep their property in good working condition, they should seek another source of passive income.
Carey Smith
Springfield
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BE SAFE
I wish the city would take a “better safe than sorry” approach to this. So what if the registry is redundant?
Bob Immel
Via Facebook.com/illinoistimes
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FABULOUS FIDDLER
Wow, what a wonderful gift and contribution of talent and hard work resulted in the fine presentation of Fiddler on the Roof at Springfield’s Muni (“A fine Fiddler at the Muni,” June 8). We are blessed to have people like Gus Gordon and Susan Moss who consistently give time and talent to our city. There were so many in the cast with songs, dance and well-delivered lines; it was so enjoyable. Oliver Weber, who played Motel, was a delight with an impeccable performance. I also appreciated the opportunity to hear such lovely voices as Alyssa Shultz and others, all doing a fabulous job. Everyone involved with The Muni and the production should be proud. Bravo!
Roz Stein
Springfield
This article appears in Bringing health care to community gardens.
