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In-Depth Information
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Infringements on the rights of small landlords in Ellenville,
N.Y., by
Paul T. Johnson, an owner of rental properties (printed by permission). |
- Ellenville village administrators seen “patting themselves
on the back for how good they made out , cashwise, from a slew
of tickets after a recent snowstorm.” Trouble was, the Village
issued tickets before the lawful grace period of 24 hours to
shovel snow off sidewalks was up. - Letter
to the Editor, Paul T. Johnson, February 10, 2004.
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- Landlord is boarding up his house, so that in the future
the inspectors will “not be allowed to sniff around and
issue notices or tickets for esoteric, odd, arcane and new hair-splitting
rules and regulations and codes no one heard of before nor knows
how to access.” - Letter
to the Editor, originally printed in The Press, Ellenville,
October 3, 2003.
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- “Present Ellenville administration’s obsession
with getting rid of what they as a clique-crony group stereotypically
determine to be ‘blight’ properties would be better
served than by chasing all the poorer tenants away.” - Letter to the Editor,
originally printed in The Press, Ellenville, September
12, 2003.
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- “Governing is easier if you don’t question corruption.”
- Letter to the
Editor, originally published in The Press, Ellenville, August
22, 2003.
A story gets re-invented in the course of witnesses’,
police, and high officials’ pronouncements of whether
a policeman entered an apartment, and an accurate correction
is impossible.
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- Police chief giggles and an angry woman denounces Mr. Johnson
for inquiring at the Village Board meeting about reports of police
entering rental units when neither tenant nor landlord were present.
- Letter to the
Editor, originally printed in The Press, Ellenville,
August 8, 2003
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- Enduring the hostility of the police dispatcher while attempting
to correct an inaccurate blotter entry related to neighbor tenants
littering property - Letter
to the Editor, originally printed in The Press,
Ellenville, July 25, 2003
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- Politicians’ intimidation of poorer property owners
by alleging “blight” cannot make Ellenville look like
a wealthy community. Better to focus on the deeper, internal
problems of government. - Letter
to the Editor, originally printed in The Press, Ellenville,
July 11, 2003
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- Mr. Johnson writes that his report of “scuffle”
where tenant “lunged” over him attempting to grab a
$400 check out of his hands was downplayed on police blotter
entry - Letter
to Editor originally printed in The Press, Ellenville,
June 27, 2003.
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- Village official “shrieks” upon discovering that
Mr. Johnson had a recorder during their meeting about payments
- Letter to the
Editor, originally printed in The Press, Ellenville,
May 23, 2003
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- Ultimatum that Mr. Johnson’s water/sewer charges be
paid immediately or all his tenants will be placed in local motels
at a charge of $2,180/day - Letter
to the Editor, originally printed in The Press, Ellenville,
April 4, 2003
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- “Stacking the Deck” - Letter
to the Editor, originally published in The Press,
Ellenville, February 21, 2003.
The Village of Ellenville is squeezing owners of rental units
with a $300 increase in the fee for the annual safety certificate
and a mailed “5-day notice” to remove
“abandoned vehicles” impacted by ice-bound
snow banks.
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- Fines with Inadequate Notice Imposed on Landlords for Tenants’
“Junk” Vehicles - Letter
to the Editor originally printed in The Press, Ellenville,
February 14, 2003
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- Village Major was “Above the Law, Not Obligated to Comply
with Judicial Subpoena” - Letter
to the Editor originally printed in The Press, Ellenville,
N. Y., February 7, 2003.
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- High-Taxing Village Fails to Keep Its Promise to allow Payment
of Back Taxes on the Installment Plan - Letter
to the Editor originally printed in The Press, Ellenville,
N.Y., November 8, 2002.
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- Village Judge Awarded Return of Security to Tenant Who Left
Without Minimum Notice in Lease and Left Large Quantities of
Filth and Materials to be Hauled Away - Letter
to the Editor originally printed in The Press, Ellenville,
N. Y., August 9, 2002.
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- County Legislators Lack Cognizance of Fundamental Principle
of Corporate Law - Letter
to the Editor originally printed in The Press, Ellenville,
May 24, 2002.
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- Dynamics of “Slum” Development as a Result of Rules
and Regulations - Letter
to the Editor originally printed in The Press, Ellenville,
May 24, 2002.
The Catch-22 experience of a small-town landlord parallels
that of New York City landlords who saw entire sections of the
City destroyed by regulations, administrators, and courts.
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