jar546
CBO
This is an eye-opening, unbelievable story of no accountability, potential crimes, and possible unconstitutional processes.
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Hey St. Louis, WTF?
- Thread starter jar546
- Start date
This is over the top stupid. Why would the crooks think that they would not be found out when billing for work that is impossible?
Yankee Chronicler
REGISTERED
Because they assumed the fix was in. I saw the same sort of thing many years ago when I became the staff architect for the public housing authority in the city next to where I lived. There were people on staff who were taking kickbacks. Once I came on board and started actually reviewing work orders, invoices, and work performed -- I wasn't a very popular person.
I lasted in the job less than two years. I quit after the deputy director and the head of rehabilitation were arrested and indicted for contract fraud. They were later convicted.
I took over a large construction company in 1980. I was looking for an invoice when I came across a purchase order for 1"x 6" V-Rustic. We built a lot of stuff but not once did we use V-Rustic. Turns out the company had built a house for a city council member prior to my stewardship. The payoff was a free bridge over a portion of a stream. The bridge connected a development and a golf course.
Gregg Harris
SAWHORSE
Hopefully, heads will roll. Raping and pillaging at its worst
tmurray
SAWHORSE
We have similar legislation in our province.
When I have administered it, it included a review in public sessions of council to issue a formal notice and then to approve the contractor to do the work (if the owner does not comply). There is also an appeals process.
What most people didn't see is that we worked a lot with owners towards compliance. A building that needed torn down largely sat on our list for 7ish years before we took action. We had owners slowly picking away at buildings to make them better as they could afford it. Most of them appreciated the process and our collaborative process to help them improve their buildings.
Some people were stuck with a building they could no longer afford and abandoned it. We helped them by demolishing the building and sending it along for tax sale. It was always a hard decision for them, but it brought resolution.
Honestly, as strange as it sounds, we had more people happy for our help than people upset with us. One woman in particular was a retiree that had moved into assisted living after the house got too unsafe for her to live in. We walked her through the process and the day we demolished the building, I called her to let me know it was done. The next day she called be to thank me because it was the first time she had been able to sleep in years. She was terrified some kid in the neighborhood would get into the building and be hurt or killed (we had boarded up the building early in the process for her).
If a building is dilapidated, we tear it down. If the owner doesn't care enough about the building to maintain it, why am I spending tax payer money, that may never be recouped, to fix it up?
These programs CAN work, but they need to be "sterilized by the light of day". They NEED to be public. I loved that it was public. I got to show off how much we had tried to work with the owner to get to compliance. I got to tell the stories of these people who ran into hardship and needed a way out, and we could help them. These weren't just dilapidated buildings, they were stories of hardship that we humanized so we could work with them through compassion.
I hate hearing reports of this because it undermines the good work that people are able to do with these types of programs.
When I have administered it, it included a review in public sessions of council to issue a formal notice and then to approve the contractor to do the work (if the owner does not comply). There is also an appeals process.
What most people didn't see is that we worked a lot with owners towards compliance. A building that needed torn down largely sat on our list for 7ish years before we took action. We had owners slowly picking away at buildings to make them better as they could afford it. Most of them appreciated the process and our collaborative process to help them improve their buildings.
Some people were stuck with a building they could no longer afford and abandoned it. We helped them by demolishing the building and sending it along for tax sale. It was always a hard decision for them, but it brought resolution.
Honestly, as strange as it sounds, we had more people happy for our help than people upset with us. One woman in particular was a retiree that had moved into assisted living after the house got too unsafe for her to live in. We walked her through the process and the day we demolished the building, I called her to let me know it was done. The next day she called be to thank me because it was the first time she had been able to sleep in years. She was terrified some kid in the neighborhood would get into the building and be hurt or killed (we had boarded up the building early in the process for her).
If a building is dilapidated, we tear it down. If the owner doesn't care enough about the building to maintain it, why am I spending tax payer money, that may never be recouped, to fix it up?
These programs CAN work, but they need to be "sterilized by the light of day". They NEED to be public. I loved that it was public. I got to show off how much we had tried to work with the owner to get to compliance. I got to tell the stories of these people who ran into hardship and needed a way out, and we could help them. These weren't just dilapidated buildings, they were stories of hardship that we humanized so we could work with them through compassion.
I hate hearing reports of this because it undermines the good work that people are able to do with these types of programs.
Yikes
SAWHORSE
It’s a classic L.A. story:
Firm With City Business Paid for Alatorre's Roof
Probe: FBI investigates TELACU's role, circumstances of home's purchase. Councilman denies any wrongdoing.
www.latimes.com
steveray
SAWHORSE
NO WAY!!!...The lowest bid contractor sucked? We tear down people's crap, we don't polish it.....
steveray
SAWHORSE
I will have to watch that later....