At night, in the void and the dark, you can hear the sound of crickets.
My opponent would like to blame illegal, overcrowded housing on my administration.
Ms. Aguiar is new to Riverhead, so let me recap some recent history.
I have proposed the toughest fines of any East End town against landlords who foster illegal, overcrowded, out-of-code housing. Period. End of story.
I have recommended raising town fines against code violators from the current level of $250 per offense, to a max of $10,000 per violation. Under my plan, the town would have the right to revoke the CO for any building with repeated violations and I want to haul bad landlords into State Supreme Court — a court with teeth.
My budget last year, and this year, are the only recent back-to-back town budgets that actually added new money to pay staff to investigate and prosecute landlords that aren’t doing the right thing by Riverhead. What did we hear from previous town boards? My opponent? Crickets.
Under my administration, we’ve written more tickets and prosecuted more code violators than my predecessor, and we’ve done it all while staying on budget and under the tax cap. What does my opponent say in response? Crickets.
Finally, my administration has made it easier for neighbors to report code breakers, blighted and “Zombie” homes. Town Hall stands ready to take your complaints and we’re here to cut through red tape, because we’re resolute about bringing code violators to justice. My opponent? Crickets. The sound of silence.
We all know the warning signs. Too many cars parked overnight, numerous overflowing trash cans, too many cable TV connections, and all outside a tiny home. We know how to spot illegal, over-crowded homes and we are doing so. We’re identifying these homes and prosecuting the landlords that own them.
Are we where we want to be? Hell, no. We never will be, because I work to make every new day better than yesterday. But we’ve made a heck of start and maybe, just maybe, if my fellow board members would put politics aside and stop worrying about Election Day, we could increase fines and hit bad landlords like a ton of bricks.
There are those that have criticized my housing reforms calling them, “too tough.” Certainly, I am not a favorite among out-of-compliance landlords. Change isn’t easy. But true leadership isn’t spewing a menu of grievances, buck-passing and complaints. Real leadership is about finding practical solutions to problems, enforcing the law and getting results.
Leadership is about providing a clear voice — among the crickets and in the silence.
Laura Jens-Smith (D-Laurel) is Riverhead Town supervisor and is seeking re-election in November.
Editor’s note: The “In My Opinion” column is open to anyone who wants to submit a viewpoint on any topic. The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the point of view of RiverheadLOCAL’s publishers. We welcome submissions. Be sure to include your email address and daytime phone number. Click here to submit your opinion.
The survival of local journalism depends on your support.
We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community.
Support RiverheadLOCAL today.