25 Minutes with Mayor Elect Panto

Sal Panto gave us first shot at a sit down interview. Our interviewer and the Mayor-elect cover 20 questions about things to come.

Congratulations Mr Mayor! We look forward to working with you to create a cleaner and safer Easton.

Interview (25 minutes 38 seconds 2.91Mb)

Your neighbor

Vote

Ignored, Neglected, and Taken for Granted

“Why should I vote for candidates that obviously do not care that I am a constituent?”

That is a question all of us Eastonians should be asking ourselves when it’s time to choose between Peg Ferraro and Tony Branco.

One. That’s the number of Ferraro signs I’ve seen within city limits.

Zero. That’s the number of Branco signs I’ve seen in Easton (And coincidentally, that’s also the number of times I’ve encountered either candidate)

I mean, even Mike Dowd stopped by my house when he was petitioning (Although he hasn’t made a campaign knock at my door). Does Branco or Ferraro even know how to get any place in Easton that is not the Government Center?

The interests of Easton’s everyday people are constantly and consistently ignored by people we endorse to advocate for us. I am in no way thrilled at the attention that Easton has received from the Government Center over the past four years—or even the past two that John Stoffa has been at the helm. The “County” (meaning Government Center elected officials) has ignored the very neighborhood that it works in. Streets are seriously damaged from the (completed) construction of the prison expansion. The County has no presence or influence in that neighborhood beyond its campus. Stoffa wants to move the 140 employees in the Governor Wolf building out of the city. And the county government failed to pay special attention to Easton’s needs as the county seat when considering the negative social effects of slots in Northampton County.

They’ll get their votes, but neither Dowd, nor, Ferraro, nor Branco will receive my vote. They didn’t seem to care enough to ask.

Candidate Question #10 Codes

Question#10: Codes

The quality of neighborhood living has been negatively affected by the persistent, and often ignored, decay of properties. Detail a plan using current code regulations to immediately improve the appearance of under maintained properties?

Strong Neighborhoods Make Strong Cities. Our city is a city of neighborhoods; they are the lifeblood of our city. The strength of those individual neighborhoods creates the vitality of our city. Each neighborhood has its unique characteristics and needs. I know all of our neighborhoods and will assist neighbors in identifying their needs and resources and in mobilizing programs to meet those needs. We will rebuild our city from the neighborhoods up ensuring that the residents play a vital role in the rejuvenation that is so sorely needed in many areas.

To strengthen our neighborhoods we will:

§ Establish the “Clean It and Lien It” program. We will secure vacant structures, cut weeds and grass to reduce rodents and unsightliness and secure the building envelope to prevent further decay. Once the property has been secured we will execute on the lien and either get paid or we will take possession of the structure, sell it to a proven developer who will then sell it as a restored single-family residence.

§ Initiate the “Curb Appeal Task Force” as a part of the Code Department. We will equip the code department with hand held computers loaded with exterior code violations. As they walk down a street they will input, simply by using a stylus, to check off violations such as peeling paint, broken windows, trash, etc. This will eliminate blight and will protect these vacant structures from becoming the problems of the future.

§ Property owners that do not make necessary repairs must be dealt with swiftly but fairly and in a uniformed manner. We will declare war on blighted properties.

§ Initiate discussions with local bankers to create a revolving loan fund to assist low and moderate-income families, especially seniors, in making necessary improvements to their home.

§ Create a “Neighborhood Network” homepage on the city website where residents easily identify what is happening in their neighborhood and how they can be involved in its progress.

§ Encourage more involvement and leadership in the neighborhoods and work with those leaders in creating a comprehensive vision for the city.Actively communicate and meet with neighborhoods on a regular basis holding at least one “town meeting” per quarter in one of the neighborhoods.

The city needs to develop a database of buildings that are determined to be under maintained. This can be accomplished by city officials walking throughout the city and documenting structures that do not meet Article 1193 – Existing Structure Code. This data can be stored on a data collector in the field and then downloaded to a computer system back at city hall. If a structure is identified as violating the Existing Structure Code then a meeting with the structure’s owner needs to be scheduled and a plan developed to bring the structure into compliance. The city should monitor the progress of the plan and if no work is accomplished then the enforcement procedures of the ordinance should be implemented. This plan does take a significant amount of code enforcement officer time but I believe that it will provide for greater citizen cooperation in getting the structure up to code.

An audit of the labor pool and how it is being used will be first on the agenda. The other thing that we need to do during this time is to have all offending property owners sent certified letters stating that they have 30 days to comply with repairs in order to bring their properties up to code. If they do not comply, the city will perform these repairs and either bills the owners, or they will forfeit their properties. Once we know how and where the labor is being used, and where we have extra manpower, then we can proceed with phase two.

Phase two will consist of getting extra manpower from the labor pool to start performing the repairs on the properties that are not following the order. If the properties are vacant, then once the work is started, the property owner will be billed for all manual labor, and administrative labor involved with each property, at the maximum rates allowed by law. These rates are usually called prevailing wage rates. Figure about $100 an hour for general laborers. Once repairs have been completed, the property owner will have 30 days to make restitution, or the city follows through with either a Sheriff's sale, or property seizure, due to foreclosure, or whatever other legal means we have at our dispossal. Average turnaround time for the city to foreclose will be less than 1 year. Considering it has taken the city over 20 years to buy or seize other properties that have been blighted, that is a massive improvement.

Phase three will consist of initially offering to the local neighborhood residents the property at cost. Secondly, offering it to city employees that don't live in the city at cost, so long as they move in and claim it as their primary residence. Thirdly, offering it up for sale at fair market value to the general public. If it goes to the general public, the city makes the highest profit, and brings more money into the coffers, and actually has city employees from the labor pool making money for the city, instead of just being an expense. If it goes to a city employee, or a resident of the neighborhood, then it will still bring a profit, because at the prevailing rate, the city will still be making a profit off of the labor.

This plan may not be 100% perfect, but it is certainly better that what we currently have. The Citizens Oversight Committee will be the most ideal in this aspect, because current employees that are doing the bare minimum for their jobs will step up their work, and stop whining about being overworked, when they know for themselves that they are performing a substandard service.

This question really belongs to the mayoral candidates, who will oversee city hall and its employees. That being said, I do think that the code department needs to be separated from Planning and Economic Development and restructured so there’s more accountability, and so that codes are enforced uniformly. Vacant and decayed properties that can be seized under current law must be seized. I propose then offering those properties to police, fire, and city hall new hires at a discount, in exchange for those new hires agreeing to live in the city and improve the properties. Similar programs have had great effect elsewhere, would induce city employees to live in the city, and would help our neighborhoods.

Candidate Question #9 Enforcement

Question#9: Enforcement

It has become fairly common practice to resolve problems of the moment by creating new legislation. Easton has a comprehensive set of ordinances already on the books. How can we more effectively enforce the laws/rules that already exist?

Government is of laws, not of men. Enforcing the codes of the city must be done in a uniform, fair and consistent manner, regardless of individuals. The Codified Ordinances of the City of Easton contain all of the necessary codes to provide a safe and clean environment for all residents. We will increase the effectiveness of the code department by making the Code Administrator a Cabinet level position directly under the Mayor, using technology for increased efficiency and providing enhanced training for the staff.

Audit the city. Let's give ourselves an audit from stem to stern, from tip to tail, and from head to toe. I propose to remove legislation that is outdated and antiquated. I also propose to follow up on all of the 90 day resolutions that have not been rescinded when they got out of date.

We need new laws, but we need laws with teeth and laws that don't insult the public's intelligence. We need to remove laws that are unenforceable. We need to make sure that the codes department, the board of health, the fire department, and the police department have a working knowledge of the city codes and ordinances. I'm not saying they have to be experts, but experts in their fields, and at the very least a working knowledge of all of the other areas. These departments are our eyes and ears, and need to use a significant amount of common sense when outside to enforce what is enforceable.

Let's make the laws that stick, the laws that will bring in money, and the laws that will protect our citizens.

Some of this would seem to be a matter of cleaning up existing ordinances so that they are enforceable. For example, we currently have an anti-loitering ordinance on the books, but it is my understanding that, as written, the police can’t enforce it. There’s an easy remedy: rewrite the ordinance. More care needs to be taken in writing new ordinances so that they are immediately enforceable and don’t need revision months, and then years, later. Council writes the legislation, the administration must enforce it. Council needs to work more closely with the administration to make sure that laws are enforceable as written, and that ordinances are being enforced down the road.

The answer to this problem would require nearly a book to begin to scratch the surface. More enforcement officers, increased technology, fewer rules, and better education of the public are just a few of the things that can be done to more effectively enforce or trim our excessive number ordinances. We need to also assess what we do to enforce the ordinances. If the punishment for breaking an ordinance is too light then individuals will continue to break the ordinance requiring greater effort in enforcement. If the penalty is too severe we are placing too great a burden on the citizen.