by: Diane Benjamin
Apparently neither does the City. See the email exchange below. Citizen Bruce Meeks asked Alderman Kevin Lower and Mayor Renner for a list, he also cited the code section requiring David Hales to maintain it. I asked Bruce if he ever got it. He received an old list but has never received an updated version. He had to send a Freedom of Information Act request for the old list. Why is it okay for government to not know what they own?
Another email I received under the Freedom of Information Act was from a citizen concerning an unused property on Howard Street. According to him, he has been trying to buy it for 5 years with no response from the City. He contacted them again when demolition of the building was scheduled. Below is the email exchange on that property. Unfortunately, no emails detailing what happened to the property were included. Mayor Renner’s email says a lot though. I find it strange a political science teacher doesn’t understand what a Democracy is – and that we aren’t one!
I copied the first email and redacted the names, it was sent on August 3rd at 6:17 pm:
good evening. “Names redacted” just stopped by and said the city is going to take down their building at howard and mulberry. is that correct please? this, as some of you may remember, is the building i have offered to buy from the city for the past 5 years. i was told then and many times since, that the city would be doing an
estimate of excess properties and get back to me. in the mean time, i have asked about the building and was told there was no interest at this time to sell it. so, now i understand that the city is going to pay to have it torn down, verse selling the building for money. am i correct, please? if i am mistaken and was not told the facts correctly, please let me know as soon as possible please
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By the way, one of the Revenue Enhancements on Aldermen Lower and Stearns list for budget consideration was selling unused properties. Instead you got tax increases. Tari wasn’t interested in their list.
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Does Bruce know if the property was demolished and is it still owned by the city? I wonder why Hales would want to call off a demolition and to secure a building scheduled for demolition?
My sources tell me it was demolished – at taxpayers expense, and the City still owns it. Somebody would have to FOIA to be sure though.