Boiling Spring Lakes woman continues to fight city on code violations by neighbors

Privacy fence.

Obviously this Anita person is not a gardener. The photo shows some black pots that plants are in when one buys tem from a nursery. I see a large grey tarp neatly tied over something and there is an ice cooler on a slanted board. I wonder if it recently was used to hold fish? I DO NOT see unsightly clutter or code "violations". I do not know a single person who stores a fish cooler in their house or for that matter cleans it indoors. As far as the black pots go, it would be a shame to throw them in a landfill when they can be reused. These pots are placed around a tree, not thrown haphazardly about the yard and it looks like there are plants in some of them. It is nearing spring. I have my pots out and am preparing them for the cuttings of plants I plan to root and there is a table on wheels in my side yard covered with paper cups full of potting soil and various vegetable seeds that I hope will germinate. This woman would be livid if she saw my used orange juice cartons that have seedlings coming up in them that are also on the table, not to mention the cereal boxes I slit lengthwise and have started greens in. I hope for the neighbors sake this woman does sell her home. I hope she moves to one of those oh so hoity toity snooty gated communities where senior hags walk around with clipboards and rulers writing down violators and measure the heighth of grass in the yards to make sure all are complying. I'll bet her neighbors will be happy when she does move . They'll probably dance and laugh and salute her as she leaves and theyll probably be chanting "Heil, Hitler!" as this little demagog pulls away for the last time. My prayers are with her neighbors.

First a correction needs to be pointed out. WWAY stated the name of the BSL city manager as "Ken Lewis". That is incorrect. The BSL city manager is, Dave Lewis. While in this telecast WWAY made reference to a previous one having to do with complaints about the mistreatment of animals, this one included other problems that have and still exist today. These problems have to do with at least two other code enforcement issues. The most obvious is the violations of city code having to do with properties being unsightly (junk heaps). The other is the question of, is one of the properties being used as commercial as this is a residential zoned neighborhood. Most of all is this next issue. The city continues to not represent the people in this neighborhood fairly and the city has allowed for years conditions that have not been tolerated or allowed in other parts of the city. On the BSL Website last week, city manager Dave Lewis posted (and bragged) in his "weekly update", "Recently the city initiated legal complaints against four property owners for failure to maintain their properties. I am pleased to report as of this morning all four of the property owners have cleaned up their properties and are in compliance. I appreciate the efforts of Jim Nicholas, Ken Riker, and our attorney Elva Jess." For those not up to speed on this, the city had threatened suits and fines of these four families, enforcing with force city code. These four properties are not in the same neighborhood as the lady complaining in this news cast. Also, the four properties that were forced to clean up were certainly in no worse shape than the properties this lady has been complaining about for years! In the rule of law the only way justice may be served is that all are treated equal and while the city was certainly correct by enforcing city code on the four the city can not be correct and fair if they ignore the exact same violations in another part of the city. It is not fair to those that were required to follow the law and it is not fair to those that have to put up with those that are not required to follow the law. Why would the city be selective as to where they enforce code and where they do not? Of great concern are the words of current mayor, Marty Kesmodel to city manager, Dave Lewis in an email to Lewis as reported in this news cast. In part in the newscast it is reported that Kesmodel states, "I'm not being critical of people who choose to live this way, only that the city can't afford with our current staff and resources make these people keep these properties neat when they don't seem to have that interest." This plays very hard and fast with the facts, although it does prove the city is discriminatory when it comes to representation and enforcement. First, the properties that are in question do not belong to "these people". The properties in fact belong to a single owner that does not live in the neighborhood of "these people" but, over off the golf course in the same neighborhood as the mayor and many on council. As far as Kesmodel stating, "...they don't seem to have that interest" it is one of "they" or "these people" that has been complaining! But to be fair with Kesmodel, this has been going on and ignored since before he was mayor. This lady first started filing her complaints when now councilwoman Joan Kinney was mayor. Also, city manager Dave Lewis has been along for the entire ride, doing nothing! The bottom line is the city has proved if these trash heaps had been in the neighborhood leaders live in, enforcement would have been swift and sure. As this in in a neighborhood the city has no concern for the citizens and by the mayors own words are lesser somehow, there is no enforcement or representation. All Lewis does is send a crony down to view the property that is complained about and then signs off that it is OK. Then he claims all if just fine. It is not! Yes, there was still mention about animal cruelty in this story but, this story goes way past that one issue. "These people" are held to the exact same standard as everyone else in BSL when it comes to property tax rates. They deserve equal and fair representation and they are not getting it.

What I think is funny is this city spends money on monitoring deadend dirt roads with no one living on them just incase they see someone litter but totally avoid real issues. I think if maybe the town made the people clean up that pile of junk in the yard this lady would loosen up a little.

When I heard this story on the news tonight, I thought it was the same woman. She had her house up for sale and she thinks the neighborhood is why people are not buying it. I wonder if that is the reason the housing markets have collapsed nationwide, because of the neighbors? As far as the dog next door, state law says your dog must be fed and watered ONCE every twenty four hours. If this dog hasn't been fed or watered since the last time she complained, it would have already been dead. The funny thing is, the more this woman complains and gets her face and home on the news, then the less chance she has of selling that house. Why would someone spend money on a house where the owner has to constantly call the authorities on the neighbors? She is killing her own chances for selling it. We had someone in our neighborhood like her. She moved in last and then spent her days complaining if a neighbor sneezed too loudly. The authorities finally asked her why didn't she move? If this lady hates where she lives so badly but can't sell out, why doesn't she rent it out and go?