Reading your report on Ron Stallings' renovating old properties that he inherited from his father is like a log jam finally breaking loose. I applaud his effort to return this city to a place where people might flee to rather than from.
About 20 years ago, I estimated that James Stallings, Ron's father, along with maybe 10 other slum lords owned about 60% of the sub-standard properties in Jackson Ward and Carver. At that time, HUD estimated there were 20,000 sub-standard properties in this city.
You state that then city manager Bob Bobb complained about Stallings being a terrible property owner. If Bob Bobb and every subsequent chief executive of this city, including Mayor Jones, would have simply bothered to read the laws on Building Maintenance, they would have found abundant authority to require every property owner to maintain their property. In deed, the maximum penalty for failure to comply was and is $1,000. per offense per day. That's a lot of clout.
And it was not just a failure of chief executives. If memory serves, the Richmond News Leader ran a story about judicial failure to enforce codes: 303 complaints got 76 convictions with a total of $400. in fines for a given year. I recall inspectors telling me it was useless to bring offenders to court. They would only be dismissed.
It would be interesting for Style to do a study, bring attention to, why this administrating and courts are so reluctant to make all owners fix their properties. The laws exist, the offices are staffed and funded. Lacking only is the political will. The recent event with the slum lord with 300 abused properties is a case in point. It took years for him to get into that condition. Fit properties improve the tax base. Invested owners don't tolerate crime; makes for a cheaper, more efficient, pleasant city in which to live.
Finally, I'm curious how Ron got a $600,000. city grant to fix his property. He could have sold off some of his 100 other properties to raise funds. Last year before I squealed, I was taxed 44% of my net income of my rental property. A paranoiac could develop some really convoluted scenarios with that information. A simpler explanation is that my local government is in competition with my federal government to divine my breaking point.
Sam Forrest
409 Hancock St
City, 23220
804.643.1503
