SANDUSKY TOWNSHIP -- Sandusky Township trustees question the ethics of two men running for trustee on the November ballot.
Mike Gabler, 920 S. Horning Road, and Roy Campo, 209 S. Horning Road, attended a meeting last September passing out information regarding junk cars. Campo, with the support of Gabler, claimed the information came from the Ohio Revised Code. The pair is running against incumbent trustees Dan Gorbett and Phil Jackson.
Campo's information, which cited an ordinance on junk vehicle abatement, claimed he was entitled to four vehicles on private property of two acres or greater.
"We'd never heard of this before and so, at the time, we weren't really sure what to say," Jackson said. "We just said we would get back to him on the issue."
After research, Jackson said the ordinances Campo cited were referenced from Clallam County, in the state of Washington.
"It actually was an old (Revised Code of Washington) and doesn't even exist today," Gorbett said.
A letter was mailed out immediately to all citizens who attended the meeting, providing them with the accurate information. Gorbett said the township has had continual problems with junk cars on Campo's property.
Jackson said they've received numerous complaints, including one from Campo's wife.
Trustee Tom Glauer said Campo has not returned to a meeting since.
Neither Gabler nor Campo returned calls from the News Journal.
"Campo and Gabler should know better than to pass off zoning aspects of Washington's state law as an Ohio law to support their claims," Gorbett said. "If they were unaware they were presenting false documentation by using Washington state laws then they may struggle with other aspects of the trustee job."
"This was a feeble attempt to sidestep resident-approved zoning regulations by handing out false information," Jackson said. "We (Sandusky Township) have a lot of car enthusiasts, and unless there is a complaint, we have no issues with it. When there is a complaint however, we look into it, as we were elected to do. Mr. Campo's case was an extreme one and it was moving from a hobby to a junk yard."
jkinton@nncogannett.com 419-521-7220
NEW SOURCE
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
Jackson court tackles problem properties
"We took him to court, and the judge fined him $50, plus $170 in court costs," said Martin, a code enforcement officer for the city of Jackson.
"The guy was laughing at us when he heard that. It didn't register with him that the charges were per vehicle. When he walked over to the clerk to pay, it was a mind-blowing experience."
The car guy's mind was blown by more than $3,000 in fines assessed in Environmental Court - a specialty tribunal that has been a fixture in Jackson since 1992.
The argument for environmental courts is getting a hearing in other Mississippi cities as well.
Edward Martin remembers the case well: The guy refused to remove 15 or 20 cars parked on his lawn, a violation of a city ordinance.
Advocates say problems such as trashy lawns, tumbledown houses, junk-car yards, unscreened Dumpsters, abandoned buildings, illegal dumps and even dogs on the loose are more likely to be resolved wherever these courts are in session.
That's because violators are more likely to face the threat of fines and, occasionally, jail time for their offenses, supporters say.
Usually, those threats get their attention.
"By the time they get to our court, they usually have multiple offenses," said Jackson Municipal Judge Bob Waller, who has conducted Environmental Court hearings.
"Sometimes their excuses for not taking care of the problem is they didn't have the money or they just didn't want to do it. It's mostly parking cars in
the yard, junk cars in the driveway, cars with flats.
"We do have a lot of abandoned property in Jackson, too. Crackheads use them," Waller said.
In Jackson, Environmental Court fines vary according to a judge's discretion, but a person caught illegally dumping debris, for instance, could be fined up to $1,000 and receive up to six months in jail.
Jackson's court administrator could not provide an estimate for the amount of fines collected monthly.
No one has been fined yet in Gulfport's Environmental Court; it cranked up just last week.
"Until now, our Municipal Court was responsible for abandoned cars, unsafe properties and other quality-of-life issues," said Ryan LaFontaine, city spokesman. The growth of those problems has become more profound, especially since Hurricane Katrina.
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"The guy was laughing at us when he heard that. It didn't register with him that the charges were per vehicle. When he walked over to the clerk to pay, it was a mind-blowing experience."
The car guy's mind was blown by more than $3,000 in fines assessed in Environmental Court - a specialty tribunal that has been a fixture in Jackson since 1992.
The argument for environmental courts is getting a hearing in other Mississippi cities as well.
Edward Martin remembers the case well: The guy refused to remove 15 or 20 cars parked on his lawn, a violation of a city ordinance.
Advocates say problems such as trashy lawns, tumbledown houses, junk-car yards, unscreened Dumpsters, abandoned buildings, illegal dumps and even dogs on the loose are more likely to be resolved wherever these courts are in session.
That's because violators are more likely to face the threat of fines and, occasionally, jail time for their offenses, supporters say.
Usually, those threats get their attention.
"By the time they get to our court, they usually have multiple offenses," said Jackson Municipal Judge Bob Waller, who has conducted Environmental Court hearings.
"Sometimes their excuses for not taking care of the problem is they didn't have the money or they just didn't want to do it. It's mostly parking cars in
the yard, junk cars in the driveway, cars with flats.
"We do have a lot of abandoned property in Jackson, too. Crackheads use them," Waller said.
In Jackson, Environmental Court fines vary according to a judge's discretion, but a person caught illegally dumping debris, for instance, could be fined up to $1,000 and receive up to six months in jail.
Jackson's court administrator could not provide an estimate for the amount of fines collected monthly.
No one has been fined yet in Gulfport's Environmental Court; it cranked up just last week.
"Until now, our Municipal Court was responsible for abandoned cars, unsafe properties and other quality-of-life issues," said Ryan LaFontaine, city spokesman. The growth of those problems has become more profound, especially since Hurricane Katrina.
NEWS SOURCE
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