Inspection complaint forms to be circulated in bor

[guest]

Inspection complaint forms to be circulated in borough
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO
Staff Writer

FREEHOLD — Advocates for the Latino community have created a housing inspection complaint form that may be used by anyone who lives in a rental unit. The idea behind the form is to make certain that housing inspections are being conducted properly.

In August, the borough’s code enforcement department implemented a rental inspection plan that will eventually see every one-family and two-family rental property in town inspected.

Advocates for the Latino community want to make sure the inspections are conducted in a professional manner and do not violate anyone’s civil rights, according to Frank Argote-Freyre, chairman of the Monmouth County Chapter of the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey.

Argote-Freyre said members of the alliance expected to begin distributing the housing complaint form on Dec. 18. The form will be printed in English and Spanish.

The form asks tenants to provide their name, address and the date of the housing inspection. It also asks the following: if the tenant signed a release form in English or Spanish allowing the inspection to take place; if a police officer entered the home with the inspector; if the inspector was courteous; and if the tenant had any complaints about the way the inspection was performed.

“We will distribute the forms to all rental units in Freehold Borough subject to housing inspection. We are concerned about the Wilson administration’s record of civil rights violations,” Argote-Freyre said, referring to Mayor Michael Wilson.

Argote-Freyre said the goal is to “get a sense of whether the inspections are being conducted properly.”

The goal of the rental inspection plan is to make sure all one-family and two-family rental properties in the borough are safe and livable, according to the Code Enforcement Official Hank Stryker III.

The plan, which was put into effect on Aug. 1, conducts inspections between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. According to Stryker, the inspection will focus on safety issues and include checking for smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, carbon monoxide detectors, unsafe writing and overloaded outlets/extension cords. The inspection will also address the safety of porches and stairs, and make sure exits are not blocked. Windows must be able to be opened. Unsanitary conditions and painting will also be addressed. The inspection will also make certain that all landlords have a proper certificate of occupancy for their tenants.

Argote-Freyre said he is not pre-judging the housing inspections at this point. Calling Wilson’s record in regard to civil rights “abysmal,” he said he wants to make certain that the rights of renters in the borough are respected.

“We do recognize the need to safeguard housing and health issues. We are not denying that, but we want to make sure that the process is respectful of the civil rights of the residents of Freehold Borough,” he said.

He said the alliance has heard from people who claimed that previous housing inspections were not conducted the way they should have been, citing rude inspectors among other complaints.

According to Argote-Freyre, anyone wishing to file a complaint may bring the completed form to the Hispanic Affairs Resource Center, 12 Throckmorton Street, or to the New Beginnings Agape Christian Center, 133 Throckmorton Street.

A copy of the housing inspection complaint form will be sent to Dennis Bliss, the monitor who was appointed by the court as part of the settlement of a federal lawsuit between Latino day laborers and the borough. Attorneys will be available for consultation for anyone with a housing inspection complaint who wants to seek legal counsel, Argote-Freyre said.

“We are concerned about the past history in the borough and we feel that at his core, Mayor Wilson would still like to displace the Latino population and we intend to make sure that does not happen,” Argote-Freyre said.

When asked to respond to Argote-Freyre’s comments, Wilson said, “this has nothing to do with civil rights. It is all about quality of life. It’s all about the health and safety of the residents of Freehold Borough. We are committed to alleviating overcrowding and stacking in our town.”

[Libyan Sibyl]

What are the purposes of the inspection?

To target illegals, to targer just overcrowding or to find and correct safety concerns?

I'll go out on a limb and say that (on its face, the reason is safety - although the real reason (wink-wink) may be something else.

As long as code enforcement is well-trained (and obtain a copy of this form too) then there should be no problems.

Anyway, what is the problem for someone "looking out for his own?" Don't we all do this? It's kind of human nature, isn't it?

[Marc LeVine]

This man sat, for a full year, on the rental property advisory committee and never said a word about wanting to do this. Why did he hold back on this issue, if not to have something handy to use to upstage the hard work of his own committee and to deliberately embarrass the Mayor, who appointed him to this committee to provide this sort of input? Some thanks!

Yes, this could/should have been brought up in the context of the recommendations the committee is releasing in January. The committee is already addressing tenant rights and education, FOR EVERYONE, in its recommendations. Frank was part of those discussions and its recommendation-making.

Instead of placing this issue where it belongs, he is using it to be divisive and to make an end run on the hard work of a committee he served on. We've seen this before from Frank on other committee's he's served like Human Relations. What other committee member, in town, has ever called his own Press Conferences to criticize the efforts of those he has served with and to question their integrity?

Frank seems to want to place himself above the importance of other committee members he serves with. Other minority and special interest groups are represented on our committees and they never seem to have the same need for such individualized attention...and they have told Frank this to his face!

If Frank feels the need to act outside of the committees he serves on, we should accommodate him by just placing him "outside" of these committees to begin.

I will not vote for Frank's appointment to any more committees.


Marc

[Libyan Sibyl]

Marc said:

This man sat, for a full year, on the rental property advisory committee and never said a word about wanting to do this. Why did he hold back on this issue, if not to have something handy to use to upstage the hard work of his own committee and to deliberately embarrass the Mayor, who appointed him to this committee to provide this sort of input?

Well, assuming that what Marc said is true (and I have no reason to believe otherwise), it's hard to argue with Marc's above reasoning.

I guess if Mr. Freyre brought this up in a meeting, it would have been debated and perhaps even incorporated into the report. And then, if he could have persuaded the committee, it would have been dumped on the lap of the mayor and council. Had the council not approved it, he could speak out and rant and rave.

Certainly, this seems like the best thing an activist could do - get appointed, make every recommendation you wanted to. If not incorporated in the report, then you can complain about the committee. If incorporated in the report, then blame town council for not approving the report. Its a win-win that way.

But this sort of end-run is just strange. Can this be just him, or does someone else make these decisions and he is just a spokesperson? I mean, it is just not logical and gives me the sense that there is just something that we are missing (which may not prove to be logical either).

[admin]

Marc said:

This man sat, for a full year, on the rental property advisory committee and never said a word about wanting to do this. Why did he hold back on this issue, if not to have something handy to use to upstage the hard work of his own committee and to deliberately embarrass the Mayor, who appointed him to this committee to provide this sort of input? Some thanks!

Yes, this could/should have been brought up in the context of the recommendations the committee is releasing in January. The committee is already addressing tenant rights and education, FOR EVERYONE, in its recommendations. Frank was part of those discussions and its recommendation-making.

Instead of placing this issue where it belongs, he is using it to be divisive and to make an end run on the hard work of a committee he served on. We've seen this before from Frank on other committee's he's served like Human Relations. What other committee member, in town, has ever called his own Press Conferences to criticize the efforts of those he has served with and to question their integrity?

Frank seems to want to place himself above the importance of other committee members he serves with. Other minority and special interest groups are represented on our committees and they never seem to have the same need for such individualized attention...and they have told Frank this to his face!

If Frank feels the need to act outside of the committees he serves on, we should accommodate him by just placing him "outside" of these committees to begin.

I will not vote for Frank's appointment to any more committees.


Marc

I have said it before and I am saying it again, Frank Freyer needs to be booted off of every board he serves on in this town. I can respect him looking out for some people, but he constantly crosses the line of decency.
This nut has to be given the boot.

[admin]

calliope said:

What gets me is that if code enforcement has to notify a rental unit of an impending visit -- all the illegals then scatter like rats and vamoose. When I lived in Stonehurst, my next door neighbors were on shifts -- there were literally about 15 to 20 people shacking up in there -- the door was constantly opening and closing, the shower was constantly running. Every time the landlord showed up to catch them, they got wind and got out of Dodge. The landlord couldn't do a bloody thing about it.

Having to announce a code enforcement visit is useless and stackers will never be caught.

It also sounds like Freyre is up to something -- like he's trying to orchestrate more trouble, stir up more sludge/fecal matter.

I would love to ask him: Hey, Franko, do you believe it is safe to have 10 people living in a one-bedroom unit? And, Hey, Franko, if these folks were Orthodox Jews or Canadians, would you still be equally as passionate for their civil rights?

For the record, Franko, if you are lurking in here and reading this -- remember, the Mayor has a most cherished, beloved daughter from Colombia, whom he adopted and therefore, chosen to love and nurture to the best of his and his wife's ability. Does that sound like an individual who wants to "displace the Latino community?" Do you feel good about trying to damage a man's reputation with your accusations? Do you feel good about lowering public perception about Freehold Borough with your manipulations and your rants?

One last question for you, Franko: Do you think you could actually start thinking intelligently before you speak?

Calliope, I like your passion and your post hit the nail on the head. It is unfortunate that the above article and the one about Baldwin asking our elected leaders to step down have both made their way to the papers. Readers might actually think that these fringe elements are the norm in our town. I highly recommend that readers of this site write the News Transcript to counter the negative publicity these self serving people are spewing.

I will be writing my own letter exposing these opportunistic individuals as the fake phony frauds that they are. I also intend on highlighting the fact that this is an excellent town and the majority of our diverse residents are good people with much to offer.