Dealing with housing, blight, and property maintenance

Let me first begin by identifying the major cause of blight. RAWA is in fact the number one
cause of blight in the City of Reading.
As I go door to door, I have seen hundreds of yellow stickers on properties forcing people
out of their homes in 72 hours sadly because their water was turned off. The City of Reading joins
RAWA by declaring the building unfit for human habitation after being notified by RAWA that the
water was shut off. They are responsible for forcing people out of their homes more than any
single banking institution, the Tax Bureau or any other factor.
We can and will change that on day one. Residents will no longer have their water turned
off strictly for their inability to pay. We will offer payment plans affordable to residents and liens
will be placed against homes for failure to pay on the payment plans.
If a property owner does not pay his City taxes are they thrown out on the street? NO. If
they don't pay their school property taxes are they thrown out on the street? NO. Why should
RAWA have the ability to use the City to throw people out of their residence as a tool to get
payment of their water bills. It obviously is not working because the stickers remain the bills
remain unpaid.
What is sad is when the building is abandoned thats when blight occurs and crimes are
committed. The rate payer's water bill is nothing more than another tax and should be treated as
such. RAWA needs to understand the ramifications to the City when they cause a resident to
move out.
For those properties where people are not being forced out and blight is occurring, I will
encourage codes and the Office of Community Development to work together to provide block
grant funds in our neighborhoods, not just downtown. Those residents who refuse to comply after
being offered help to correct violations will be criminally prosecuted.
Cleaning up our neighborhood one home at a time naturally gives residents a sense of
value and increases our communitys overall quality of life. Sprucing up blocks has a positive
impact on neighborhoods. Imagine if we had spent $65 million on "sprucing" up Reading instead
of building the Hotel. How much more inviting would the City be?
My vision is for a better Reading for each resident, not just a select group of builders who
are not developers.
We must also realize that blight also occurs when banks in other states foreclose on
mortgages and do not care anything about the property. It is difficult to prosecute out of state
property owners because of the inability to serve summary warrants in other states.
As Mayor, I will lobby for all property owners whose properties are blighted and destroying
our quality of life whether here in Pennsylvania or any other state to correct the violations or their
drivers licenses will be suspended. This is the only way we can get absentee landlords in or out
of state to respond and correct the code violations.
We have what is called a reciprocal agreement with all 50 states regarding traffic
violations/suspensions. When a license is suspended here in Pennsylvania it is suspended in all 50
states. This should also apply to properties that are blighted and destroy our quality of life.
We as a City cannot only be interested in fines or nothing will change. We have to be more
interested in resolution of the problem/blight.
Remember, we must have a government that will lift you and help not push you and hurt
you.