Four Lakewood City Council seats are up for election this year and with the deadline for candidates to file still over three months away already one incumbent “look(s) forward to continuing to serve Lakewood’s citizens.”
But there’s a difference between serving and controlling, between asking and telling.
Terms ending in 2017 are those of John Simpson, Mary Moss, Jason Whalen and Mike Brandstetter.
All four voted in favor of the Rental Inspection Program (RIP).
In voting for RIP, all four decided not to avail themselves of – nor therefore offer to the citizens of Lakewood – a “robust tenant/landlord education program.”
All four opted instead for a sixth program – to add to the other five – that addresses so-called “rental housing problems within the city.” But with the RIP, the Lakewood City Council – the better to “serve Lakewood’s citizens” – will for the first time require access by city-approved inspectors to the interior of private rental properties, literally a foot-in-the-door and likely a portend of things to come.
Can you go purse-seine fishing in the lowland lakes in Washington? No.
Can you hunt deer with other than a single-shot rifle or a bow-strung arrow? No.
But the RIP will cast a net over the entire rental industry in Lakewood, some 14,000 individual units, to catch what the City admits is less than 15 percent estimated not to meet the 69-box, seven-page check list of standards (including wattage of light bulbs and “adequate food preparation space”) that the City has set.
Adam Andrzejewski who says he “covers the ‘daily greed’ of national, state and local politics” writes in “Forbes” of the danger of government usurping the responsibility belonging to citizens:
“In many areas of society government is crowding out, invading and undermining the private sector. And as the boundaries are erased, unaccountable elite power is centralized. In a nation whose founders trusted the genius of regular people vs. the power of consolidated government, citizens are increasingly finding the democratic process less impactful.”
Andrzejewski references “Peter Orszag, former Obama Administration director of Office of Management and Budget” who “argued in 2011 that ‘there’s too much democracy.’”
Comments Andrzewski, “Really? This belief justifies efforts to create systems that can’t be exposed and challenged.”
Pre-RIP decisions – a “robust tenant/landlord educational program” as an example – could have placed responsibility where it belonged but City leaders usurped individual accountability thus centralizing their power.
The RIP doesn’t serve, it controls.
Maybe it’s time for David Anderson to represent Tillicum on the Lakewood City Council!
Lakewood does not have a “Rental Inspection Program”.
Why does your cause need to resort to deceit?
You’re kidding, right? Are you new here?? While the name appears to have been changed from the original “Rental Inspection Program” the effects are just the same; an invasive government program that are needless given state laws already in the book regards housing and retal safety…I wouldn’t be surprised if they expand to include ALL residential properties in Lakewood someday…by 2030, perhaps?
Lakewood does not have a Rental Inspection Program?
As a matter of fact, Public Disclosure Request # 16-1581 is 1,633 pages long (you can probably obtain your own copy in two days now that it’s been produced, what took me over two months to receive) and in the exchange of emails among city staff, some emanating from Assistant City Manager and Community Development Director Dave Bugher’s computer; others originating from City Attorney Heidi Wachter – the two, Bugher and Wachter the primary architects of the Rental Inspection Program, have this as their subject line:
“Rental Housing Inspection.”
Our Mayor is being recalled for his role in the RIP here in #FederalHeights, Colorado. The Special Election day is Feb 7th, fast approaching. We’ll keep you updated in the results. The people here fought back, so time will tell. Treating renters as 2nd class citizens is a blatant form of discrimination. We feel it should be a choice, if a renter wants it, they can use it. If a renter doesn’t want it, the city gov’t bullying themselves into a home with a warrant is an insane overuse of power and we can’ t believe it’s being done like that here.
#RentersHaveRightsToo #RecallMayorDick
Council and City Manager know that if you control the language you control the debate. Every wonder why the pro-abortion element calls themselves “Pro-Choice”? It’s easier to swallow and defend rather than calling it what it really is. It’s an old tactic used by government. What it really is, is a deception. So too with “Rental Housing Safety Program”. It sounds so much better that what it is: a rental inspection program or RIP as we have rightfully and honestly renamed it. I mean “Who could possibly have any objection to improving rental housing safety?” It certainly doesn’t sound like it violates the Constitution’s 4th Amendment……but it does! If it were about safety why would a tenant who has a leaking roof have to wait as much as 5 years to win Lakewood’s rental inspection lottery to get a city approved inspector into their home to make that observation. OH! They don’t because there are numerous existing programs that deal with that issue quickly. OK then why do we need another intrusive program to do what is already being done but not nearly in as timely and inexpensive manner? This isn’t about safety or even Washington’s Landlord Tenant Act which already covers safety issues, among many other issues between landlord and tenant. Pure and simple: monkey see monkey do regardless of whether there is a need in Lakewood. Other cities have gotten away with it so why not Lakewood? And oh by the way: it makes the City’s cash register ring……Ka Ching! And who do you think in going to pay for this? Right….the tenants.
Landlords have ‘rights too’…….after all, if it were not for them, the renters would have nothing to rent in the first place!! It’s just too bad I don’t live in Lakewood so I could vote those out who proposed RIP in the beginning! In addition, I see one of those ;’was in charge’ of destroying what USED TO BE our beautiful Ft. Steilacoom Park. Now we get to look at tons of TREE STUMPS!!!
“Landlords have ‘rights too’…….after all, if it were not for them, the renters would have nothing to rent in the first place” typical slumlord.
“Who could possibly have any objection to improving rental housing safety? It certainly doesn’t sound like it violates the Constitution’s 4th Amendment” Exactly correct.
“Rental Housing Safety Program” Named by the City of lakewood!
Rock on Council and lets get this started!
Slumlords get out of lakewood.
Who cares about Colorado, this is Lakewood Washington. You probably found this via a google search for Lakewood, and you found us. Stay in lakewood Colorado and keep your business to yourself.
YAAAAAHOOOOO COUNCIL!!!!!
Plus get that MJ MONEY!!!! YIPPY KIYAY MONKEY FATHER!!!!!!