City is on the right track holding tenants responsible

City is on the right trackholding tenants responsible
EDITOR:
I want to personally thank Fire Chief John J. O'Neill, Jr. for his efforts in promoting the passage of the new city legislation that will hold tenants responsible for keeping their smoke detectors working effective Jan. 1. I also want to thank Mayor George McKelvey and members of city council who voted for and supported the passage of this long-overdue legislation.
This particular legislation, which promotes equitable law enforcement, is a step in the right direction, but there are many other issues that need to be similarly addressed, such as responsibility for cutting grass, exterior trash cleanup, vehicles parked on the grass, etc. Although I am in complete agreement that the maintenance of rental homes is the landlord's responsibility, tenants who are residing in these homes are responsible for cutting their own grass, collecting and carrying all their garbage down by the curb for weekly pickup, parking their cars in the driveway, not on the grass, etc.
Landlords are presently cited for their tenants' failure to comply with such city laws and ordinances. It is time for our local legislators to hold the responsible parties accountable for failure to abide by these rules. Legislation that promotes equitable responsibility through its enforcement will ultimately result in a brighter, cleaner and safer city for all.
GARY M. CRIM
Youngstown
Read the Constitutionto understand what we have
EDITOR:
Folks entrusted with implementing the Constitution for the United States of America ignore its lawful supremacy in the land -- except when it can be manipulated to their advantage. They know you don't read it!
To have the effect of law, all congressional/legislative acts and all treaties must conform to the Constitution. The only way to supersede, bypass or ignore Constitutional content is via amendment -- an intentionally lengthy and arduous procedure. There is no arbitrary revision of law. Constitutionally sound laws and rights shall not be disregarded by any court (supreme or other), president, governor, district attorney or cop. There is no "interpreting" save conformity to the original linguistic idiom of the day they were enacted. Martial law is nonexistent!
The citizenry is the authority of this government. Our employees answer to us -- not vice versa. To protect the individual from a lynching, we ordained a Constitutional Republic. The lynch mob is a democracy. Socialism comes next!
Because we are blessed and apathetic, we haven't been supervising our employees. They've become renegades and put us in the same predicament for which the Declaration of Independence was implemented. Read it, and may your conscience be your guide!
MIKE NEELY
New Castle, Pa
Will 6th Ward councilmanhave a listening ear for all?
EDITOR:
In the 6th Ward of Youngstown, a new councilman is about to take office. But what has not been told to the people of the 6th Ward is if Mr. Boles knows you did not vote for him, he will not want to hear your problems. Mr. Boles also does not like people who have talked out against him. If you have, Mr. Boles wants a written apology to be printed in The Vindicator before he will hear your problem.
In a country that is supposed to have freedom of speech and freedom of self-expression, it looks as though there is going to be very little of it in the 6th Ward. But then this is Youngstown, and it is what has come to be the norm. It is sad that Mr. Fortune will not be the councilman because at least with him you did not always have to see eye to eye, but he would listen to you if you had a problem.
JAMES D. VAUGHN II
Youngstown.