What's good for the burbs should be good for the city

At first glance, it appeared to be just another Vindicator story about the anti-social behavior of some Youngstown residents: Sixty old tires, housing debris, furniture, paint cans, a junk car, collapsing garage and shed, gutters hanging down, an old lawn mower and trash resulting recently in citations being issued to residents on Early Road and Alameda and Atkinson avenues.
Also during that sweep by police officers Dave Wilson and Michael Cox and housing inspectors Mark Williams and Annie Kay, the owner of three houses was cited with failure to maintain structures in a safe and sanitary condition.
Just another day in the life of those responsible for enforcing Youngstown's housing code.
So, what made this particular story, published earlier this month, noteworthy?
It was the attitude of a landlord toward the city's crackdown on what is an epidemic of bad behavior. By the way, the landlord was not a Youngstown resident.
In pointing out that he often travels outside the city to issue citations to landlords who own property in the city but live in surrounding suburbs, Wilson recalled a recent exchange he had with a resident of an upscale house on Gault Road in Canfield, who owns a house on Logan Avenue in Youngstown. The officer said the suburbanite wondered if the city did not have more serious problems than being concerned about housing code violations.
The audacity of the man.
Quality of life
He lives in a community that places a premium on the appearance of its neighborhoods and its main thoroughfares and refuses to turn a blind eye to the deterioration of the housing stock and shabby yards. Property values are high because residents demand that government preserve the quality of life they have come to expect.
Thus, when a resident of one of the wealthiest communities in the Mahoning Valley questions Youngstown's decision to crack down on violators of the housing code, the questions that must be asked of him are these: Would you sit idly by if a house in your neighborhood showed signs of decay? How would you feel if the owner of the shabby structure in your neighborhood lived in some other community and had a what's-the-big-deal reaction to complaints?
The bottom line is that the city doesn't need out-of-towners contributing to its unkempt appearance. There are enough residents who have no qualms about turning neighborhoods into garbage dumps.
As we've advised on several occasions, Youngstown officials, especially the municipal judges, must be willing to come down hard on individuals who have no pride in the community and have an utter disregard for those who care and obey the law.
As a result of the recent sweep, Daniel Schulte and Lester Carter, both of Early Road, Letta Floyd of Atkinson Avenue, and Latrese Dawson of Alameda Avenue were arraigned.
A first offense conviction carries a penalty of up to 90 days in jail and a $750 fine; second and subsequent convictions mean up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
A dirty community breeds contempt, which is why those who break the law deserve to be punished to its fullest extent.
As for nonresident landlords, jail time may be the only deterrent; the fines are not particularly steep.
Indeed, judges might want to consider creative sentencing, such as requiring the landlord to live in the dilapidated house until it is brought up to code. It certainly worked in the movie "The Super" starring Joe Pesci.