Nowakowski’s staff upset with code violation complaints

I have had a "pleasant" exchange with Jacqueline Sandoval, Councilman Nowakowski's staff, concerning my 200+ complaints that SFR have unpermitted improvements which has resulted in the substancial loss of revenue to Phoenix.

The following are my exchanges today:

Ms. Sandoval,

I was not asking for any relief from the parking fine. I was merely pointing out to the Councilman that the things he votes for, such as these fines, are precisely the reason the voters have had about enough of this City’s “leadership”.

It appears the council can vote for items which are punitive in nature, way beyond the realm of reasonableness, but it is at the discretion of the council if they wish to enforce ordinances in their district – for an example the permit building codes.

Mr. Nowakowski’s district 7 has the most identified unpermitted SFR improvements of any district in this city. In light of the fact the majority of these offences appear in the Maryvale Terrace area, it is my perception, which is shared by others, that there is a disproportionate segment of the city’s population that is being protected.

With my perception of this obvious bias on the part of the councilman and my $37 fine for parking at a meter for 20-minutes after putting four quarters in the meter, exemplifies the priorities of this councilman and others.

Not, in my opinion, a good thing.

And then:

Jacqueline:

You are absolutely correct in your statement that the councilman does not directly determine the extent to which an ordinance is enforced. However, Jacqueline, the council has over-sight on the operations of the city manager and his staff (since the council hires this position) and the fact the codes are not vigorously enforced is a fact,

Your staff members ran my complaint by the city attorney’s office to ascertain if the city is in violation of its charter. My conversation with your legal staff made it clear that the extent of enforcement is determined by the resources provided for enforcement.

Your councilman, along with the majority of the other councilmen and the mayor have seen fit to pull the funding for code enforcement division thus reducing their numbers and the subsequent quantity of violation investigations. This lack of funding is due entirely to the votes of this council.

While I recognize your sympathy and dedication is biased towards your supervisor, the councilman, please feel free to check the facts in order to determine the credulity of my statements.

…and yes, Mr. Murphy did refer the complaints to DSD. I spoke to Frank Dancil last week and was informed that he intends to send out a letter to each address indicating there may be unpermitted construction on the property and to contact the city’s department.

Surely, Jacqueline, you would not try to convince me that this is effective enforcement. Are you?

Respectfully,

Tags: City of Phoenix code enforcement, Mike Nowakowski, Phoenix City Council, Unpermitted SFR improvements