Auden Grogins, the blonde banshee from Black Rock, is coming off a hectic legislative session, as well as the other seven members of the city’s Hartford delegation. Early in the week Grogins was a key member of delegation efforts to pass a bill to increase regulation of massage parlors, something particularly important to her constituents in Black Rock. Grogins issued this news release Thursday about passage of an anti-blight law that features increased fines for violations. The bill goes to Governor Dan Malloy for his signature.
Rep. Auden Grogins (D-Bridgeport) and Jeff Berger (D-Waterbury) announced an anti-blight bill has passed the House of Representatives and Senate and awaits the Governor’s signature.
“Blighted and abandoned properties have plagued our cities for too long. This important legislation will be instrumental in holding absentee landlords and property owners responsible for cleaning up their properties or face hefty fines and eventual foreclosure if they willingly violate this law. I am proud to have to have sponsored this bill which I believe will help increase our tax base and improve the quality of life for Bridgeport residents,” Rep. Grogins said.
“We must make sure property and land owners in our cities maintain them as an important component of revitalization,” Rep. Berger said. “Unkempt and garbage-strewn lots contribute to the perception of abandonment and increased crime.”
The bill requires towns that have housing blight ordinances to include in their regulations a written notice to the property’s owner and occupant when a violation occurs to provide a reasonable opportunity to remediate the conditions before any enforcement action.
Current law allows fines of between $10 and $100 can be imposed for each day a violation continues. The new law allows fines of up to $250 per day for a willful failure to eliminate blighted conditions.
The blight officers (if we have any left) did apply fines and summonses to those who violated the blight laws … but try to collect those fines and fees … Nada paid to the city … it gets tied up in courts and sits there for years. If we were able to collect o/s fines our city would be in the black.
On Brewster St. in Black Rock, three blocks from Auden’s house, is a house countless citizens spoke out about, it’s a blight issue. Has the city placed any fines on it and collected anything? Considering the Bpt. blight enforcer was removed from office months ago for having a fake Oxford address. Hell, there was not even a house at that Oxford address.
I would imagine there would be a lot of overtime with that position in the Park City.
Bad Trend: Blog Blight
Pat Fardy and Black Rockin are today’s guilty experts. Their graffiti-like blogging is so bad it should be against the law.
Local Eyes,
Keep out of Bridgeport. There is a fine for being a stupid alcoholic.
Bridgeport Kid: Have a nice day–unless you’ve made OTHER PLANS.
There is way too much blight in this town. Even in the neighborhoods that are up and coming. It used to be a badge of honor. You know, “I come from a bad-ass place!” Now it’s just an endemic problem.
*** BRIDGEPORT IS NOW BLIGHTPORT, NO? ***