I disagreed with Hogg’s post about Skip’s Stairs. David thought Mevin “Skip” Alston was owed an apology; I thought he was not owed anything because it took a threat by city inspectors to get those stairs inspected and someone had already gotten hurt. You don’t apologize for checking into safety issues when damage had already been done.
Lorraine Ahearn’s column this a.m. took it up a notch and was accompanied by Margaret Moffett Banks’ story, “St. James steps need more than quick fix.” Summary:
The staircases at St. James Homes must be replaced by March or undergo “massive additional repairs” to be safe, the city’s chief of inspections said. [emphasis added]
Worse, the woman who got hurt now claims a sort of harrassment against her by Mr. Alston for her going public. Ahearn’s column: “They’ve been pressuring all of us,” Poteat [the woman who was injured] said. “I’ve had trouble with (Alston) ever since the accident.”
Worse for Alston, he is claiming a plan to upgrade almost everything at St. James. He just seems unavailable to explain where the money is coming from to perform these repairs. “Alston said he plans to add central air conditioning, new cabinets and windows, and update the bathrooms…” and then, “At a news conference Oct. 19, Alston said he is still searching for a way to pay for the renovations. Alston didn’t return telephone calls Thursday, so it is unclear how he plans to pay for the project.”
This county commish and landlord seems to have a problem with the truth when it comes to the landlording side of his business.
Alston’s Believability Quotient
- Alston denied that he was instructed by [GSO Chief of Inspections Butch] Simmons to make significant repairs to the steps in one building.
- He [Simmons] also said Alston had 48 hours to hire an engineer to certify the stairs — a claim Alston adamantly denied during his news conference the next day.
- He claims to be making massive upgrades that include “add[ing] central air conditioning, new cabinets and windows, and updat[ing] the bathrooms” but isn’t available to specify how he’s going to pay for those upgrades.
Don’t start apologizing till the engineers’ reports are in. I trust the city’s inspections personnel and according to Alston’s own hired engineer, who,
“[i]n his report, [the engineer] told Alston the “temporary repairs are only planned to prolong usage of the stairs until March 2006,” when Alston plans a $1.4 million renovation project.”[the renovation he hasn't disclosed his funding source]
I don’t think we should apologize to Mr. Alston. I think we should apologize to the residents of St. James.
Dang straight.
Covering Skip
Tell me of another instance where a city inspector’s informed opinion was so widely publicized.
It looks like it may be proven that no apology was necessary, but why were these pronouncements made before City Council?
It just smells political to me.
When you’re a public person like Skip Alston is, wide publication goes with the territory. If you’re going to regulate business as a commish, then your own business has to be able to withstand some sunshine. It certainly doesn’t help that Skip denies things that are proven to be true. It’s worse if he’s harrassed a tenant who went public.
What would Skip say to a landlord of a predominantly-minority housing development who allowed a tenant to get hurt through disrepair and then didn’t work openly and quickly with the city inspectors to fix what was broken?
Skip wants a high profile; he seeks it; he relishes it. Publicity goes along with it. It’s exactly what he’d do to any other landlord accused of injuring minority tenants and not fixing those problems immediately and in a high profile way.
I don’t know if Mr. Agapion’s slums have been brought in front of the City Council, but he’s received equally bad and even bigger press about his failings and the dangers to his tenants. The negative attention Skip Alston is getting isn’t new; it’s about time.
Personally I have a problem with realtors, property developers and builders sitting on the County Commission or similar government bodies.
Any time you have a financial intrest in zoning laws, building codes and safety inspections, there is a high potential for conflict of interest and abuse.
Greensboro/Guilford Co. is still home to one of the worst slum lords in the country and still does practically NOTHING to put this guy out of business.
One possible interpretation is that his critics are “piling on”. Another possible interpretation is that this type of thing may have been going on for years, and that we are only now getting around to doing something about it.
Where is Skip going to get the money? Well from his pals on the Guilford County Board of County Commissioners naturally! Of course this hand out to Alston won’t be legal but Hey, what’s new about a little shading of the law where he and his cronies are concerned!