EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio – East Cleveland city council members Stevenson and Patricia Blochowiak believe the demolition of a home owned by Mayor Brandon King raises a series of questions.
According to records by both the city and Cuyahoga County, King purchased the Oakhill Road home from the East Cleveland Land Bank for no more than $1,000 in 2017, but Stevenson and Blochowiak believe the mayor has no power to break leave it.
Stevenson told News 5 she believes King broke a city ordinance that she says any home taken from the city’s land fund must begin renovations within a year, or the property must be returned to the city.
Dave Hatala
Stevenson said she believes the mayor violated that agreement, the house should not have been demolished, and the mayor should have done a better job of keeping the house maintained in that historic neighborhood.
“I can’t believe you’re going to tear down this house,” says Stevenson. “You get the property, you have a year to fix the property, if you don’t do that, the property goes back to the city. So this property should be reverted back to the city. ”
“Every homeowner has an obligation to preserve and remodel their home, he didn’t do what he said he would and that is why we are here today. When it comes to demolition, I would ask where the money came from for this, why was it done and why the property didn’t return to the city.”
Dave Hatala
Patricia Blochowiak, Patricia Blochowiak, told News 5 that the demolition of the house should have been inspected by the city council because the house came from the land fund through council approval.
“We should know where the funding is coming from, we should know why that particular demolition company was chosen, we should know if the licensing process is legal,” Blochowiak said. .
News 5 spoke with other homeowners who live in historic homes on Oakhill Road, who do not wish to be identified, who say they are disappointed the home has been taken down, despite its poor condition. its bad. Homeowners share their concerns about property values and having a vacant lot in the vicinity.
Patricia Blochowiak
News 5 made four phone calls to King’s office and his personal cell phone, including leaving a message with his office manager. News 5 also emailed the mayor, but we’re still waiting for a response.
Meanwhile, Stevenson hopes the mayor will soon provide answers to many questions about the house he demolished.
“If you don’t want the house, if you decide you don’t want it, you’re not going to fix it, put it back where it started,” says Stevenson. “It was his duty and he didn’t do it.”
