Northeast News
June 17, 2015

Dear Editor:

As the municipal elections approach, I noted that Freedom Inc. is busy stirring the pot. In the Sunday edition of the Kansas City Star, it was reported that the only judge they are urging their constituents to vote against is Judge Wilcher of the Housing Court. http://www.kansascity.com/news/government-politics/article24035989.html

For those of us actively involved in Historic Northeast and particularly in Scarritt Renaissance, where I serve as president, Judge Wilcher is EXACTLY WHAT THIS COMMUNITY NEEDS. He is the type of judge who is concerned about the people living around those with codes violations, in addition to being willing to work with those who have difficulty paying their fines.

In April, the chairwoman of our codes committee, a resident who had been living next to a burned out house for over two years, and I appeared before Judge Wilcher asking him to require the property owner to finish the repairs and return that block to a good place to live where property values could once again thrive and where residents didn’t have to deal with the crime issues that come with blighted properties.

As he was considering the type of consequence that was fair to the owner and the neighborhood, he learned that the owner received a $100,000 insurance payment for the fire but chose to use it for some other purpose. Judge Wilcher had no patience for that and gave the owner three months to finish the rehab of the home or face demolition of the dangerous building because he wanted to support conscientious property owners on the block and in the neighborhood. Neighborhood representatives intend to be back in front of the judge to support demolition if the property is not finished.

It is great that Freedom Inc. is concerned about those who cannot pay the fines. However, they need to investigate a bit further. Codes violations don’t automatically go to housing court. Instead such cases are the result of repeated and ongoing disregard of the law. The city has resources to help such individuals who are truly trying to bring their property up to code. And Freedom Inc. needs to learn that the judge allows property owners to make payments on the fine. Perhaps Freedom Inc. could create a fund from their coffers that they could use to help residents make the needed repairs.

And perhaps Freedom Inc. could show a little concern about all the residents who surround the blighted properties. I imagine that many of those property owners are in the same economic situation as those who show up in court, but somehow they are managing to keep up their homes. Maybe Freedom Inc. could REWARD THEM FOR DOING THE RIGHT THING instead of punishing them with the position they have taken in this election.

Judge Wilcher needs to stay and support the efforts of the neighborhoods in their work to improve the lives of neighbors who are forced to endure blight. Otherwise, those good people leave their homes for the suburbs and we need them in our community as we rebuild the urban core. PLEASE GET OUT AND VOTE ON JUNE 23 AND BE SURE THAT JUDGE WILCHER REMAINS IN OFFICE FOR THE SAKE OF OUR RESIDENTS.

Leslie Caplan

Northeast Resident