Rotten in Brewer

I read in the paper that the city of Brewer proposes an ordinance to force homeowners to get shrubbery. Do not worry, citizens of Brewer, it will never be enforced. Because most of the elected officials and the appointed bureaucrats in the city do not enforce ordinances and state laws that protect human health, never mind vanity.

I owned property for seven years in Brewer and lived next to a garbage pit apartment whose filth would rival a city dump. So when the rotting trash piled up for a month, the stench flowed into my house, and the used diapers and feminine napkins blew into my yard, I asked the city to force them to clean up.

What did Brewer do? They sent a letter, the same letter that the same owner had ignored for years. The owner would comply a little bit, but in a matter of weeks it would revert back to its festering mess. The city said they did not have the evidence to prosecute. I brought the evidence to them, still no action by the city. Then I brought it to the attention of the city manager but no action was taken.

I then brought it to the attention of the city council. I pleaded my case, the owners of the mess pleaded their case. The council seemed very sympathetic to the owner’s assertion that she was so busy she could not bring the trash to the curb. No action was taken except another meaningless letter. At this point we moved out of the city, realizing our continued investment in Brewer was like throwing money into the trash heap next door.

The city officials even tried to tell me there were no ordinances or laws that would allow them to prosecute someone who would not dispose of their garbage properly.

This same owner had and continues to have numerous violations of ordinances and state laws: unsafe buildings, junk vehicles, junk piled up, etc. I do not think a few shrubs would take care of these problems, and I doubt they would comply anyway.

Maine law states that it is municipal officials’ responsibility to protect the health, safety and welfare of the residents in accordance with federal, state and local laws and regulations. Since the city officials have not taken action on this matter, they are, in my opinion, guilty of malfeasance.

My advice to the many wonderful citizens in Brewer is: Make a drastic change in your city government and, if a mess moves next door, don’t call the city, call your Realtor. Paul Nichols Levant