I live in Essex Maryland, which is a suburb on the outskirts of Baltimore. Last year many citizens got together to fight a Senate Bill which was called SB509. It was a condemnation Bill that allowed the County to GIVE property to developers so they could revitalize the area. We fought hard and long to finally get it put on a referendum to allow the registered voters to decide if they wanted this Bill.
This is how it would have worked. The County would find an area they believed needed a make over. Then they would start sending out letters of notification that a person's home, property or business was going to be taken for this revitalization effort. Many of these homes and businesses were in perfect shape. The County made a list of addresses to be taken. What was really amazing was that there was, and still is, a State Delegate (I will not name this person for privacy sake). And this said person had property that was ideal for the purpose they had in mind. But here's the clincher. The County wanted to take these well kept homes and properties and condemn them and give the owners what they felt was Fair Market Value, but left the other properties belonging to this Delegate off the list. And this Delegate's property looked like it should have been condemned years ago.
An apartment complex was up for condemnation, as well. It houses single mothers, the disabled and the elderly under the Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation program.in a letter, we found that they would offer relocation fees for the residents. But on closer examination, it stated that they would give the resident (s) "up to" $2500.00 over the next "year" OR "The remainder of their lease. Whichever was less." What that means is that they would pay the difference in what they were paying for rent in their current rental and pay the difference of the rent in another rental unit.
Many of these residents ae paying 1/3 of their incomes, which many are an average of $6500 yearly. So, if they were paying $150 a month, which includes utilities, for their apartment before moving, then having to find a place that they could barely afford, say $350 a month, plus utilities, how long would that $2500.00 last? I estimated about 5 months. Then what? Now they are in a place they can no longer afford and they get evicted for not being able to pay their rent. People, we are talking about some residents that many are 65 and over! How many people can picture their parent or grandparent having to live like that? Or even a resident that had a disability and needs a certain medical care and can't get to a doctor of their choice or need because their new place is no longer on a bus line? I know this is long, but I ask you to bear with me.
So, now we beat this Bill. Now 2 other Bills was just passed, and were siged into law. A Senate Bill and a House Bill, because we could not get enough signatures for a referendum on time because we were deceived on how this new process was going to work. Did we need to have enough signatures for both Bills? First we were told that we only needed a certain percentage of signatures by registered voters for both Bills. We did that.
Then we were told that the signatures were not acceptable because they were duplicates because we only needed the signatures for one Bill because they both were worded in the same fashion.By the time they kept running us back and forth between the State Attorney General's Office and the election board, our time ran out. Here is the scarey part. Remember the condemnation Bill? Well they could not use the same language in these new Bills because they were already defeated. So they used other words. This one says, "Aquire Property for the benefit of the community" I know I am no college graduate, but doesn't that say the same thing as condemnation, only in fancier words? And guess what? This Bill covers the entire State. Not just a County any more.
The only way I see it is that some politicians, that were suppposed to be for "We The People" saw an opportunity to be for "We The Government" and to heck with the people. If we keep allowing our elected officials to get away with things like this, then the Constitution of The United States is going to becoming nothing more than some fancy toilet paper.
Pay close attention to what Bills are being introduced and who is sponsoring these Bills in your State and Counties. You have a right as part of "We The People" to speak your concerns and ask questions to your elected officials. We, the people of the United States are the Government. But somewhere along the line, we lost track of that and have given our elected officials the right to do whatever is pleaseing to them and their political careers and not doing what is in the best interest of their constituants.
Let us take "We The People" back into our control and make sure these corrupt politicians don't make into office the next time around.
Goldie Blankenship-JR consumer complaintse
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