Opinion

Letter To The Editor: Following Code Violation Ordinance Issue Closely

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By ANNA DILLANE
Community member
Home and Business owner

I have been following this Code Violation Ordinance issue closely and wanted to add my two cents. Our neighbors are frustrated. They are being told that they have to undertake large and small home repair projects within unreasonable time limits. People are hurting.

Council members are hearing about this and trying to figure out what to do.

One request made of the public is to meet with councilors individually to talk about specific situations. Councilor James Chrobocinski has met with an affected group and called for emails from others Read More

Letter To The Editor: The Ordinance, Some Solutions

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By HELEN M. MILENSKI
Los Alamos

I have waited until having the opportunity to read all of Mr. Izraelevitz’s (Council Chair David Izraelevitz) partitioned letters to the editor. Also, he accepted an invitation to have coffee with me and discuss some of the issues I take with the current ordinance and its enforcement. Heather Ortega joined me and I do believe we covered a lot of the concerns we have both heard from the community.

 I will now respond with my own letter to the editor and as I do not intend to partition my letter, I will try to be brief.

I am quite certain that most people, rich or poor, Read More

Letter To The Editor: Old Smith’s Building

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By KATHY WILLCUTT
Los Alamos
 
Has anyone considered looking at the Old Smith’s building with the eye for a recreation facility?
 
Could it house gymnastics, some basketball courts, even an indoor ice skating rink? It has utilities. It has parking. It is large and tall. Perhaps even air conditioned.
 
Perhaps the creative minds in this community could think of a great community use for it. There is interest in more recreation facilities.
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Council Corner: Working Together To Enhance Our Community

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By David Izraelevitz
Los Alamos
 
Code Enforcement – Part 3 of a 3-part series

In Part 1 of my editorial on code enforcement, I covered the “why” behind the program, and in Part 2, I addressed the “how” of the process that is involved. Today in Part 3, I would like to talk more philosophically about code enforcement and what the County and the community can do to assist with resources.

Let me address the “government-encroachment” argument first which I have heard a few times. I can understand that some, and probably most individuals feel an initial gut feeling of government overreach when an ordinance Read More

Letter To The Editor: Nuisance Ordinance – It’s Even Worse Than It Sounds

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By JIM REDMAN
Los Alamos

I am indebted to David Izraelevitz (link) for explaining to citizens in excruciating detail how burdensome, unpleasant, aggressive and bureaucratic the enforcement of weeds over 18 inches has become in Los Alamos. For this enforcement we must create acronyms, have well defined timelines and threaten court action. It’s really difficult for me to think of something so anathema to good neighbors and neighborhoods and a clearer demonstration of poor governance.

That there are reports from citizens that the “best practices” described are not followed Read More

Letter To The Editor: Old Smith’s Building

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By KATHLEENE PARKER
Los Alamos

Los Alamos’ take on the old Smith’s building is clearly that of a town not dependent on retail.

Why turn to the old standby of multi-family housing or offices – more of NOT developing retail – rather than what downtown really needs? Why do we endlessly try “to bring in new residents” considering the grim housing situation for those already here, or is that just herd instinct in a nation so infatuated by growth its been bankrupted by it?

And, why always the “glass half empty” attitude about our numbers rather than that we’re one of the wealthiest towns in the nation, exactly

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Letter To The Editor: More Utility Rate Increases

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By BRADY BURKE
Los Alamos

Remember that discussion a couple of months back about how sewer rates were being rubber-stamped each year for the past five years at 8 percent each year. The Department of Public Utilities wanted an 8 percent increase this year to show that they had revenues to get financing for the White Rock Water Treatment Facility (WRWTF or WWTF).

Remember that I was a strong advocate of tying the increases to the specific projects that they were using as rationale so that they could be removed when that obligation went away? Instead, the Council approved the increases to allow the DPU Read More

Council Corner: The ‘How’ Of Code Enforcement

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By DAVID IZRAELEVITZ
Los Alamos
  • Part 2 of a 3-part series
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  • In Part 1 of my editorial on code enforcement, I covered the “why” behind the program. Today, I would like to address in some detail the “how” of code enforcement, a process which is managed within the Community Development Department (CDD) by two full-time Code Enforcement Officers. My hope is that by explaining a little more about the process, I can help clear up confusion and concern in our community.

Let’s begin with clarifying two terms that seem to be interchangeable when the public discusses this sensitive topic, but are very Read More

Letter To The Editor: Nuisance Ordinance – Hurrah For Jim Redman And The LADP!

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By KEI DAVIS
Los Alamos

I would like to publicly second Jim Redman’s statement (link).

It is refreshing that someone has the intellectual capacity to see something for what it is, has the fortitude to publicly state it, and has a forum on which to do so (the Los Alamos Daily Post).
 
While I have not (yet) been either victim (or aggressor) in this context, I still regard it as a nasty and overly-expensive arrangement.
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Letter To The Editor: Nuisance Ordinance – It’s Not The Messaging … It’s The Program

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By JIM REDMAN
Los Alamos

David Izraelevitz works hard for Los Alamos and to support our citizens but on the topic of the nuisance ordinance his opinions are misguided and his advocated solutions inappropriate (link).

There are undoubtedly problems that need to be addressed, but the requirement to solve those larger problems has created an ordinance that is causing unnecessary and useless annoyances to reasonable citizens. Overzealous enforcement is at tax payers expense and adds little value to the community

It’s hard to disagree with Izraelevitz’s statement “A community thrives Read More