SALEM — City Council heard from community members on two topics in its meeting Tuesday.

Resident Scott Stoffer, who has been a vocal supporter of recent city housing code and enforcement updates, told council of ongoing issues his family has experienced with tenants of an adjacent rental property. Stoffer said that “just a few occurrences” of these issues included tenants of the rental property stealing Christmas gifts from their mailbox forcing it to be moved closer to the house and locked, a full soda can being thrown over their fence nearly striking Stoffer’s 72-year-old mother, while their 1-year-old child was also in the yard, during a party in July, an unlicensed and uninsured tenant crashing into their fence and laughing, and “just a few days ago” threats of assault from a tenant.

Stoffer said that while the tenant’s threats did not worry him personally, the situation has made his wife feel unsafe in their own backyard and their home.

“My home, my house, my property, its worthless. If it doesn’t provide security there’s no worth to that house. Thousands of hours of effort and love spent in that yard lost, because without a sense of security a property is worthless,” said Stoffer.

Stoffer argued that while some might consider the matter “a neighbor dispute that has nothing to do with city government,” the entire situation was “set up by a failure of government,” whether that be “a failure of action, or a failure of inaction, or a failure of both.” Stoffer attributed the issue to a decline in housing standards and enforcement within the city in years past, which permitted unscrupulous landlords to rent unmaintained properties to uninvested tenants.

“We allowed the standards for housing in our city to fall, once we lowered those standards or even ignored those standards, the landlord who have no respect for the condition of their properties or how it affects the neighboring properties, rented to tenants that have no respect for the properties where they live, nor obviously neighboring properties or even their neighbors,” said Stoffer. “If the tenants do not own or care about the properties in which they live, how can they be expected to care about their neighbors, so where does that leave the property owners next to those tenants?”

Stoffer also argued that the situation “may have never occurred if the steps to maintain a landlord’s responsibilities had been enforced or improved, or if the deficiencies in the [housing] ordinance had been identified in 2016, 2018, or 2022,” or if proper enforcement measures had been taken once the properties occupancy license was revoked in 2023.

“It is likely too late for any positive resolution in my family’s scenario, we need to prepare for either continued harassment, be unable to enjoy our landings outside, deal with a sense of insecurity, or worse we could face potential retaliation if the tenants are by the now improved enforcement required to leave the property,” said Stoffer.

Stoffer ultimately said that he was sharing his story to remind the city’s officials that all their decisions, including those they choose not to make, and the speed at which they make them affect Salem residents.

“I came here tonight to give this statement to remind everyone in this chamber, and everyone that holds any position in city government, anyone that represents the people or has an influential voice in the government, that all your actions–or inactions matter. Every detail, every moment, every delay may have a consequence for a citizen of Salem,” said Stoffer.

Council also heard comments from Eloise Traina, who spoke in support of United Way’s upcoming fundraiser which will see donation envelopes distributed to city employees. Traina said that since her recent retirement from the Family Recovery Center in Lisbon, she has had the opportunity to see all the other community support resources and programming provided by the United Way, and the number of people who need that support.

“There are people in the community that need services that you and I don’t even know about,” said Traina.

Traina championed the importance of United Way’s work, and encouraged all the city employees, including the members of city council, for their support as they receive their donation envelopes.

“These are individuals that I think are important to all of us, and whatever you can give and donate through your envelopes makes a difference and I’m just asking for your support, I don’t think we’ve done this before openly, but it makes a difference in what really happens. I know there’s a lot of people benefitting from and helping the United Way around town… and the United Way does a lot of different things, it works for the health, the education, and the financial stability of many people that you and I probably will never cross paths with but I ask for your support, and that when you get the envelope do something with it and not just dump it,” said Traina.

During her report Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey said that the city had posted no parking signs on South Madison Avenue in response to recent concerns from residents. Dickey explained that the street was not wide enough to accommodate parking with the volume of traffic it receives being located between two of the city’s “major thoroughfares” in State Street and Southeast Boulevard, and that the number of children living on the street had also increased.

“We did look and all the properties there do have driveways they can use; I have gotten a lot of comments from the residents and other in the area that use that street saying how much better it is now to go down through there and how much safer it seems and cleaner. It’s the same as when we took parking off Southeast, so you should be aware of that in case you receive any complaints,” said Dickey.

During his report City Service Safety Director Joe Cappuzzello provided an update on the upgrades for the sound system in city council chambers. Cappuzzello said that he and Administrative Secretary Debbie Bricker had visited Allegheny Wesleyan College to see and discuss its sound system, which was installed by Majestic Sound, and that following their discussions he was recommending the city select Majestic Sound’s quote of $6,729 to complete the upgrade.

During the reports of standing committees Councilman Jeff Stockman announced that the Rules and Ordinances Committee would be meeting 6 p.m. Oct. 1 prior to Council’s next meeting, to discuss the city’s light trespassing and electric scooter ordinances and review the language of an animal ordinance. Councilman Evan Newman announced that he would be scheduling a Residential Committee meeting to discuss Community Reinvestment Act promotional materials, and to discuss how city council can collaborate with city administration on the anticipated street and sidewalk levy renewal, which has since been scheduled for 5:15 p.m. Oct. 1.

City Council will meet next at 7 p.m. Oct. 1.

mahart@mojonews.com