Melissa Bailey File Photo
After an alderman investigated an absentee landlord’s alleged junkyard — and got arrested for his troubles — the city confirmed his allegations in a cease-and-desist letter.
The letter is the latest twist in the saga of New Haven government and its most prominent critic du jour, West Rock Alderman Darnell Goldson (pictured).
Police were waiting at Goldson’s house when he arrived home last Thursday. They were there to charge him with trespassing. They were acting on a complaint that Goldson had allegedly walked onto the driveway of an absentee owner’s vacant house on West Hills Road and lifted the tarps off of parked cars.
Goldson, meanwhile, offered a different version of events, which he claimed a witness could back up: That neighbors had complained about problems at the house, including illegally stored abandoned cars. That he never lifted the tarps. That he took photographs of the cars from the sidewalk. And that a “No Trespassing” sign suddenly appeared in the house’s window after he checked the place out. (He had photographs to prove it.)
That was Feb. 4.
On Feb. 5 a certified letter went out to the owner of the empty house, Corey J. Pollard. It said that a city inspector, James Turcio, had checked out his property the same day.
The letter, from to city building official Andrew Rizzo, said the inspection revealed that (as Goldson charged) Pollard was operating an illegal junkyard. It ordered Pollard to “cease and desist.”
Click here to read the letter.
Pollard could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Rizzo said Pollard came in to see him last week to find out what the fuss was. Rizzo explained the law to him, then sent him the letter.
Turcio, the inspector Rizzo dispatched to the property, said Pollard has 10 days to remove the cars.
“We’ve had problems with that property before,” Turcio said. “We cleaned it up years ago — same stuff, the cars and all that.”
Rizzo said he does not advise aldermen to go on problem properties and take photographs. That’s his office’s job, he said.
“If a constituent calls, tell me, ‘Andy, there’s a problem here.’ I send someone out.”
Alderman Goldson said he had been telling staff members of the Liveable City Initiative (LCI) about the problem at the property for weeks before taking the pictures.
LCI Deputy Director Frank D’Amore confirmed Tuesday afternoon that Goldson had mentioned the property to an LCI staffer at a recent neighborhood management team meeting.
Goldson is due in court Feb. 18 to answer the trespassing charge.
Police Chief James Lewis said Tuesday that the courtroom is the proper place to settle the “he said/ she said” nature of the allegations in this incident.
He said his cops acted properly in issuing Goldson a citation based on the complaint from the property owner.
“When you have a homeowner calling and saying [trespassing] occurs, and you have an independent witness,” the officer is right to issue a ticket and send the matter to the court, Lewis said. “That’s what the judge has to do — decide who’s telling the truth.”
He said Goldson’s position as an alderman had absolutely nothing to do with the arrest. If the police had decided not to issue the citation because Goldson is an alderman, that would have been a problem, he argued.
Goldson said he “respectfully disagrees” with the chief’s position.
“They could have done a little more investigating before they made the arrest. The guy wasn’t even in the house” who called in the complaint, Goldson said.
“If it’s questionable — especially if someone calls three or four hours after an incident occurs — it would be prudent for the police department first to do an investigation. Let’s see if there’s other witnesses. I had two witnesses on either side of the house who saw me. They didn’t have to write it when they didn’t have the evidence.”
Goldson said he “resents any city employee attempt at defining an alderman’s job.”
He cited Article IX Section 37 of the city charter to argue that he was “well within my responsibilities when addressing this issue of blight…. The [Board of Aldermen] has very wide ranging and general authority granted to it by the state legislature and the City Charter. We are the zoning body for the city. We are responsible for the general health and welfare of the city and its residents. I resent any city employee attempt at defining an alderman’s job. I believe, according to state statutes and the City Charter, that I was well within my responsibilities when addressing this issue of blight.