Dolton property owner urges program to let local owners flip homes, warns against outside bankers

Jerome Lewis, a property owner and resident of Dolton, urged officials during a public comment period to allow experienced local owners and small businesses to buy and flip distressed houses, arguing that doing so would accelerate repairs and produce owner-occupied homes rather than rentals.

"If you have some true owners with who experience in flipping these houses, I believe you should let them do it," Lewis said. He said he has contacted officials previously and asked directly about the program's duration: "How long is this program? Is it a year? Is it 2 years? Is it permanent for the residents?" Those details were not specified in the transcript.

Lewis framed his appeal around two goals: speeding up rehabilitation and preventing a repeat of past investor behavior. He said he knows "owners and investors that did the program and flipped the house right away and made money," and asked whether bankers and outside investors would be subject to the same rules as local owners. "But I also don't want bankers to come in and deal what they did 20, 25 years ago," he said, calling for limits on outside investors if they will not follow the same standards.

Lewis described himself as a landlord and said his properties are "top notch," arguing that trusted local owners can place the "right people" into rehabilitated homes. He urged officials to allow qualified small businesses and investors to flip houses and sell them to people who will live there rather than rent them out.

The transcript records only Lewis's comments and does not record any official response or formal action on his points. The program's specific duration and whether outside banks will be subject to identical rules were raised as open questions in Lewis's remarks and are not resolved in the record.