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Candidates support abandoned-building ordinance in principle, differ on prioritizing implementation
Summary
All three candidates said they back the adopted abandoned-building ordinance; Dwight Bailey raised transparency concerns about the ad hoc committee and cautioned that fines could backfire, while Ahmed Tasi urged a comprehensive inventory and Sarah Sebring said she would review ordinance details before setting priorities.
The council-adopted abandoned-building ordinance drew support from candidates but sharp differences about implementation responsibilities and tools.
Ahmed Tasi said he "would prioritize the implementation of this ordinance by first conducting a comprehensive inventory of all abandoned properties" and working with property owners and stakeholders to build an action plan. Sarah Sebring said she "would absolutely have to investigate what the ordinance entails in more detail before" committing to a priority level but agreed there should be repercussions for properties that degrade over time.
Dwight Bailey raised process concerns: he said an ad hoc committee formed after the ordinance's passage has not been publicly posted and questioned whether committee members filed required financial-disclosure (Form 700) documents. He also criticized the council for delegating too much authority to staff, saying public oversight is needed to ensure the ordinance operates as intended.
The forum produced no formal votes or operational timeline; candidates proposed inventories, grant seeking and stakeholder collaboration as next steps if elected.
