The city’s Housing Inspection Office got a shot in the arm this week from an unlikely source, providing new hope for the future of the five-man department that city officials have threatened to cut recently to save money. The City Council voted 5-1-3 Wednesday night to urge city administrators to continue to fund the office charged with inspecting the city’s buildings and ensuring that they meet fire and safety codes. The vote, which was a non-binding “sense of the council” resolution, was a surprising shot across the bow of city administrators, since the majority of the council in the past has tended to staunchly support outspoken Mayor Anthony Russo and his policies. This time, however, the mayor was only able to win the vote of Council President Nellie Moyeno. When the council began to consider the resolution of support, Mayor Russo made his first public comments about the inspection team, “quoting” a conversation he had with the team’s administrator, Jude Fitzgibbons, in which Fitzgibbons allegedly said that he gave landlords breaks when they needed them. The mayor cited this as an example of why it might be better for the state to handle the inspections. Fitzgibbons and members of his team hotly disputed the mayor’s interpretation of events. “The mayor is a liar,” he told the council. “I don’t overlook violations. We are not here to overlook violations. We are here to make sure that landlords are compliant.” Later, Business Administrator George Crimmins said that eliminating the office would save the city $250,000 in salary expenses that could be applied to other departments where they are sorely needed. He also pointed out that the state would be willing to pick up the team’s responsibilities at no cost to the city taxpayers and that the state inspection team could take over the responsibilities almost immediately. “The taxpayers will get more bang for their buck if we eliminate this department,” he said. But a majority of the council saw the move as unnecessary – or worse. City Councilwoman Roseanne Andreula, a sponsor of the resolution, said, “If the housing inspection office is not broken, why fix it?” Other members of the council suggested that the office was being targeted for closure because Fitzgibbons’ brother, Maurice, is a county freeholder who tends to support candidates for city office who oppose the mayor’s policies, and because Joe Grossi, the city’s union representative, serves on the team. “These men are being targeted because they speak out and they are related to public officials,” said Councilman Tony Soares, who also sponsored the resolution. Mayor Russo appeared to be taken aback by the lack of support for his initiative. “Some of you council people always talk about me wanting to have control,” he said. “Now I am presenting something that is about efficiency and streamlining, not politics, and you don’t support it.” Mayor Russo and Crimmins both repeatedly said that if they ultimately decide to eliminate the office, all five employees will still be able to work for the city, but will simply be moved to other jobs. After the meeting, Crimmins said that the five-member crew was expected to examine approximately 1200 units this year. According to his calculations, that is the equivalent of approximately 1.5 units a day per inspector. “What they’ll do for an inspection is they’ll walk around a unit and make sure that everything works and is in place,” he said. “They’ll ensure that the fire escapes are good, the fire alarms work and the sprinkler system is working if there is one. It’s pretty straight forward. There is really no downside to turning these duties over to the state.” Council members Michael Cricco, Richard Del Boccio and Ruben Ramos Jr. joined Andreula and Soares in supporting the measure. Council members Theresa Castellano, Dave Roberts and Stephen Hudock abstained due to conflicts of interest.
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