Lynn,
I wish to bring to the attention of the people of the City of Kitchener an issue which many are facing this week. After the “developments” from the summer on Moore Ave downtown, the new sidewalks are laid improperly and do not drain as they are supposed to. This has resulted in an uncontrolable amount of ice on the sidewalks this winter after the recent thaws and freezes we’ve experienced.
Adding to this is a man who calls himself Mike Niederer claiming the position of “Municipal Law Enforcement Officer”. This man went through the neighborhood and issued a warning to clean the walks down to the pavement on Monday March 3rd. Upon attempting to clean the ice with no avail as it is too thick from the frequent thaws and freezes and doens’t run off of the sidewalk as it should it is impossible for any man to clean without heavy equipment such as a front end loader or something.
Mike returned today to do an inspection, being the typical beurocrat that he is and not allowing time for nature and labor to complete the task, and reissued warnings up and down the block that we have until tomorrow a.m. or he will bill us between $300 – $500 for each residence that hasn’t managed to overcome natural law and eliminated the ice that flows downhill onto the sidewalk.
I find this to be appalling and an inconsiderate “tax grab” by Mike and extemely innapropriate. For one who owns the sidewalks? Is it the city or is it the landowner of the adjacent property? If it’s the city then it is the city’s responsibility to clean and maintain them and to ask the people to work for them for free maintaining their property is an abomination of attempted slavery. If it’s the land owner then it is none of the city’s business to attempt to tell them how to maintain their private property. In either event the actions of this man Mike, a public servant and employee of the people, is a disgrace and demonstrates further abuses of government intervention in the lives of private citizens. This man should be held accountable to all of the addresses that he is attempting to extort revenues from through abuse of “authority” and apologize publicly to all involved.
I hope you will consider this letter and post it in your newspaper as a public notice that Mike Niederer is a disgrace as a city employee and servant of the people. The people deserve to know what kind of employees they have working for them as stewards of the public lands within this city.
Sincerely,
Rob Smith
