This time it’s Pearl Johnson, the gal that got the last word in Lisa Sink’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article on Friday, June 13th. Lisa wrote:
Pearl Johnson, who said she has lived there for about two years with her aunt and three children, said she has had water damage in her ceilings, with rain falling through light fixtures. She showed how her toilet moved up and down off the ground, and the shower head didn’t work.
Her living room window was broken about three months ago when her daughter threw a rock at it, but Speaker has refused to fix it unless Johnson pays for it.
She said the single-pane windows are cheap and she shouldn’t have to pay, especially with other repairs not done. She admits she is behind in rent.
The court details can be found on the WCCA link to the right. Or, you can click here.
13 responses so far ↓
1 Grant // Jul 17, 2008 at 8:53 am
In the interests of fairness I must say that as much as I dislike the job that Speaker is doing, I don’t envy him being a landlord in Milwaukee and this tenant sounds like a real loser who should be taken to court. It’s renters like her that ruin the properties in the first place. It’s time to hold them accountable as well as the landlords.
2 Cindy Kilkenny // Jul 17, 2008 at 8:58 am
I thought it looked a little like retaliation. He could have filed earlier, but didn’t until after the story came out.
And remember, he took the job on to make big money! It’s not like this problem was forced on him.
3 Dan Harland // Jul 17, 2008 at 9:19 am
Why wouldn’t you retaliate? This lady has had free housing because she doesn’t have the money to pay for rent, but yet she stands up and whines about single pane windows. If a pot called my kettle black on TV, I would be sure to go after them.
4 Cindy Kilkenny // Jul 17, 2008 at 10:02 am
Ok. Go Jeff. Rip her apart this time.
Bet she doesn’t move.
5 Kathryn // Jul 17, 2008 at 10:47 am
Landlords should repair stuff that needs repair. Tenant should pay their rent and not vandalize the premises.
6 El gato // Jul 18, 2008 at 10:30 am
Kathryn, you’re describing a perfect world, but we’re talking about the real world here. Here’s another example:
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=773844
7 Cindy Kilkenny // Jul 18, 2008 at 10:36 am
I saw that this morning, too. I think it’s great there’s a higher profile on landlords in the inner city. If we really want to advance Milwaukee, hold landlords accountable for repairs. Landlords can screen tenants a little more closely if they don’t want their places trashed.
What’s becoming clear is that something must be done to break the cycle of slumlord behavior.
8 Shawn Matson // Jul 18, 2008 at 11:27 am
Cindy, are we allowed to use more than one alias on your site now?
9 El gato // Jul 18, 2008 at 11:27 am
But did you notice that the tenants were ordered to pay the landlord $3500 for repairs for damage they had done? I bet it’s hard to do routine repairs when one is required to make major repairs for damage by tenants who don’t pay the rent and won’t pay for the repairs. A conscientious person should never be a landlord in the inner city because it’s a no-win situtation.
As I’ve mentioned before my daughter and son-in-law went through this same nightmare over and over before they finally gave up when a tenant threatened to kill my daughter when she was evicted for massive damage to the flat.
10 Cindy Kilkenny // Jul 18, 2008 at 2:04 pm
I’d prefer not, Shawn. But I’m pretty sure everyone knows Grant is El gato is Intewedm, so I don’t sweat it.
11 Kathryn // Jul 18, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Grant, I meant that there are basic obligations involved and people act to enforce them; it doesn’t have to be a question of retaliation or talking tea pots.
12 El gato // Jul 18, 2008 at 4:39 pm
According to the chief investigator, Scott Berg, I’m not always “intewedm”. I do know of the original intewedm but will not divulge who it is. When registering on any website, one can use any i.d. they like if it hasn’t been used before, so sometimes I’m intewedm, sometimes el gato, and sometimes Grant. Shawn is just being his usual petty little boy self.
13 Cindy Kilkenny // Jul 18, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Berg’s a (oops, shouldn’t say that word.) It’s clear from the stuff he posted that someone over the pond is using the same name. Hence the spelling.
Our wunderkind simply doesn’t have a clue.
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