A CEO ... at last

This week Norway Code Enforcement Officer Joelle Corey-Whitman had enough.

For months she has been "Mr. (Mrs.?) Nice Guy,"  trying to work with problem landlords to help them bring their properties into compliance.

Corey-Whitman became the CEO in Norway in April 2011. And what a mess she walked into – it appeared little had been done with regard to inspections ... for years.

Rolling up her sleeves, she got to work. Then in October 2011, she got blindsided with this paper's exposé on Section 8 housing.

Rising to the challenge, she formed an ad hoc team to review the existing rental ordinance and formulate a new and improved ordinance that was clear and had teeth –  that could be enforced.

Armed with this she began inspecting rental housing diligently – in between issuing building permits, following up, maintaining up to date files, (filling in for other departments that were short staffed) etc. – and all this during her part-time hours in Norway. She is also CEO in four other towns.

And all the while, being patient and supportive of landlords struggling in this ecopnomy to bring their rental properties up to code.

This week, she finally threw up her hands and drew a line in the sand.

After extensions and excuses, the lack of effort and lack of communication with some landlords has her saying 'enough' and moving ahead to condemn their unsafe buildings.

Good for her.

While we have long admired her ability to get recalcitrant landlords onside, we have also stifled our impatience and conviction that some were simply playing her to get what they have had all along, a "look the other way" attitude.

This week they felt the bite of the new ordinance's teeth.

Kudos to Corey-Whitman.