City Council Meeting: Resident Desires to Purchase and Fix Up Home

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(ABOVE) Danville resident Anthony Thomas askes the City Council why he is not being allowed to purchase property at 422 N. Franklin, next door to where he lives.

It was a very quick Tuesday evening (Sept 5th) Danville City Council meeting, with the most interesting portions coming during public comment.  Danville resident Anthony Thomas lives at 424 North Franklin, and wanted to purchase a structure next door at 422 North Franklin that needs significant work.  Thomas says, after he spoke to the current owner about back taxes still owed, and checked with city; he was told the purchase could be made.  But then within a week, Thomas says, he was then told ‘no.’

Thomas says he does not understand Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr saying at the meeting that the city has to be careful of these types of purchases, because others have purchased such homes in bad condition; and were unable to fix them, making situations worse.  But Thomas says, he does this for a living, and has a solid reputation.

AUDIO: I have a track record.  I have never had any violations; no complaints.  I worked out at the Housing Authority; I did over 300 units out there, no callbacks.  So I have the experience, and I’m not somebody who’s going to take a property, sit on it, and do like a lot of them do, who get in over their head.

But Mayor Williams says, the city definitely has to be cautious when it comes to these purchases.

AUDIO: Mr. Thomas is a great man, but he’s not a developer.  He has redone a house or two along the way, absolutely.  The house needs intensive amounts of work.  I mean, nearly a complete overhaul.  And the things that he proposed doing were very miniscule in nature.  And in order to protect the taxpayers, we’ve got to do what’s in their best interests.

(1st Picture) Danville resident Greg Thatcher criticizes the city website, as well as questioning why there are not more extra garbage cans placed along North Vermilion for the Labor Day Parade.  (2nd Picture) Members of Danville’s Personal Pac pro-choice organization hold up signs critical of Mayor Williams during meeting.  (3rd Picture) Ben Sears compares the mayor’s recent comments on the north True Grit facility to his tie-breaking vote last May on the anti-abortion ordinance.

Also speaking during public comment was Greg Thatcher about extreme frustration with the City of Danville website, citing as one example not being able to use the search bar to find something about the city’s Leaf-a-Legacy tree program.  Mayor Williams conceded that the website is frustrating at times and still not where it needs to be; but is still much better than the old website.

Then, there was Ben Sears, sitting with a group from the Danville Personal PAC pro-choice organization.  Sears cited fault in the mayor’s recent comment that the True Grit fitness that was planned for the north side of Danville at Vermilion and Devonshire did not get built because the law was not followed; saying that when it came to last May’s abortion ordinance tie-breaking vote, it was the mayor who did not follow the law then.

AUDIO: Because, in regards to True Grit, Mayor Williams said that the developer did not get proper permits and follow the laws of the state.  And, when it came to the abortion ordinance; the mayor, along with half of the City Council, did not follow the laws of the state.   So, it’s very hypocritical of the mayor to say what he said on the issue of True Grit.

Mayor Williams did not think it was a valid comparison.

AUDIO: Absolutely not.  When people have an agenda, they stick to that agenda; regardless of facts, regardless of truth, regardless of justice.  People are welcome to their opinion, but it never changes the truth.

About 11 members of Danville’s Personal PAC chapter were there, holding up some signs critical of the mayor’s tie-breaking vote last spring.