A new building inspector for Oxford Village is being sought as a result of last week’s firing of Eric Pearson from the position.
‘We ceased our relationship,? said village Manager Joe Young, who terminated Pearson on Nov. 28. ‘He wasn’t as helpful as he could have been (in dealing with the public).?
Pearson, who served as building inspector and plan reviewer since March 2006, was never specific with people when dealing with code violations as to what exactly was wrong or how the problem could be fixed, according to Young.
‘He’d just cite a section of the code and tell them they’re not in compliance,? the manager said. ‘He didn’t explain it to them, educate them . . . He also needed to provide them with some options.?
Young said he repeatedly spoke with Pearson over the last few months about his way of handling things.
‘He’d been advised by me that he needed to be more personally interactive and informative,? the manager said. ‘You don’t just send them letters, you need to talk to them, explain things to them, offer them suggestions.?
Despite repeated attempts to get him to change, Young said Pearson’s style and methods remained the same, so after consulting with council, he made the decision to terminate.
Ironically, the night before Pearson was fired, local attorney Lee Knauf complained to the village council during a meeting about a certified letter sent out by Pearson.
‘It appears that nine different businesses received this letter that requests the owners of these properties to provide either an off-street parking layout (plan) or if they don’t have one, to obtain forthwith a (detailed) parking plan,? Knauf said.
One of the property owners to receive the letter was Knauf’s father, Bob, who with a couple of partners owns 95 S. Washington St. where Lee’s law office is located.
Pearson’s letter made it clear that non-compliance, i.e. not submitting a parking plan to the village, could result in daily $500 fines and/or up to 90 days in jail.
‘It’s a pretty threatening letter,? Knauf told council. ‘I don’t think that’s a very good way to run a village.?
Knauf said he has one client who received this letter and is ready to go to court to fight it.
‘I would think a phone call or a letter not threatening people with imprisonment and a $500 a day fine might get you a little more compliance,? he told officials. ‘I would suggest you maybe take a different tack.?
‘I don’t believe maybe that was the proper way to handle (this),? said Councilman Tom Benner. ‘I think that letter was kind of harsh.?
‘I’m astonished that a letter like this could go out without council having an opportunity to review this letter, especially if we’re going to be threatening unsuspecting people with imprisonment,? said village President Chris Bishop. ‘I understand that our ordinance states that’s a possibility, however, I believe that is only used in the most extreme cases, if ever.?
Bishop noted some of these properties obtained site plan approval for parking lots back in the 1960s and ‘if the village doesn’t have their parking plan on file, it’s not the property owner’s responsibility to provide them with it.?
Young admitted he saw the letter before Pearson sent it out to the property owners.
‘Eric showed it to me,? he said. ‘I didn’t read over the letter that closely . . . I didn’t realize it was that harsh a letter.?
Bishop instructed Young to address the nine property owners, both in writing and verbally, and inform them ‘no one’s going to be locking them up and starting court proceedings.?