Posted on 03/09/2006 1:27:54 PM PST by Coleus
MAHWAH -- Two white watering cans and a yellow broom dangle above the porch of a stone and shingle house perched atop North Hillside Avenue. Just below, empty flower pots and plastic chairs and tables clutter the entryway. "No trespassing" and "Beware of dog" signs line the sloping property.
The more-than-100-year-old house has been home to Samantha Moor for 10 years. Its sloppy condition is the reason she nearly spent the night in jail. Moor, in her late 40s, was arrested Tuesday morning and sent to the Bergen County Jail for failing to pay $4,921 in fines issued by Mahwah for property maintenance violations. She was bailed out by her former husband just before midnight.
The township has issued Moor 37 summonses dating to April 2004. A warrant was issued for her arrest when she failed to make payments, as set forth by a municipal judge. "Since she couldn't afford to make the repairs, she couldn't afford to pay the fines," said George Cotz, a lawyer Moor called from jail on Tuesday. She was expected to appear in Municipal Court in Mahwah at 1:30 p.m. today, although Cotz, who is trying another case, won't be at her side.
Moor could not be reached for comment. Cotz said her phone has been disconnected. "I don't think she particularly has any marketable skills," Cotz said. "Before she got married and had a child, she was a clerk in an office. And I think she's got health issues.
"She really has no money," he said. "I don't think this is a show." Moor's troubles started with a dishonest contractor who tore apart her house and walked away with her money, according to Ian J. Hirsch, a Hackensack lawyer who used to represent her. The contractor was fined in Mahwah Municipal Court, but that didn't help Moor, Hirsch said. "The house stayed the way it was," he said. "The scaffolding stayed, there were shingles in the yard. It started to become an eyesore."
Moor's neighbors began complaining, and eventually the fines started piling up. "The town building inspector was very, very nice," Hirsch said. "We genuinely tried to help her. But she doesn't have any money, so what can she do?" When Moor was arrested Tuesday, she called another lawyer, Hirsch suspects, because she owes Hirsch money. "Had she called me, I would have helped her anyway," he said.
When Hirsch represented Moor, she was taking classes to become a plumber, he said. "She's trying to hold onto a piece of property she's not going to be able to." Moor's property taxes were paid in full in 2005, officials said. But her first-quarter payment, due Feb. 1, has not been received. Hirsch describes Moor as a nice person whose problems have snowballed. "Some people belong in jail. Not Samantha Moor," he said. "You don't put people who are struggling to survive in jail."
John Lane, Mahwah's property maintenance and zoning enforcement officer, says Moor's problem is that she hasn't complied with the ordinances or the court orders that attempted to enforce them. If people comply and show an effort, he said, the township will work with them. "The ultimate goal we're looking for is compliance," Lane said. "We'd rather residents put the money toward property maintenance" than fines.
The idea of racking up thousands of dollars in fines, he said, is not unusual in the sprawling township. Going to jail over them is. In nearby Ramsey, both are unheard of. "We've never had anything that extreme," said Ramsey's zoning officer, Richard Mammone, who has been with the borough for 30 years. Most of the property maintenance complaints in Mahwah come from neighbors or other third parties, Lane said.
An enforcement officer investigates the complaint to check its validity. If the violation exists, residents are given a letter saying they have three days to comply. If they don't make the necessary changes, a second letter is issued saying the resident has one day to comply. If they still don't comply, a third letter is sent warning that a summons will be issued, he said. After that, a summons is issued every day the property owner fails to comply.
I put a new shingle roof on my house- does that qualify as a skill?
I have studied plumbing for the past three years and have done freelance work in the field including a commercial steam boiler at a synagogue in Passaic, NJ.
I graduated from a full-day/ ten month program in electrical technology last June, I can wire a house and install a service. I graduated from a Department of Labor Program called Training for Trades two years ago, which also awarded me a $4,000.00 scholarship towards my electrical school training.
I have studied landscaping and xeriscaping in order to make my just under an acre property as naturalised as possible so that it would qualify as a Federal Wildlife Sanctuary.
There was a great deal of misinformation in the newspaper.
The issue has nothing to do with property maintenance- the town knows very well how much this property has improved since I moved here 25 years ago.
Since my husband left, I've been a target for land-grabbers. It is happening to all of the vulnerable people in town-especially the elderly. I told all the reporters about it when they interviewed me but none of them included the info. Please pass the word along. I'm trying to find someone who can help me set up a web site so that I can get the word out.
When I moved to Mahwah 25 years ago these "rules" did not exist in our town. I agree that if people want to do the "ultra rigid" anal retentive thing that they should buy into communities that have restrictive deeds and covenants.
We moved to Mahwah largely because it was the only "non-yuppie" town in the area. As a matter of fact the realtor referred to it as the "chicken farmer" town.
The property at the time was heavily wooded but also extremely overgrown with trumpet vines- neither the garage nor the shed could even be seen under the vines. It took a great deal of work, but we hacked them all away, and I continue to have to do so every single year because they are extremely invasive.I have planted dozens of fruit trees, bulbs, flowers, shrubs, etc. we painted the house, and have been slowly but steadily making improvements.
They people who are in power now run the town like Nazis- they laugh at you if you talk about your rights. As far as they are concerned- only they have the power to "confer" rights. They have been getting away with abusing people for so long that they no longer have any sense of decency- if they in fact ever did.
Once I find someone to help me set up a web site I will get the truth out there. I am not alone in this- it breaks my heart when I think of the poor elderly widows that they harass continously. You see they want to grab the land for their cronies- the developers.
How did I manage to live peacefully-zero problems in this town for twenty years, and as soon as my husband leaves I can do no right???
The Judge is as dishonest as the day is long. He knows what the real story is but has not got the integrity to stand up for what is right.
Since my husband and I separated six years ago I have been continually harassed.
The police have given me tickets (twice) for being legally parked in front of my house. The volunteer firemen that like to use my tiny street as their own personal "drag strip" to go to their little meetings where they get drunk as skunks figured they could push me around once my husband was no longer around. Ganging up on a woman- ain't that BRAVE?
I've also been given tickets for driving without either license or insurance when I had both in fact. It cost me $1,000.00 in legal fees to be acquitted. Of course the cops know when they are writing bogus tickets- they are just trying to bankrupt me so they can steal my property.
The article left out the most important information- the TRUTH!!!
Pass this on. It happened to me and it can happen to you.
I agree- they pocketed the $5,000.00 and never referred the case to the prosecutors office for "theft by deception" which is the law that was violated. They came after me instead. Nice Huh?
I don't have access to a scannner or even know how to post pictures, else I would.
The news reporter from channel 12 here in New Jersey filmed the property extensively- it is winter however and not particularly attractive. Maybe you could figure out how to access their web site.
I'm looking for someone to help me put together a web site so I can get the truth out. Hopefully I'll then be able to post pictures
on my own site.
I don't have access to a scannner or even know how to post pictures, else I would.
The news reporter from channel 12 here in New Jersey filmed the property extensively- it is winter however and not particularly attractive. Maybe you could figure out how to access their web site.
I'm looking for someone to help me put together a web site so I can get the truth out. Hopefully I'll then be able to post pictures
on my own site.
I don't have access to a scannner or even know how to post pictures, else I would.
The news reporter from channel 12 here in New Jersey filmed the property extensively- it is winter however and not particularly attractive. Maybe you could figure out how to access their web site.
I'm looking for someone to help me put together a web site so I can get the truth out. Hopefully I'll then be able to post pictures
on my own site.
Before you make a statement with such certainty you might try to check your "facts?"
"She"- I have worked like a dog to improve my property. They know very well that I have abated and complied with everything- but the gutters which were accidentally damaged by a helper while I was putting on a BRAND NEW roof-myself. The reason I don't have the money is because I have had to throw away THOUSANDS of dollars on fines and attorney fees!!!!
Most of the tickets if not all are fabrications. I have an herb garden which they in their infinite ignorance have declared to be "weeds" these guys wouldn't know a weed from chamomile, sage, spearmint, etc. if they got bit in the butt!
I was ticketed for not having lids on my trash cans, if you live anywhere nearby please come by- as many others have and you will see that all of my trash bins have lids and always have!
One ticket was for not bringing in the gargabe can within 12 hours of pick-up. This is true- I was at work before 8:00 a.m. working until 6:00 p.m. and then straight to my plumbing class from 6:30-9:30. When I arrived home at 10:00 p.m. I brought it in- what a law-breaker am I!!! I have only one neigbor who brings her can in right away because she is retired. My other neighbors used to bring their cans in the day or two after; they no longer do so since I was ticketed.
I also got a ticket for leaving my recyclables at the curb in bins for six weeks- WOW, what a terrible person! I had help from my son to bring them down to the curb and they were too heavy for me to bring back up. Why would I have had to do that? Well, because the DPW didn't pick it up. Who ordered the DPW to pick up everyone else's recyclables but mine???? And if I had placed them in the garbage instead I would have been fined for that!
Are you beginning to get the picture???
Please put the word out- the town is being run by fascists.
Before you make a statement with such certainty you might try to check your "facts?"
"She"- I have worked like a dog to improve my property. They know very well that I have abated and complied with everything- but the gutters which were accidentally damaged by a helper while I was putting on a BRAND NEW roof-myself. The reason I don't have the money is because I have had to throw away THOUSANDS of dollars on fines and attorney fees!!!!
Most of the tickets if not all are fabrications. I have an herb garden which they in their infinite ignorance have declared to be "weeds" these guys wouldn't know a weed from chamomile, sage, spearmint, etc. if they got bit in the butt!
I was ticketed for not having lids on my trash cans, if you live anywhere nearby please come by- as many others have and you will see that all of my trash bins have lids and always have!
One ticket was for not bringing in the gargabe can within 12 hours of pick-up. This is true- I was at work before 8:00 a.m. working until 6:00 p.m. and then straight to my plumbing class from 6:30-9:30. When I arrived home at 10:00 p.m. I brought it in- what a law-breaker am I!!! I have only one neigbor who brings her can in right away because she is retired. My other neighbors used to bring their cans in the day or two after; they no longer do so since I was ticketed.
I also got a ticket for leaving my recyclables at the curb in bins for six weeks- WOW, what a terrible person! I had help from my son to bring them down to the curb and they were too heavy for me to bring back up. Why would I have had to do that? Well, because the DPW didn't pick it up. Who ordered the DPW to pick up everyone else's recyclables but mine???? And if I had placed them in the garbage instead I would have been fined for that!
Are you beginning to get the picture???
Please put the word out- the town is being run by fascists.
Before you make a statement with such certainty you might try to check your "facts?"
"She"- I have worked like a dog to improve my property. They know very well that I have abated and complied with everything- but the gutters which were accidentally damaged by a helper while I was putting on a BRAND NEW roof-myself. The reason I don't have the money is because I have had to throw away THOUSANDS of dollars on fines and attorney fees!!!!
Most of the tickets if not all are fabrications. I have an herb garden which they in their infinite ignorance have declared to be "weeds" these guys wouldn't know a weed from chamomile, sage, spearmint, etc. if they got bit in the butt!
I was ticketed for not having lids on my trash cans, if you live anywhere nearby please come by- as many others have and you will see that all of my trash bins have lids and always have!
One ticket was for not bringing in the gargabe can within 12 hours of pick-up. This is true- I was at work before 8:00 a.m. working until 6:00 p.m. and then straight to my plumbing class from 6:30-9:30. When I arrived home at 10:00 p.m. I brought it in- what a law-breaker am I!!! I have only one neigbor who brings her can in right away because she is retired. My other neighbors used to bring their cans in the day or two after; they no longer do so since I was ticketed.
I also got a ticket for leaving my recyclables at the curb in bins for six weeks- WOW, what a terrible person! I had help from my son to bring them down to the curb and they were too heavy for me to bring back up. Why would I have had to do that? Well, because the DPW didn't pick it up. Who ordered the DPW to pick up everyone else's recyclables but mine???? And if I had placed them in the garbage instead I would have been fined for that!
Are you beginning to get the picture???
Please put the word out- the town is being run by fascists.
ALL the repairs were done except for the gutters, which I would have had the money for had they not extorted THOUSANDS of DOLLARS from me.
Yes I agree that it is easier to dismiss someone by labelling them a "nut."
Hitler commissioned Leni Riefenstahl to produce a propaganda film which likened the Jewish people to rats.
We all KNOW what the correct solution is to the problem of rats don't we????
Those "rules" did NOT exist when I paid for my own home twenty five years ago.
Else I would NOT have moved there.
Mahwah used to be quite quaint before the McMansions and thousands of condos.
My property is quite large and for three seasons can hardly even be seen from the street. I love nature and try to keep things that way. There is a variety of wildlife on my property- there used to be a badger that lived there. I was amazed by that because I didn't even know this was part of their habitat.
I don't like lawns except on golf courses- they strike me as extraordinarily sterile and devoid of warmth or imagination. I do not presume however, that I should impose my own love of nature on other people who pay their own mortgages and their own taxes.
Nice find, MM...
I DID know when I moved to Mahwah what I was getting into. Mahwah you see was the "chicken farmers" town. None of these regulations were on the books.
I don't blame people for their critical and hostile comments because they were not given the truth. It did sell a lot of papers though I bet ;-)
My husband survived the collapse of Twin Towers on 9/11 by running for his life between falling bodies and a toxic tsunami of poison gas and ash as they fell.
He lost his job a couple of years later in a "Pac-Man" take-over by a much larger firm.
Six weeks later he had a heart attack.
Please check my other replies to get a more accurate picture of what is really going on in Mahwah.
Yes the owner is 48 years old. she is asthmatic and has severe osteoporosis with many surgeries and fractures to prove it.
She is 5'2" tall weighing about 125 lbs.
She ripped off two layers of old shingles that were on here over 40' high and 8 in 12 pitch roof, before putting on a new roof.
How many women or men for that matter can you tell me please even in optimum health who have accomplished such a thing?
And does that sound to you like someone who is too "fat and lazy" to work at improving their property?
You and Hildy should get married ( I'll bet those would be some mixed up pups).
Yes I agree that the crooked politicians should be arrested here in New Jersey. Especially the ones who sent the police to break into my house without an arrest warrant and assault all 5'2" and 125 lbs of me. Complete with asthma and osteoporosis. LOL
Although she is quite sweet, evidently Alison Pries "forgot" the part about the breaking and entering without a warrant and the assault.
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