Mayor as Bad Landlord

This is the same character who appointed a 21-year-old intern as safety/service director just before he lost the election.

Our View: Lorain's interim mayor must get his houses in order before making law

It's not surprising that John Romoser, Lorain's interim mayor, is pushing for a ''slum tenant'' ordinance to crack down on renters who leave their landlords with damaged properties and unpaid utility bills.


After all, Romoser is a landlord in Lorain, and said he was cleaning up after one such bad tenant last week.


But before Romoser goes after tenants with a new law, he needs to get in full compliance with Lorain's ordinance requiring landlords to have their rental properties inspected by the building department.

Records show the building department tried to contact Romoser in April to have inspections done, but Romoser said he never received the message.

In July, this newspaper carried a front-page story noting that eight of Romoser's rental units had not been inspected. He said he didn't know the inspections were needed, but added that he would take care of it. Now, it's the middle of November and, so far, only two of the eight units have been inspected. Once again, Romoser said he would take care of the problem. Excuses, promises and half-way measures are not good enough for a person who carries the title of mayor in Lorain.

Romoser said he planned to speak this week with the Lake Erie Landlords Association to work out details on his proposed ''slum tenant'' ordinance. He should postpone that meeting and use the time to get his own houses in order.