Editor, Daily Nexus:

This is a response to the column titled "Shedding Light on I.V. Slums," by 3rd District Supervisor Gail Marshall (Daily Nexus, Feb. 13). I am a local landlord who has been living in I.V. for the past 25 years. It is important and necessary that all people who rent from landlords anywhere are entitled to safe and sanitary housing, but once the landlord has rented the property in good condition (confirmed by video tape) and had any fix-it repairs signed off by the tenants moving in, the landlord should not be held responsible for the cleanliness and housekeeping habits of their tenants.

It is the responsibility of the landlord to furnish the tenant a reasonably clean apartment, free of safety defects and be responsible for the maintenance of said units. It is the tenant’s responsibility to keep their apartments clean and report needed maintenance to the landlords.

Far too often, needed maintenance falls under such categories as "my roommate kicked in the door," "my apartment has fleas because we have a cat," or "my low-flush toilets plug up too often because they are not designed to flush large amounts of paper towels," etc.

Well, thanks to Gail Marshall, you can add the building inspections to your rents because she thinks she is doing you a favor when all that was needed is a free call to the building and safety inspector. This person will act as your representative for free and resolve the problems between owners and tenants in regard to decent housing.

Also thank Gail Marshall for the bright idea of getting permits for your parties in advance – welcome to more big government by the people who you elect to be paid to represent you. I am sure that they have your best interests at heart, rather than their own paychecks. And remember, when the building inspector comes out to inspect your house under Marshall’s planned mandatory inspection policy, if your bath tubs and showers are not as clean as they were when we gave them to you, expect a visit from Molly Maid or some other cleaning company at your expense to correct the problem.

Government keeps getting bigger and bigger. I can remember back in the ’70s when buildings were inspected by the Sheriff’s Dept. because of a hint of drugs – if they found a marijuana seed, perhaps left behind by a previous tenant, you were the ones who went to jail.

Ask Gail Marshall if she dares to establish the same conditions for any of the other areas she represents. If she gives you the slick Willy sidestep answer, you can pretty much bet she is after not only your votes, but also money that will raise your rents. Does she really want to represent you, or does she just want her job as supervisor (with differing standards)?

BEN ROBERTS