Continued Assault on Historic Preservation

Gosh, I guess it wasn't quite enough for Eric Turner and his City Council henchmen to destroy the Historic Preservation Ordinance by making owner's consent a requirement for landmarking.

I guess it wasn't quite enough for Barbara Van Auken and her City council henchmen to introduce "de-listing" a landmark, that led to the destruction of the Roanoke Apartments and now threatens scores of other structures.

Now comes Chuck Weaver and his City Council henchmen who want to appoint Steve Pierz to the Historic Preservation Commission.

You may recall that Mr. Pierz and his wife sued the city as well as the sitting Historic Preservation Commissioners in 2008, when the commission ruled against their request to vinyl side a historic house next to their own on High Street.

In the end, the city caved in, and the Pierz-Paulsens were allowed to destroy the character of the home with vinyl siding.

It sits in its present state as a testimony to their contempt for true preservation.

Mr. Weaver (and Mr. Ardis) now want to seat Mr. Pierz on a commission that should be promoting and working for Preservation, not subverting it.

And they want to seat him alongside several people that he previously sued and a few of whom have already expressed their outrage at the idea of his appointment.

During the campaign, Mr. Weaver danced around Historic Preservation issues saying he needed six months to consider all the issues.

Well, it didn't take nearly that much time for him to show his true colors.

I publicly call on Mr. Pierz to withdraw his name from consideration.
C'mon, Steve, do the right thing!




In the interest of full disclosure, I was one of those commissioners that the Pierz-Paulsens sued.
There is also a bit more to the story as well involving a phone call to my work phone from Mr. Pierz's work phone when their case was active.

...but I won't go into that right now.


.