An Asbury Park Press editorial

Drop the hammer on code violators

The agency responsible for overseeing housing code enforcement in New Jersey presented a list of proposed reforms last week in response to an 18-month investigation by the State Commission of Investigation that found deficient construction practices, inadequacies in home warranty programs and a badly flawed code enforcement system... But the suggested reforms don't absolve Community Affairs, or the Legislature, of responsibility for a system that is badly broken. And they won't help the thousands of consumers who have been victimized over the years by unscrupulous or incompetent builders and code enforcement officers. Five hearings and 40 hours of testimony on the issue confirmed what SCI Chairman Francis F. Schiller said the agency's earlier investigations had found -- "a startling lack of proper and appropriate enforcement and follow through" at both the state and local levels.

An Asbury Park Press editorial

Drop the hammer on code violators

Published in the Asbury Park Press 10/20/04

The agency responsible for overseeing housing code enforcement in New Jersey presented a list of proposed reforms last week in response to an 18-month investigation by the State Commission of Investigation that found deficient construction practices, inadequacies in home warranty programs and a badly flawed code enforcement system.

The recommendations by the Department of Community Affairs are welcome. They include increasing the number of state personnel to monitor local code inspectors from three to 12, creating an online database that would allow the public to view building and inspection records, and providing extended warranty coverage.

But the suggested reforms don't absolve Community Affairs, or the Legislature, of responsibility for a system that is badly broken. And they won't help the thousands of consumers who have been victimized over the years by unscrupulous or incompetent builders and code enforcement officers.

Five hearings and 40 hours of testimony on the issue confirmed what SCI Chairman Francis F. Schiller said the agency's earlier investigations had found -- "a}startling lack of proper and appropriate enforcement and follow through" at both the state and local levels.

"This is a phenomenon rooted not only in misplaced government priorities," Schiller said, "but also in influence peddling, conflicts of interest and compromised ethics. It is also apparent that, given the campaign cash that is spread around regularly by elements of this industry, pay-to-play is alive and functioning at its most insidious. In short, the system is broken and it needs to be fixed."

The system does need to be fixed, and it's incumbent upon the Legislature to act on all reasonable recommendations by the SCI and Community Affairs. But the state needs to do more. It must prosecute those who have broken the laws.

The SCI has forwarded evidence of potentially improper and criminal behavior to the state Attorney General's Office for further investigation. Attorney General Peter C. Harvey needs to follow through vigorously. It's imperative that those responsible for the hardships and headaches experienced by thousands of New Jersey homebuyers due to shoddy workmanship, lax code enforcement and laughably weak home warranty laws are held fully accountability.