Warren Mayor Touts Fight Against Blight

WARREN (WWJ) - The wrecking balls have been swinging in Warren. City officials say over 576 dilapidated homes have either been demolished or are scheduled to be torn down soon.

Warren Mayor Jim Fouts is sending a clear message to home and business owners in the city -- he takes blight seriously.

"We have zero tolerance when it comes to not following the city codes or ordinances. And that means, in some cases, some absentee landlords and some people who are just speculators and want to buy a building and let it sit there and rot, are not welcome in Warren. We're going to make their life miserable and encourage them to move out," Fouts said.

"The bottom line is, if the city is going to move forward, and going to be a place where business and people want to locate, then we have to eliminate any perception of deterioration or eyesores. And, that being the case, we've been pretty aggressive," he said.

Fouts says this effort is also about keeping citizens safe.

"Crime is encouraged by blighted, deteriorated and abandoned buildings -- and, so, by fighting these dilapidated and abandoned buildings, we also are cutting into crime. They both go hand-in-hand," Fouts said.

Fouts says more dilapidated homes have been torn down recently than ever before in the city's history. The city council decides which structures need to be torn down, after property owners don't make an effort to make repairs themselves.  Fouts says all demolition costs are reimbursed by the property owners.