Landlord sees properties auctioned off- M DeMasi
| Author | Subject: Landlord sees properties auctioned off- M DeMasi |
| Daily Gazette |
Posted At 10:55:44 09/05/2003
Landlord sees properties auctioned off 9/5/2003
By MICHAEL DeMASI Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Michael DeMasi at 395-3118 or demasi@dailygazette.com
SCHENECTADY — As a landlord constantly on the go, Bob Alexson is accustomed to dressing down, but last week
he put on a black suit and splashy tie and gamely watched as 14 of his properties were put on the auction block.
Alexson seemed relaxed as auctioneer Randy Passonno egged on the hesitant crowd of 35 people inside a small
conference room at the Glen Sanders Mansion in Scotia.
"Tonight is the auction," Passonno wisecracked as he tried to drum up interest in a shuttered diner and all of its equipment at 918 Crane St. The diner eventually sold for $75,000.
Alexson may have laughed along with some of the bidders at Passonno’s shtick, but it was a gut-wrenching experience for one of Schenectady’s biggest landlords, who has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with his wife, Barbara.
The Alexsons list $2.89 million in assets and $2.07 million in liabilities in a petition filed March 3 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of New York.
The bulk of the assets consist of 47 properties, including the Alexsons’ two personal residences at 1362 and 1364 Union St. Nearly a third of the properties are multifamily houses that have mortgages.
Bob Alexson has earned a reputation for trying to turn around the struggling Mont Pleasant neighborhood by investing in businesses on Crane Street and taking to the sidewalks with a broom and shovel to keep his properties clean. Still, some tenants complain about the condition of his apartments.
Alexson, a talkative and sometimes quick-tempered man, has been an outspoken critic of City Hall’s policies toward landlords.
Last year, he had a run-in with the police in which he was accused of trying to injure an officer with a flashlight. A judge found him innocent.
Alexson pins some of the blame for his economic problems squarely on the city, accusing officials of being overzealous in their pursuit of housing code violations and saying tenants withheld rent while the cases dragged out in court.
"It’s hard to collect rent when the city says there’s code violations," Alexson insists.
But city officials say Alexson has only himself to blame for renting houses that have been cited for rotting floorboards, cracked windows and attics strewn with debris. They adamantly deny telling people not to pay their rent, although some tenants choose to put the money in escrow until repairs are made.
Conflict with city
"He seems to think we’re persecuting him," Corporation Counsel Michael Brockbank said. "We’re just trying to get him to fix these properties."
City records show the Alexsons have been cited for housing code violations on at least nine properties over the past two years. In one case, a tenant who was paying $450 rent to live on the second floor of 446 Hulett St. said he hired a pest control company last March to spray because of squirrels and roaches in the attic.
In several instances, the Alexsons never responded to the city’s demands that repairs be made. Other violation notices were vigorously challenged.
In one notable case, Alexson’s wife was cited in July 2001 for not having a hand rail on the front steps of 34 Moyston St. Bob Alexson was the person ticketed, however, because he represented himself as the property manager, according to an internal memo.
There were numerous adjournments in City Court. Last January, Alexson hired Kevin Luibrand, a high-profile Albany civil rights attorney, to represent him. The city offered to drop the charge if Alexson installed the hand rail, but he refused, according to the memo.
A trial was scheduled for July, but the corporation counsel’s office withdrew the charge in part because a one-year statute of limitations had expired for prosecuting housing code violations. A day after the charge was withdrawn, Luibrand put the city on notice that Alexson intended to sue for malicious prosecution. Brockbank called the threatened lawsuit ridiculous.
As Alexson’s battle with the city rolls on, he must contend with the bankruptcy filing. His attorney, John McBride, said a plan will be submitted to the court showing how Alexson’s debts will be reorganized.
All told, the Alexsons owe $1.71 million to secured creditors, largely for bank mortgages. They also owe $356,229 to unsecured creditors, such as Niagara Mohawk and credit card companies.
Last week’s auction resulted in the sale of seven properties for a total of $383,000, a disappointing outcome for the Alexsons. At one point, Bob Alexson told a reluctant bidder he would be glad to show him the inside of a commerical property on Van Vranken Avenue that had not sold.
"Call me," Alexson urged him. "I’m easy."
|
| Taxpayer |
Re: Landlord sees properties auctioned off- M DeMasi (Currently 0 replies)
Posted At 12:47:12 09/05/2003
Aw, sob sob
Let the tears flow
Bring out the violins
Serves him right. Hope he fails paying taxes on the rest of his properties. Then the city can get them too and responsible people will buy them.
He is one of the reasons our taxes are so high.
But, he still is a landlord, unfortunately. I think, as part of this bankruptcy proceeding, the judge should order him and his wife to move into one of the places he owns, something with rotting floorboards, no stair railings, broken windows, and vermin.
|
Return
to Rants, Raves, Opinions and Fun Stuff
Post Reply:
|