A few months ago I posted a blog about the uncooperative staff at the City of Burton and their policy on temporary water service for the purpose of a pre-sale home inspection. To familiarize you, the scenario was that a then bank-owned home was being marketed for sale and an owner-occupant (non-investor) buyer was procured with the only pre-sale contingency being an acceptable home inspection. Our issue was that we couldn’t get temporary water service turned on in the potential buyers name for the purposes of the inspection without the buyer paying all of the delinquent and past-due balance of the former owner which at the time amounted to well over $500.00. Even with the understanding that the seller, the bank, fully intended to pay that bill, in full, at closing, the City of Burton wouldn’t allow the water to be temporarily turned on… and was unwilling to even discuss a solution…. That was then….now, after much discussion, they have revised their policy to allow for temporary service for the purpose of pre-sale home inspections for a fee of $25.00. Very reasonable and I applaud their reconsideration. Now, if they could only work on the rudeness and unfriendly nature of their customer service staff…but I will fight the battles I feel that can be won.
Fast forward to today, and we have a new Fight with City Hall on our hands. This time it is the City of Mt. Morris, and this time the arrogance and rudeness far exceeds that of any I have experienced. I have a very young single mother attempting to purchase a HUD home in the City of Mt. Morris. Same story, different suppliers of the red tape. When my young and struggling mother went to the City to apply for temporary service for her home inspection, she was sent away and told not to return until she could pay the over $400 the former owner had amassed in water/sewer usage. My attempts at a fair resolution went nowhere and the C.F.O. of our local association of Realtors even called and left a message for the Mayor. Instead of the Mayor, he received a call back from A.J. LeFurgey, who is the City Manager. This “pillar of the community” felt compelled to state that since he was a “retired real estate broker” who has purchased plenty of HUD homes in the past and never had the water turned on prior to buying them, that he didn’t deem it necessary to revise their policy. Basically this meant that they will not be turning the water on until the past-due balance is paid in full. He even went on to say that “the problem is ChangingStreets.com...”, which I interpret to mean that since I am putting the needs of my client ahead of just fast-tracking and pushing through a transaction in lieu of representing my client, I am the bad-guy. Wow, I find it ironic that the very company that is bringing owner-occupants into the community to put lawn-mowing, water-using, tax-paying citizens into otherwise blighted properties is deemed the enemy. I am not sure what makes me angrier, the fact that this so-called public servant has so drastically lost touch with what his job really is and that his ego is now affecting those people he was hired to look after, or the fact that this uncompassionate individual was actually out there selling people homes when he obviously cared only about one thing, and that was NOT the best interests of the people that he was working for….
We need your help…the readers of this blog. We need you to be as outraged and angry at our elected officials and the often unfriendly and uncooperative people that our tax dollars pay to work for us. If anyone has any positive suggestions please post a reply… if you think I am wrong…go ahead and post one too. For those of us bold enough to “fight” city hall, Mr. A.J. LaFurgeys phone number is 810-686-2160 and his fax # is 810-686-7330…feel free to reach out and let him know how you feel. Please feel free to email the State Senator, Deborah Cherry-D at sendcherry@senate.michigan.gov as well.

UPDATE: 3/28/08
Yesterday, I sent out a bulk email to several other professionals in the real estate industy that included a link to this blog and I encouraged them to respond. I also sent one to Joel Fieck, a reporter with WJRT TV 12 News. He called me to get more information. Clck here to see what happened next.

As is more-than-evident with the news segment above, not only is Mr. Lafurgey a member of the old-school, good ole boy network, he likes to fabricate facts. According to his interview with Mr. Fieck, I threatened him. For the record, I have never spoken to him, to his office, or to anyone in that building. All attempts to make contact were done by either the buyer, a representative from my local association of Realtors, or the loan originator for the buyer. I also find it humorous that when Mr. Fieck called Mr. Lafurgey to make an appointment to speak with him, he tried to intimidate the reporter by strongly mentioning that he has dinner with his boss once a week. Someone needs to wake Mr. Lafurgey up. This isn't 1960 when cronyism was the norm. His arrogance and inability to be a leader, just a follower of the old school ways, is affecting the very people he is supposed to be working for. It is time for someone with vision, modern common sense and basic humility to take over. I think a "changing of the guards" is in order. Please reply...anyone.