LEWISTON — A disagreement about city politics and efficiency has inspired a group of Lewiston landlords to split off from the Lewiston-Auburn Landlords Association.
Landlord Darcy Reed said a disagreement about city trash collections and how to deal with a proposed 29-unit housing development highlights the reason for her to create the new group, the Pine Tree Landlords Association.
“People are not being informed about this project and the people’s veto and what they’re signing,” Reed said. “They don’t know what’s really at stake.”
Reed said she still opposes the housing project, saying she fears she’ll have a hard time competing with a new, publicly funded project. But she’s more concerned with reducing trash costs for landlords.
“I don’t think most landlords want something someone else is getting,” she said. “All anyone wants is a fair shot.”
Reed said she and local landlord Tom Peters had considered creating a citizens’ veto to overturn Phyllis St. Laurent’s proposed 29-unit housing project but instead hoped to negotiate with the city.
Reed said she and some other landlords want to see the city stop charging for trash collections at multiunit apartment buildings.
“We proposed that we would be OK with the project if the city could get rid of the trash bills,” she said. “Part of the reason we opposed the project is the costs we have to pay.”
Landlord Stan Pelletier said those negotiations turned him off, and he decided to pass a petition to overturn the housing project.
Reed said the talks were simple negotiations.
“There is nothing unfair, unreasonable or unethical. It’s negotiation,” she said. “It’s not negotiation to give ourselves an unfair advantage, but the exact opposite. We were working with the city; the city tried to work with us.”
Pelletier’s group needs 859 signatures to put the housing project before voters.
“I’m not convinced it’s being handled the way landlords want, but the way Stan wants,” Reed said.
Reed also faulted the other landlord group for being disorganized.
“I’m trying to schedule regular meetings, send out regular emails and keep track of who our members are,” she said.
If nothing else, she said, it might force the older group to change its ways.
“Maybe (the Pine Tree Landlords Association) won’t need to exist,” she said. “Since we’ve started PTLA, I noticed that the officers of (Lewiston-Auburn Landlords Association) have been more inspired to change things. So, we might not need to exist if things get better.”
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