Embarrassment campaign against owners of dilapidated building suggested

SAC CITY, IOWA – AUGUST 14, 2010

At the August 2, 2010 Sac City Council meeting, members of several local governmental and pseudo-governmental organization descended on the Sac City Council to demand that the city take possession of and demolish several dilapidated building and homes.

As it became apparent that the city doesn’t have the budget to address these buildings in a timeframe that those in attendance found satisfactory, Sac City Council Person Bill Brenny expressed his disgust with the way that the old Matt’s Shoes building has been cleverly safeguarded against legal action.

What was done was the following, (anyone with a dilapidated building might want to get ready to copy/paste here,) the people that owned the building set up a limited liability corporation with no assets and transferred ownership of the building to it. The fact that the building I owned by the L.L.C. removes the former owners from any personal liability, and the fact that the L.L.C. has no assets renders any legal judgment against it pointless, as you can’t get money from something with no money.

Here, in his words, is Councilperson Bill Brenny’s suggestion:

“You know, the fact that they can form a shell corporation and just walk away from it… they don’t do it in their own town of Carroll. I would say, you know some type of an embarrassment program, I don’t care what you say, you can even put my name on it if you want, as a private individual. I find it just downright disgusting that somebody can just come into our town and let something like that go on on main street and walk. That is just wrong!”

After some applause he continued, “I would sing my name to an editorial or whatever, and I’d even want to see it occur in the Carroll papers.”

Within a few minutes, as he calmed down he said, “I’ll certainly approach them, with a group of several other people, whether it be from you folks, the chamber, whatever, and just really visit with them, and I would almost welcome that it occur in next week’s paper.”

As he wound down, he suggested that Councilperson Nick Frohardt share with those assembled his contribution to the proposed embarrassment campaign.

Said Frohardt, “Well, it was mentioned that perhaps, you know, that we could go down to there and get a permit and picket his establishment. I thought that was, as a private individual here, a pretty good idea.”

As the discussion wound down later in the evening, Brenny reminded those assembled that he would be visiting them personally to get their support to approach the owners of the L.L.C. in question personally.

You can watch the full 40 minute conversation in complete context at http://thesacnews.blogspot.com/2010/08/first-look-sac-city-council-citizens.html

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