Rauf owns two apartment buildings in Union City, NJ, but he hasn't shown much interest in providing his tenants with heat, electricity, gas, pipes that don't leak, smoke detectors, fire alarms that work, etc. In fact, one of his two buildings is vacant since it was destroyed by fire two years ago. Rauf owes Union City tens of thousands of dollars in fines, and the City is suing, not only for payment of the fines, but to have a custodial receiver take over management of the occupied building since the fire alarm there failed. [Addendum, 1:10 p.m.: Since that failed fire alarm was discovered, according to an on-air Fox News report by David Lee Miller, Union City has had a police car parked in front of the building 24/7 in case of fire.] A hearing is scheduled today in Hudson Valley Superior Court.
According to David Lee Miller of Fox News, "Mayor Stack described the Imam as 'unscrupulous' and questioned his statements about wanting to help people and build bridges while his own tenants were living in 'shoddy conditions.'"
From The Jersey Journal:
"I think we are trying to send a message here, not only to Rauf but also to other slumlords, that in Union City you are not welcomed here," [Mayor] Stack said.
[snip]
Stack said the timing of the lawsuit has nothing to do with the controversial proposal to build the center and mosque near Ground Zero.
When asked to give advice to New York the Mayor warned, “any town where he (Imam Rauf) buys property, be alert, because he is not a good landlord.”
According to Mark Albiez, a spokesman for Mayor Stack, "He's a terrible landlord who's unresponsive to the residents who live in his building."
That's not much of a surprise. The rest of America has had a view of "Bridge-Builder" Rauf's "unresponsive" side.
Update, 9/16/10: Neither Rauf or his wife and business partner, Daisy Khan, were present at Rauf's 9/15/10 hearing. As reported in NorthJersey.com, “They have been under a lot of stress,” said the lawyer who showed up to speak on their behalf.
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