I’ll keep my over-burdensome government remarks to myself. This is a shame.
It is but there is a lot more to the story, including the fact that the guy who owns the RR is a convicted sex offender.
http://special.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/12775064-41/story.csp
Oops!?
Oooops!!! is right.
I take it that would be another branch of a “government” elected by the “people” that nailed him in 1982.
We live by rules in our societies. If you break the rules, you pay the penalty. We cannot pick and choose which rules we should obey and which we can ignore.
If you don’t like the rules, change the lawmakers.
http://special.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/12775064-41/story.csp
no dog in fight, just googled.
I sorry but I don’t get the point here, Is he being condemned because of his past with feelings that he Could not be rehabilitated, or he has not paid for his crime, or he is deserving of these actions? Don’t get me wrong it is a horrendous crime but wtf should we just shoot these people? Now the original post of not obtaining a building permit for the RR was the original post is a different subject it’s an offer to buy the RR and it looks way cool to me. I didn’t work on wall street?
I suppose my “over burdensome” comment was about a property owner installing a “model” train on his property and the tree-huggers worried about his disturbing the “wetlands”. Then for the un-elected municipal zoning officials to arbitrarily demand the removal of this magnificent “art” work.
Please don’t take all this as a personal argument. I’m expressing what I think about this situation. You may feel differently, that is your right, and we CAN agree to disagree.
Nor do I have a ‘dog in the race’, but I have to ask myself this…‘Is the building permit issues only a smokescreen for another agenda, that if were to be publicized would be found to be illegal?’ No matter his past, he has a right to live somewhere, and it appears to me he sure is not living in a school zone.
As for the railroad, his own love of this hobby has been used as a tool against him.
My tuppence worth.
Bob C.
Precisely who is it that appoints and employs the “unelected zoning officials”?
Is it not elected representatives?
Or, do these “unelected zoning officials” just suddenly materialise, appointed by themselves?
TonyWalsham said:
Precisely who is it that appoints and employs the "unelected zoning officials"?Is it not elected representatives?
Or, do these “unelected zoning officials” just suddenly materialise, appointed by themselves?
It is different in each municipality.
In my case, I submitted a resume’ to the elected Board of Supervisors who in turn appointed me to the Zoning Hearing Board. I am on the voluntary position at the discretion of the Board.
Now Tony, I answered in a civil manner. Please do not turn this into another pissing match about U.S. politics.
Now David.
My replies have also been civil and I would thank you not to imply otherwise.
If those “unelected zoning officials”, as you put it, were employed by the local government body, they are certainly not “self appointed”.
Local government anywhere in the World is more or less the same.
Locally elected representatives of the people employ (so called) experts to carry out the day to day running of that locality. I know of no “zoning officials”, a position which usually requires the official to be fairly well trained and licensed, that have appointed themselves to that position.
Tony,
I sit on the “Zoning Committee” of Carlyle, Illinois. I am self-trained by familiarizing myself with the Zoning Manual and Ordinances of the City. I was appointed by the prior Mayor and when he was defeated in the election, I submitted my resignation to the new Mayor with the statement that I felt she had the right to appointment whomever she wanted to this Committee. She choose to reappoint me to the committee along with all of the other members. We are all voluntary, uncompensated members I don’t believe any of the other members are especially trained to sit on the Committee, but we are all long time residents of the Community and act more as a jury, hearing statments from the City Zoning Adminstrator, the City Attorney and the applicant that wishes to ask for a judgment that is different from the City Zoning Manual. This difference is called a variance. Variances, usually have to do with how close a structure is to a property line or the type of structure or business that is being placed in an area specifically zoned for something else. Like I said, the seven of us sit more like a jury listening to all sides of an argument and then come to a conclusion that is presented to the City Council. The City Council usually follow our advice, but have voted against our decisions more than once.
Thank you Ric.
In your case they certainly are not self apppointed even if unelected.
Is the situation you describe true of most communities in the USA?
As I understand it, here in Australia zoning officials are appointed and paid by the local councils.
Any disputes are resolved by an independent “court”.
No zoning here in the pleasant little unincorporated community of Sunny View.
Most of our county has zoning. Due to local opposition, our Township was excluded.
But even we have to have building permits, as well as inspections to insure construction
is done to code.
The man built an entire house with no building permit. I hardly think there is a hidden agenda against him.
He was given the option of licensing and insuring the RR as an amusement ride.
Maybe this was not a practical option for him.
But if there was some kind of witch hunt…they could have bulldozed his house and RR long ago.
Ralph
WoW! Ric.
In Pennsylvania, we are told that a Zoning Hearing Board member is more similar to being a judge on a 3 or five judge panel. All the politics of the City Council (or in my case the Board of Supervisors) is removed from the mix. We often get a letter of support or objection from the Board and/or the Planning Commission (municipal land planning and management), but our decision is similar to a court hearing (with all the requirements of a court stenographer, etc.). But then again we have heard so much about Illinois and Chicago politics lately. hi-hi
Any appeals to our decisions go to the county, state, then federal level, if it’s a biggie. (I was a municipal Zoning Officer for a municipality that had a food irradiation plant actually go that far, IIRC.)
I tend to fall on the side of personal property owner being the sovereign of his land, (Some do not, so it balances out.) which may explain my position on the local zoning officials “interference” with this family’s model railroad.
David.
Do you know to what depth your sovereignty extends below the surface area of your land?
Mineral rights and property rights are two different things.
Property can be sold with, or without mineral rights.
As far as the airspace above your land, as far as I know we have no rights.
Ralph
let it be known , the reason for my initial post was to save my fellow LSC’ers time searching for what-ever “crime” this man was convicted of, or one could say; an answer to the “there is more to the story” post…a simple google and paste. no harm no foul.
your libertarian friend,
cale
Ralph Berg said:
Mineral rights and property rights are two different things. Property can be sold with, or without mineral rights.As far as the airspace above your land, as far as I know we have no rights.
Ralph
BTW- If someone else owns the mineral rights to your land, they have the “right” to access those minerals from your land. They have to compensate the landowner. This is negotiable and can end up in court.
But there is very little you can do to stop an oil well from going up in your yard.
Ralph
TonyWalsham said:No. But I have a fee simple deed to my land.
David. Do you know to what depth your sovereignty extends below the surface area of your land?
http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/minres/oilgas/fs2834.htm