Councilman West to fight charge over trash cleanup
Ed Balint
City Councilman Thomas West pleaded not guilty Thursday morning to an allegation he violated a health board order to clean up trash on a property owned by the nonprofit agency he founded.
West entered the plea during an arraignment before a magistrate in Canton Municipal Court. West's case is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing before Judge Richard Kubilus Tuesday at 9 a.m.
West, D-2, has been charged with a minor misdemeanor, which carries no jail time and a fine of up to $150. The case involves a property at 508 Schwalm Ave. NE, the site of two vacant duplexes, owned by Asset Building and Life-Skills Environment (A.B.L.E.).
The case has been filed against West and A.B.L.E. West is the acting CEO and statutory agent for the agency.
The City Health Department first received a complaint about the Schwalm Avenue property in late August 2008 regarding trash and debris, including carpet, litter, renovation debris, wood debris and bagged garbage, according to department records. The trash was cleaned up in mid-September, according to department records. More trash-related issues followed, this time involving a tenant at the property; the cleanup order was issued in December 2009.
The minor misdemeanor charge filed this month stems from an oversized trash can containing rubbish at the property.
A strong advocate of cleaning up neighborhoods and parks, West contends he's been wrongly targeted by the Health Department, arguing that other properties have far more serious trash problems. City health officials say that every trash complaint is investigated.