What Are Shershah Mizan's Priorities?

163-165 Green Street, owned by Shershah Mizan.

Ten days after receiving an envelope from Sherhah Mizan, another of his slick flyers was placed under the front door of the house I live in. Since both my housemate and I received mailings from the 3rd ward council member hopeful, that makes a total of three of his flyers sent to one household.  Then there are the lawn signs all over town, and the enormous sign on his lawn.  When I picked the flyer up off the floor, all I could think was "Where is this guy getting his money from?  Is he wealthy, or does he have some deep-pocketed supporters?"  Whatever the case, Mr. Mizan could certainly spend a little more money on his house if he wants to show the city, and those of us in the 3rd ward, that he cares enough to have a decently maintained property.  He is certainly not a "leader" in that regard.

According to public records, Shershah M. Mizan and Zulekha Akther have owned the 3-family house at 163-165 Green Street in Hudson since late 2004.   It's not a very attractive or well-maintained house and property, but there are certainly far worse to be found in Hudson.  It seems to me, though, that if you want to be a "leader" at Hudson City Hall and represent your ward, the least you can do is some simple maintenance on your own house, the property and the sidewalk.  At least the lawn was mowed when I walked past 163-165 Green Street this morning. 

Here is what I noticed that did not impress me, and should call Mr. Mizan's efforts to be a council member into question:

Haybale is on the right before the signal,
surrounded by overgrown weeds

The sidewalk is lined with overgrown weeds, a code violation, and there has been a haybale next to the sidewalk for close to a year.  This haybale showed up when the intersection was first surveyed for the much-needed pedestrian improvements at the Stewart's corner.  Shershah Mizan apparently does not care that the haybale is sitting directly in front of his house after a year.  It is probably full of mold deep inside.  

A broken glass window near the sidewalk that anyone walking past can see and touch.

Is Shershah comfortable using 
his own crumbling steps with
the loose railing?

Would Shershah be okay if every
set of stairs to a house in Hudson
were as ugly and dangerous as his?

Two ugly, dangerous and crumbling sets of concrete steps leading to and from the sidewalk that appear to have been built in the 1970's.  Both sets are full of grass and weeds.  One of the railings for the set of steps to the right is so loose that it swings back and forth at least 6 inches.  Shershah Mizan is fine with the postal carrier going up and down these steps every day to deliver the mail. This is how Shershah Mizan welcomes the public to his house.  This is how Shershah Mizan presents his house to the world, now with an oversized picture of himself on a 12-foot wide by 5-foot-high political advertisement directly in front of the house.  (I want to wretch every time I have the misfortune of getting a glimpse of that obscenity.  If a lawn sign of that size isn't a code violation, it should be!)

A 12-foot-wide obscenity for all to see

I get it -- maintaining a house can be expensive and time-consuming, especially a large one.  But if you are going to run for office to "lead" a ward, the least you can do is offer at least one set of stairs from the sidewalk that is not crumbling and waiting to kill a visitor or the mail carrier.  If you are going to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to get into City Hall and be a "leader," the least you can do is spend $40 to replace a broken small window near a sidewalk.  You know, make the window safe, make your house safe, and perhaps most importantly, make your house look less like shit.  Show the public you care, and that you have some sense of the common good.  Lead by example, perhaps.

When you take a not so long look at Shershah Mizan's house at 163-165 Green Street, the one thing you won't ask yourself is "Where is this guy getting his money from?"  No, you are more likely to ask, "What are this person's priorities?"

My first piece on Mr. Mizan was posted on June 16th.