Is This Hudson's Future, Where Code Enforcement Is M.I.A.?

 

On Tuesday at 1 pm, the front door to the CEO offices was locked and there was no indication why the door was locked or if CEO would be open anytime soon.

When, exactly?

When Craig's white vehicle is parked in the lot on a weekday afternoon, he is either inside the CEO offices or he is done for the day.  Correct?  He doesn't use his personal vehicle to do work in the field.  Correct?  

The only way to know what our CEO's hours of operation are is to go on the city's website and go to the CEO page.  There, it suggests that someone should be in the office Monday-Friday from 8:30 to 5:00.  (It says nothing about special summer hours that are currently in effect for all City Hall offices.)

Or, I suppose, one could email or call Code Enforcement to ask when the office is open.  An email to Craig yesterday got an immediate response that he "will be out of the office on 8/20/24 at 5pm until 8/26/24 at 8:30.  The office will be open 8-12 noon on these days with my clerk on duty."  None of this information was posted on the locked front door to Craig's department yesterday afternoon, the 21st.  

Last Friday at 10:45 am, the front door was locked.  I took a picture. 

Locked during hours of operation?

At 3:48, I took another picture of the locked door which still had no indication as to why the door was locked and no one was available at CEO.  At least a FedEx worker was considerate and smart enough to have left an indication of an attempted delivery to Craig that day.

Today, I called the CEO phone number and made my way to Craig's voicemail message.  Exactly 54 seconds into the call (one fucking minute of my life wasted and gone!!!), a recorded voice that is not Craig's told me:  YOU HAVE REACHED THE VOICEMAIL FOR CRAIG HAIGH.  PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE AND HE WILL RETURN YOUR CALL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE."  Is that so, whoever you are?

On at least three recent occasions when the Code Enforcement Office was supposed to be open with at least one person present, I walked through the two front doors to find 2 locked doors and a window to Craig's empty office with its lights off and no indication anywhere whether someone was present or when someone might return.

At least two months ago, at the window to his office, I informed Craig Haigh of an inch-thick tree limb in front of 341 State Street about 5 feet 9 inches off of the sidewalk and across the entire sidewalk.  He acknowledged my complaint and asked if I had anything else to tell him.  I did not.  At least four months ago, also in person, I informed Craig Haigh of stones regularly found lying in the sloped sidewalk in front of the stone-covered driveway next to 747 Columbia, aka Lil Deb's Oasis and the free fridge.  On two separate occasions a few weeks ago, I entered the CEO offices and asked Craig why it was that the two violations were still present and if he had done anything about them or spoken to the property owners. His response was pretty much identical both times. "That's none of your business. Now get out of here and don't come back."

Hello?  I knocked on your door as you told me
I should and now it has been 5 minutes with no 
response.  How much longer would you like me 
to wait?  When do you close for the day, or has
that already happened?  If so, why are the two
 front doors unlocked and no one is here?
Hello, is anyone working today?  Why am I the 
only one talking here?  Is this normal for CEO?

How can I, or anyone, "come back" if all or some of the 4 doors to CEO are locked and no one is there during the day?  And when should someone "come back" if CEO doesn't bother to leave a note indicating when they might return to their offices or if the head officer is on vacation for a week?  Why would anyone want to "come back" to such a rude and unprofessional scene and possibly waste more time trying to speak to someone about something important that Code Enforcement might be interested in, say, like a code violation?

Can you imagine if one day the Hudson City Clerk's office decided to go home or elsewhere at 1 pm, left the doors to City Hall unlocked (or locked) and didn't post a note, or notes, anywhere indicating why no one was available on the first floor? Can you imagine this happening regularly?  No, it's unimaginable, because Tracy, Cherri or anyone else working there would never do something so rude and stupid. No one would have to remind any of those ladies that it would be unacceptable to be so unprofessional, reckless and inconsiderate. Why is it that typically men are the ones who don't get it and women do?  It is definitely time for a female US President.

  

Perhaps here in Hudson it's time for a lady Code Enforcement Officer and a lady DPW Superintendent, too!  Any ladies would be better looking than either one of those guys, lemme tell ya'!  It's long past time to get rid of all the bums at City Hall, especially the ones you can't find there or anywhere else you would expect to find them!  Enough already!  This city cannot survive, let alone thrive, if this continues to be acceptable!

(Notice I did not say "... acceptable to Mayor Kamal Johnson."  It doesn't matter what he finds acceptable or not.  He's just another one of the male bums, even if he can regularly be found in his City Hall office posting on his Facebook page.)