Around 9 a.m. on Wednesday, employees of an independent contractor hired by the city of Bloomington started removing “garbage” from the South Washington Street property owned by Joe Davis.
They were accompanied by staff from the city of Bloomington’s Housing and Neighborhood Development department, an assistant city attorney, and some police officers who were on civil standby.
The group of contractors and city officials were there to enforce an abatement order that had been approved on March 14 by Bloomington’s three-member board of public works.
Some of the material was removed on Wednesday morning, but by noon the abatement team had left the property with most of their work still unfinished.
Later in the day on Wednesday, Davis filed an appeal of a Tuesday court ruling that had not gone his way.
Earlier this year, Davis gathered signatures in support of an independent mayoral candidacy, but fell 14 short of qualifying for the ballot.
It’s not clear when the abatement efforts will resume.
Remaining in Davis’s backyard are some stacks of lumber, a working washing machine, a van with a trailer, and a truck with boards and other materials stacked on them, pieces from a rooftop antenna, and some pieces of scaffolding, among many other things. Continue reading “Bloomington starts abatement of Washington Street property owned by would-be mayoral candidate”
