New Haven Independent

At Tuesday night’s WEB management team meeting, Peaches Quinn proposed an initiative aimed at “improving curb appeal.” It would focus on beautifying the neighborhood, encouraging owner responsibility, and raising awareness of community resources.

“Property conditions will continue to get worse before they get better,” said Quinn. “We need to encourage caring and supportive — but decisive — communication with property owners.”

The task force would meet routinely to draft and deliver letters to negligent property owners.

“It’s called the sentinel effect,” said Quinn. “If people know that someone’s watching, it inspires change.”

The letters would be scaled, intensifying if conditions don’t change.

“The letters will be annoying, and I believe in annoying people who need to be annoyed,” Quinn said. “If we annoy 25 to 50 percent of the people on our radar, than the task force will be worth it.”

Edgewood organizer Eliezer Greer, pictured, said the task force is conceptually a great idea, but it might be difficult to both coordinate community members and deal with absent landowners.

“There are some slumlords in the city who are untouchable,” said Greer, whose neighborhood patrol group has targeted negligent landlords in the past.

The neighborhood specialist from the Livable City Initiative (L.C.I.), Elaine Braffman, said a task force focused on residential neighborhoods would help her out.

Braffman, pictured, also suggested that threats of small claims lawsuits against negligent landowners might be a potentially successful tactic.

Beaver Hill Alderman Carl Goldfield expressed concern that Quinn’s proposal overlaps with existing efforts.

“For many people, it’s just one more slip of paper,” Goldfield said. “We need better enforcement from the city, but it’s not from lack of trying. The laws we are up against are state laws.”

Quinn’s proposal passed unanimously.