Euclid may condemn council chief's rental

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Euclid may condemn council chief's rental

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Leila Atassi

Plain Dealer Reporter

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1187773540384\

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" Euclid -- City Council President Ed Gudenas, blamed by some for the city's

costly and futile defense of a discriminatory elections system, now might need

to defend himself against accusations from his own Building Department that his

home is unfit for habitation'.

Police investigating a rash of burglaries this month at the house Gudenas rents

on Lakeshore Boulevard found the basement walls caving in and reported a " black

unknown substance " overflowing from a toilet.

Investigators alerted the city's Housing Department, which noted sewage in the

bathroom and mold growing in the basement during a cursory inspection of the

house last week, said city housing manager Charlie Drazetic.

Photos taken by the inspector also show boxes and papers strewn about.

Gudenas, who is running for mayor and owns a resort on Mid dle Bass Island,

declined in a telephone interview to talk about the house or indicate where he

will move.

Another inspection planned for later this week will determine whether the city

will condemn the house, or work with the owner, local developer Doug Price, to

fix the violations, Drazetic said.

But Price said he will probably ask Gudenas to move out next month and board up

the house if the city does not condemn the structure first.

Price said he has long planned to raze the house by the end of the year to make

way for condominiums, a restaurant and boardwalk as part of a lakeshore

redevelopment project that he is spearheading.

Gudenas had agreed to maintain the house in exchange for a special rate on a

month-to-month lease, Price said. The landlord said he has not been inside the

house in more than two years and knew nothing of the problems until police

called last week.

" He kept the place in deplorable condition, " Price said. " And I'm very shocked.

He said the burglaries are the main cause, but I think it's been a while since

he's tended to any of those issues. You would expect that somebody in his

position in the city would be able to keep things together. But that's just not

the case. "

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

latassi@..., 216-999-4549

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