Our View

One of the issues identified by Shawnee residents as a priority for improving the area is appearance of the community. Cleaning up Shawnee may be a daunting task, but city commissioners surely need to be giving it strong consideration.
This shouldn’t be a big-ticket item as far as money goes. At least not on the city’s part. City commissioners are faced with enough major issues that call for expending taxpayer dollars, but improving appearance shouldn’t be one of them.
A ride or walk around many parts of the city quickly tells the story. There are too many dilapidated structures, old vehicles parked in front and side yards, high weeds and grass growing around housing. And don’t forget the litter we see throughout the community.
In some instances, there are unsightly, old and unusable appliances lying in yards or on front porches.
Much of improving the appearance boils down to better, more consistent code enforcement throughout the city. We’re not sure what the work load of the city’s code enforcement department is, but, if necessary, funds could be shifted around to provide more help.
We’re not blaming city inspectors because we don’t know what all they have to do. But it’s pretty obvious that code enforcement in some sectors of the community is lacking, for whatever reason. Consistent enforcement throughout all sectors should be the norm.
City commissioners should show initiative and ensure that their own properties set the standards they want people to be measured by, whether it be residential, business or rental. And commissioners must have the backbone and take a no-tolerance approach to violations of the codes aimed at keeping Shawnee neat and clean.
Leadership on this issue, and the other priorities citizens have identified, begins with the seven public elected officials. Community pride is another one of those quality of life issues, and enhancing the city’s appearance says a great deal about Shawnee.
Improving the community’s appearance should be important, not only to commissioners and city officials, but to all Shawnee residents. Instilling community pride begins at home.
As voters look at city commission races later this month, they should quiz the incumbents and the challengers on how they view the issue of improving the community, then vote accordingly.