Crime and nuisance sweep in Millville

Only one newspaper picked up this story today - Millville police narcotics unit, along with the Cumberland County Organized Crime Bureau hit the streets, targeting nuisance properties.

In this twist, the city is targeting the residents of the houses, mostly rental properties owned by slumlords. More than 20 arrests were made during the sweep, and one tenant was cited for maintaining a nuisance.

Police cited Shirley L. Palmer, 53, for maintaining a nuisance property at 513 N. 2nd St., the scene of numerous police responses since February, during Operation Quality of Life, Farabella said.

513 N. 2nd st. is owned by a slum operation called FUTURE UNLIMITED PROP MANAGEMENT of Galloway Twp. These slimeballs like to boast that their future is unlimited, with the unlimited cash flow they generate at the expense of our neighborhoods.

It appears that FUTURE UNLIMITED PROP MANAGEMENT is actually a front company for property owner Winsel Lyles, 307 Longfellow Ct, Galloway Twp, NJ. He (or the front company) also owns 511 N. 2nd St.

This slum property greets our out of town guests as they visit Millville for the Arts District, or the race track, or for any reason. It is not an area that any sane person would walk through alone at night. Time is long past due to target every landlord on this strip and insist that their properties be maintained, and that their tenants abide by the law.

During the sweep, the article maintains "Tenants and landlords alike were advised of the excessive number of police responses to problem residences, and made aware of the statute allowing police to cite them for maintaining nuisance properties."

This is a good start. Millville now needs to act on an ordinance that allows the city to revoke the rental certificates of the owners of nuisance properties, and to require these landlords to pay the full cost of immediately relocating any tenants that are now in their illegal rental unit. I would also like to see an ordinance that fines landlords $100 a day, for every day their unit is occupied without a valid rental certificate.

It is time to hit people like Winsel Lyles deep in their wallets, and force them to bring their so-called investments up to a reasonable standard. This is, after all, a quality of life issue. The tax payers of Millville should no longer be bearing the full brunt of the costs of code enforcement and police activity when it is landlords like Lyles and the lowlifes he chooses to rent to that are causing the problems.