Commissioner Ryan Maier Responds to trumped up charges

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I own a two bedroom/ one bathroom house. It has always been a two bedroom house. I am a single person. I share this space with another single person who contributes to the monthly expenses of the house.

I have not modified the layout of the house. It remains a two bedroom one bathroom house.

Roughly two weeks ago I received a certified letter from code compliance indicating three violations on my home: two pertaining to my need for a business license and one pertaining to the need for a work permit.

I set up a meeting with William Waters. In that meeting he indicated that the citations were not evidence-based, rather based solely on the claim of a woman name Jessica Teutsch. According to Waters, Teutsch claimed to be my neighbor. I do not recognize her as a neighbor. I do recognize her as a strong and active supporter of my political opposition. As she is a regular attendee at commission meetings, I can see far more connections between Ms. Teutsch and my recent opponent's campaign team than between Ms. Teutsch and me, my neighborhood, and certainly she has never been inside my home.

My interpretation of the doctrine that governs our code department here in Lake Worth is that code violations can only be filed by code enforcement officers (not by residents, commissioners, etc.) and only if said officer witnesses a violation. According to staff, no violation has been witnessed.

>> So, why is the issue still current? Because Ms. Teutsch doesn't accept the fact that code enforcement is not a weapon to be used against people that you don't agree with? If reported accurately, why would William Waters be exploring "other options" with the City Attorney? Again, if no violation was witnessed... Does the department intend to overstep its own regulations to selectively enforce other regulations?

I would frankly expect the other Commissioners and the Mayor to appreciate my position. If this is truly the standard by which the Lake Worth Code Department operates, then anyone who opposes our elected officials could file baseless code complaints against them, forcing them to open their homes to investigation and threatening them with legal prosecution through the special magistrate. In fact, any resident would be open to that level of harassment.

Past commissioners have experienced similar abuses of the Code Department, namely Jennings and Waterman. While some would indicate that the those two women and I have shared similar support, I see another connection: we are/were low wage earners. Like many young people my concept of financial success is in my ability to provide for myself and survive; having all of my needs met and thriving is a goal for the future. I suggest that my opposition is banking on that. They expect that I have and older home that needs repair, that I live on a budget, and that the expense to defend myself against their baseless claims would hinder my ability to be an effective public servant.

Commissioner Scott Maxwell ( who recently stated that slightly more than half of the voting population of the City is "racist", who recently called for staff's disuse of the phrase "affordable housing") has now called for me to be tried in an open commission meeting. I say that this is a violation of my civil rights. I am a commissioner and have taken an oath to govern in the spirit of transparency. But above all I am a human being and I am not obligated to forfeit my right to privacy because someone gets belligerent and demands it. Let me not forget that I am also an American, and not obligated to disprove my guilt.

This situation has shed light on the potential for a city department to be used as a weapon. I hope that can be corrected through this process.

Ryan Maier