PAGE A12, KEIZERTIMES, APRIL 6, 2018
“I’ve had guns pulled on
me. That was while working
for the City of Salem,” he
said. He was working in code
enforcement at the time.
He and another officer
were conducting a standard
inspection on a multi-family
dwelling. The landlord had
given notice but apparently
not everyone read it.
As they made their way
through the building, Crosby
knocked on a door and when
no one answered he went
into an apartment. He walked
out of a room he had just in-
spected to find approximate-
ly 10 gang members, some
armed, standing between him
and the door out. Thanks to
his chutzpah he was able to
bluff his way out.
“Some people went to
jail. Some were told to not
threaten city officers.” All of
this said with a smile, as if he
is telling a story about how
he was the victim of a rather
funny practical joke. Humor
is also part of his tool set.
“The scariest thing is the
unknown,” Crosby said.
He starts his day reading
emails and listening to voice
mail.
“People call and email all
day and night long,” he said.
Crosby receives approxi-
mately 10 complaint calls
and 10 -20 emails a day, but
this can fluctuate going up or
down depending on the time
of year.
He gets help from several
employees in the planning di-
vision. Megan Hurley, who is
a building permit specialist, is
one such person. She does ad-
city codes.
“I’ll grant an extension,
but you have to work for it.
As long as people are trying
I will work with them. It all
comes down to livability.”
This is his focus and what
he likes best about his job.
“The ability to help
change neighborhood expec-
tations, to get them raised up,
to a higher quality of life and
livability,” Crosby said.
Often complaints stem
from a resident not know the
neighborhood’s expectation.
This is especially in older, es-
tablished neighborhoods.
When Crosby responds to
a complainant he offers some
very simple advice: “Talk to
your neighbor. As our society
grows people talk less and less
to their neighbors and chose
to call in reports” which of-
ten creates hard feelings and
ill will between neighbors. “I
want you guys to talk to your
neighbors. Try to defer the
problem. It helps knowing
what the community expects
of you as a member.”
Crosby finds that rental
properties have the large ma-
jority of complaints made
against them. Most people
who live in rental homes do
not know what the neigh-
borhood expects of them. He
hopes to make a difference, to
bridge this gap between ex-
pectation and understanding.
“I have hope, that the need
is there, that the want is there”
to solve the problem, he said.
While most of the com-
plaints he gets are legitimate,
there are some folks who will
abuse the system. They usually
call about minor issues such as
trash cans on the street, park-
ing issues or a bag of trash left
sitting out. Once again this
is usually a case of neighbor-
hood expectations. Crosby’s
answer to is the problem is
talk to your neighbors.
Crosby’s life is not all code
enforcement. He is married
and has a family. He met his
wife while attending McKay
High School and started dat-
ing after graduation.
“We have a 16 year old
daughter and a nine year old
son,” he said.
The family lives south of
Salem on property that was
once home to an overgrown
Christmas tree farm. They
spend their free time cleaning
it up. Their goal is to turn the
property into an event venue
and host weddings and other
gatherings there once it has
been cleaned up and made
ready.
“We slowly chip away at
it,” he said.
Fun time is hiking and
camping anywhere near or
around Bend and hiking the
trails around Detroit Lake.
BIZ: ‘I didn’t feel like they
were helping me flourish’
(Continued from Page A1)
Cutter said members of the
Iris Festival Committee cited
the need for ADA parking
and safety issues as the reason
for closing down that section
of the road and the refusal to
move the barricades north.
When Cutter asked coun-
cilors for proof of the relevant
safety issues, Chief John Teague
of the Keizer Police Depart-
ment responded.
“The first year (the closure)
was further north and people
were having to do three-point
turns in the middle of Cherry
Avenue and that is a safety issue.
Blocking it off at Alder reduces
that problem,” Teague said.
Cutter said members of the
Iris Festival Committee agreed
to add verbiage to the “local
access only” signs announcing
that the businesses along that
stretch of Cherry Avenue were
still open, but he didn’t feel that
was enough.
“I wanted the sign moved
and I was told I had no option,”
Soggy fun at KRP April 21
Grab a raincoat and join
the Claggett Creek Watershed
Council for an outing at Keizer
Rapids Park. Snack on some
hot dogs then go on a guided
nature walk or boat tour on
the river or take the opportu-
nity to preview the new Keizer
Rotary Arboretum. All ages can
enjoy this event; there will be
an inflatable slide and obstacle
course for kids. Events run from
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 21 at
Keizer Rapids.
Ask Mr. Trash
Q. Is it true that I can put all food waste into
the big green Mixed Organics cart?
©1986
CROSBY,
continued from Page A1
ministration work for Crosby.
“This department is very
customer service oriented.
Megan is helping with that,”
he said. Hurley takes many of
the calls, emails and messages
reporting violations.
He also gets help from
Dina Russell, the assistant
planner. She helps out with
signage, zoning issues, food
cart licensing as well as assist-
ing with some of the admin
work.
Shane Witham, now senior
planner, previously handled
code enforcement while jug-
gling his duties as assistant
planner. When Crosby needs
back up, Witham goes with
him or if it looks like it might
be a dangerous or difficult call
a police officer will go with
him.
“It really comes down to
the team effort. There is so
much to do here and we took
on a lot more,” he said. This
is because other departments
see the value of letting code
enforcement do the work.
Crosby prioritizes all of
the complaints he receives
each day. It’s his hope that he
can make contact within a
couple of days. He hopes that
a face to face meeting and
some education on city code
will clear the problem up. He
understands that there are
times when life can be over-
whelming and that people let
things slide.
Given the volume of work
he has to do in an eight hour
period, this at times seems
impossible but he gets it done.
Anything that requires a no-
tice is addressed within the
week.
All that said he is under-
standing and tries to help
individuals who have com-
plaints lodged against them
and who are in violation of
A. It’s true! All food wastes may now be combined with yard debris! Include
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Cutter said. “For an (organi-
zation) whose mission it is to
help businesses flourish, I didn’t
feel like they were helping me
flourish.”
Cutter said members of the
committee suggested he pay
someone to hold a sign at the
closure point to attract custom-
ers to the business, but he didn’t
see how adding additional peo-
ple to an already congested area
would alleviate the problem.
Councilor Marlene Parsons
asked Cutter if he would be
more amenable to a sign that
included the names of the busi-
nesses in the closed-off section
of Cherry.
“That’s a lot better than any
solution I’ve heard so far,” Cut-
ter said.
Mayor Cathy Clark request-
ed city staff investigate the is-
sue and return to council with
a recommendation if necessary.
The council will also have a
chance to revisit the matter be-
fore the city issues a special use
permit for the festival.
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