Spencerport hires code enforcement officer

The job title of Village Code Enforcer sounds ominous, but Kevin Kelly assures that his position is more of a liaison between Spencerport village residents and the village board. "I don't want to be the hammer. I prefer to think of myself as a facilitator," he said.

The code enforcer position was formerly a full time village position until November 2001. When the prior code enforcer left to take a position elsewhere, the members of the village board decided to evaluate the position before hiring a replacement. The Town of Ogden stepped forward and offered Jack Crooks' services until the village decided what it wanted to do. Spencerport contracted for all of 2002 with the Town of Ogden, paying an annual lump sum for Jack Crooks' services. The village will continue to pay the annual lump sum, but it was determined that a part time code enforcer was needed for some of the items that Crooks' office couldn't get to. The new part time code enforcer, Kevin Kelly, is paid on an hourly basis from an already established budget. "The position was advertised and several resumes received. It was narrowed down to five outstanding candidates but Kevin Kelly definitely stood out above them all," Village Administrator Al Scheg stated.

While the duties are still being defined and vary from day to day, the main focus of Kelly's job will be to work with village residents to bring them into compliance with code. Two big problem areas are residents putting garbage out for pick up before garbage day and unregistered vehicles littering yards and driveways, according to village officials.

Village Code mandates that garbage can only be put to the curb the evening prior to pick up and all vehicles on a resident's property must be registered. During his first week on the job, Kelly's office sent out over 160 letters to residents who were not in compliance with one or both of these codes. "In the one and one-quarter square mile village, there are over 45 unregistered vehicles," Kelly said. "Our focus is not in giving out tickets, but rather helping the residents find ways to get rid of these vehicles."

Al Scheg said that Kelly's job is a tough one. No one likes to be told they are breaking the rules and have to clean up their property. They have to be dealt with diplomatically. "Kevin doesn't take the stand of get rid of the vehicle or else, he explains why the vehicle can't be there and offers to help find the solution," says Scheg.

Many charities will tow away unwanted vehicles for free and give the resident a receipt for tax purposes. Kelly has included a list of these agencies along with his letter of code violation.

In the case of garbage, many residents were unaware of the rule when they could put out their trash and large items for pick up. Kelly says he gently but firmly has reminded them.

Kevin Kelly comes to Spencerport with 34 years of experience in law enforcement. He was a Police Chief in the Village of Great Neck Estates on Long Island and more recently worked in Strasburg, Pennsylvania, near the Pocono Mountains. Family bonds pulled him to Upstate New York.

"My daughter and her family live in Spencerport and my wife and I found ourselves traveling here often. We finally decided what we really wanted to do was be close to the grandkids and watch them grow. So rather than head south like most retirees, we headed north," Kelly said. The part time Code Enforcement position is exactly what he enjoys, being out in the community and out with people He works about twenty hours a week mostly driving throughout the village and talking to the residents. He has an office at the Spencerport village offices and can be reached by anyone at his cell phone number, 370-3232. "I return calls whether or not I'm on the clock," he said.