FILE: A resident digs out snow on the sidewalks in Fargo, North Dakota. A Minneapolis city official who supported a tougher approach on residents shoveling sidewalks was issued a fine herself. (FEMA)
A Minneapolis city official who backed a get-tough approach on residents who don't shovel snow from their sidewalks was herself the subject of seven complaints last winter and was issued a fine of $149 at a home she owns, according to a report.
City Council President Lisa Bender, a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party who owns the home in the Wedge neighborhood with her husband, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that she didn't know what condition her sidewalk was in when the complaints were made or why her family wasn't able to clear the snow on time.
“We’ve owned our house for ten years. We’re a family of two working parents with two small children, and we do our very best to shovel our sidewalk at all times,” Bender said.
The city sent out letters earlier this month reminding residents of the requirement to shovel their sidewalks after snowstorms, the paper reported.
Bender said she supports a stricter approach so that sidewalks remain clear this winter, according to the report.
“If there are times when we haven’t gotten to it, then that’s why the city’s enforcement mechanism is there,” she said. “I should be treated like every other property owner in the city.”
City inspectors will be more proactive this winter in searching for unshoveled sidewalks and issuing notices of violations, the report said.
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