Letter to the Editor: Cleanup efforts yield threat of lawsuit

An open letter to Mayor William Crossley, the Town of Odessa and Councilwoman Kramer:

I am Artie Banko. I live up on Second. You are a member of the Odessa Town Council. You are doing residential property cleanup inspections. You listed dozens of properties but left out Harvey Delzer’s property at 412 Birch. The town has a file of complaints a foot thick, and nothing is being done. You even listed one at 404 Birch, just a few properties away. This has been going on for decades. The Town of Odessa is even in violation of its own resolutions and codes: 2017-10, 2018-05 and 2019-06 per chapter 8.04 of the Odessa Municipal Code. The town is also showing favoritism, prejudice and discrimination, as well as committing harassment and bullying.

I have retained an attorney, Steve Crossland of Crossland Law Offices of Spokane (509-782-4418). His assistant, Caitlyn Evans, has spoken to town clerk Denise Snead about this situation. If properties continue to be written up for cleanup violations before Harvey Delzer’s property has been cleaned up, I Artie Banko will have my attorney Steve Crossland file a lawsuit in Lincoln County.

Cheryl Stott, Harvey Delzer’s neighbor, is also taking part in this action as a witness and to testify or give a deposition as to said offenses and in the interest of suing councilwoman Marlene Kramer, the Odessa Town Council, Odessa Mayor William Crossley and Fire Chief Don Strebeck for violating said cleanup offenses and the town’s own established ordinances and resolutions. Hypocrisy at its finest. Have a nice day.

– Artie Banko, Cheryl Stott