UPDATE: Council member accused of forcing families out of homes
Tenants evicted from two Kansas City properties owned by a Colorado Springs city councilwoman said they continue to struggle and many are stuck on the streets two months after being forced out.
Documents show Colorado Springs City Council member Helen Collins acquired two apartment buildings off Prospect Avenue in Kansas City through a quitclaim deed in November, 2012.
Collins is accused of not attending to 17 violations against the buildings issued by inspectors. The code enforcement officer told KRDO NewsChannel 13 that Collins did not pay two water bills that totaled $15,000. One building was without water for more than four months.
Families living in one of the buildings were told at the beginning of April it was condemned and they would have to leave in a matter of days.
“We all got families in here, we don’t have places to go, the shelters are full,” said tenant Heather Dugger at the time.
It’s been two months, and tenants still have harsh words for Collins. Colorado Springs Government Watch executive director, Dede Laugesen, interviewed the tenants and posted the video on YouTube.
“The eviction was a surprise to them, it happened suddenly and they didn’t have anything in place so a lot of them were left homeless,” said Laugesen.
In the YouTube video, tenants have harsh words for the council member.
“Council woman, I just have so much disrespect for you, I can’t even call you a name. I am living here outside because of you,” said one tenant.
“So she can’t call me no damn squatter, I was paying rent,” said another tenant.
Collins is facing an ethics complaint filed by the city attorney of Colorado Springs. Collins is accused in a real estate deal that shielded Douglas Bruce from paying court judgment. Bruce is the same man that penned TABOR, or the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.
According to the ethics complaint, Bruce allegedly transferred a home to Collins and then Collins sold it so Bruce would avoid paying the city’s judgment.
Two tenants said they got a call several months ago from Bruce, who told them the property manager had been a scammer and they should send their rent checks to Bruce. The tenants said they asked for additional documents to prove Bruce was the proper recipient but never heard back.
Laugesen said these accusations out of Kansas City are relevant because they show Collins and Bruce are in business together.
“Is she accountable to her constituents? Are her interests for her constituents or are they profit motivated and do they have to do with her friend and ally Douglas Bruce?” said Laugesen.
Bruce did not return KRDO NewsChannel 13’s request for an interview.
Collins did not return KRDO NewsChannel 13’s request for an interview. In April, she said the people living in the building were squatters. She said she had not been informed about any of the developments at her Kansas City properties. She said would not comment further.
The code inspector said he has called Collins repeatedly before the tenants were evicted to discuss issues involving the two properties. He also said he has sent a letter to her home informing her of each of the 17 violations.
