Athens Board of Zoning Appeals member resigns after controversy over Athens City Code violations

Photo via: The New Political Staff

Joseph Krause, a member of the Board of Zoning Appeals, resigned after accusations of housing code violations in his rental properties.

Mayor Steve Patterson had two of his selections up for reappointment to the BZA, and Krause was one of these. The council planned to vote to reappoint during Monday’s meeting. Krause is the president of Krause Rental Properties, which has multiple properties in Athens and Columbus. 

Krause was originally appointed to the Board of Zoning Appeals as an alternate in 2019 and served a two-year term until he was reappointed in 2021, this time as an official member set to serve for three years, with his term expiring in 2024. 

United Athens County Tenants, a local organization comprised of Athens County tenants and residents working toward housing justice in Athens, released a report Nov. 15, 2022, detailing a history of housing code violations at several of Krause’s properties. 

The report cited multiple instances of failed property inspections and re-inspections, Krause not showing up for inspections and fire safety and electrical violations. It also went into detail about a ceiling that collapsed at one of Krause’s properties due to water damage in the roof in August 2022. 

According to the report, Krause failed 110 of 113 regular inspections of his 17 rental properties over the 14 years UACT studied. 

Krause’s lawyer, Robert “Rusty” Rittenhouse of Lavelle and Rittenhouse Attorneys at Law, delivered a statement that announced his client’s resignation from the BZA.

Rittenhouse said UACT’s accusations of misconduct were motivated by antisemitism. 

“He felt he was being attacked. When you feel like you’re being racially discriminated, I think it’s not so beneficial to deny it, but to figure out why the other person feels that way,” he said. 

Rittenhouse said he had offered to speak with UACT’s members and their attorney privately to resolve the issue, but they declined. 

In a letter read to the council by Caitlyn McDaniel, UACT’s counsel from Southeastern Ohio Legal Services, UACT denied Rittenhouse’s accusations of antisemitism and expressed their views on Krause’s potential reappointment. 

“Simply put, how can we expect members of the public to abide by BZA’s regulatory decisions when one of the board members has a documented history of violating city regulations himself?” McDaniels read. 

The BZA is comprised of seven members: five official members and two alternates. 

Patterson does not have a new appointee in mind to fill Krause’s position but plans to move one of the alternates into his seat. 

In other business:

• The council reappointed Ben Lachman to the BZA.

• The council introduced an ordinance for first reading allowing the city service safety director to accept bids and enter into contracts to begin construction on curb ramps.

• The council passed a resolution supporting Ohio Issue One.