The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-03-20
ROBINSON DID
NOT THREATEN
HIS LANDL ADY
Letter Protesting Rent In
crease Was "Friendly
Tip" He Ayers.
HE REFERRED TO
INCREASED VALUES
Mrs. Wa1lenta Protests AS
SCISSORS Boost Demands
Read djustment.

City Clerk J. Alex H. Robinson
opened a note awhile back. The mis-
sive was not scented with the perfume
of violet soap. so popular in city hall.
Nor was it reminiscent of soft soap
It was firm, stern demand from Mrs.
Frank Wa1lenta for more rent She is
a woman of property. She lives at
1887 Main street and is the owner of
a number of dwellings which she
rents, one of her tenants being the city,
clerk.
To the demand for more rent City
Clerk Robinson replied with letter
of friendly advice, in which he sug-
gested that it would it be unwise upon
the part of his landIady to raise rents,
the suggestion, or the inference or the
implication being that more rents
meant more value, that values are
prone to attract the attention of as
SCISSORS, and that assessoriaI attention
usually brings more taxes.
The board Of assessors did increase
Mrs. Wallenta's valuation. And then
the board of relief announced an in
crease, which Mrs. Wallenta resented
to such an extent that she employed
an attorney to oppose it.
Mrs Wallenta, instead of regarding
City Clerk Robinson's letter as a
friendly tip. filed with good fellow
threat that her taxes would be raised
If his rent was.
At any rate the city clerk and his
Iandladyf came to separation. Mrs.
Wa1lenta will soon cease to be City
Clerk Robinson's landIady and he
VIII soon stop paying her rent.
He will shortly move from the fat
he has occupied for several years past
at 500 Seaview avenue.
Several weeks before the board Of
assessors had completed their work
but at a time when it was certain
many property holders were to re-.
eeive large increases in their tax as
sessments, Mrs. Waf1enta wrote a let
ter to Mr.. Robinson telling him that.
thesFent of his fiat would, be increased
$5 per month, due to the proposed in
crease in tax rate, the increased cost
or labor, repairs, etc, to landlords of
dwelling houses. Mrs. Wa11enta. owns
10 pieces of property in various parts
OF the city. She intimated in her let
ter to Mr.. Robinson that she intended
to raise the rents of all her tenants
On receipt of Mrs. Wa1Ienta's letter
notifying him of the increase in rent,
Mr.. Robinson promptly wrote back
stating that he did not consider the
increase in his rent warranted and also
telling Mrs. Wallenta' that it was the
purpose of the assessors to increase
the valuation on all property where
landlords raised rents. Mr.. Robinson
claims that his letter was couched in !
friendly terms and not intended to
convey threat. He also claimed that |
he had made repairs to his fiat at his |
own expense, which he otherwise felt |
his landIady in duty bound to make /
Nevertheless Mrs Wa1lenta decided
the increase should stand. Therefore I
Mr.. Robinson will seek another fat
Mrs. Wa1Ienta owns ten pieces of |
property, most of them\ havi%g two
family houses. The tax assessors this
year placed a total valuation on her
property of $43,36 There is a SOL
81 900, making a total valuation of
$42,3 $50 on which she is assessed This I
is an increase of $4.50o over last year
when her property holdings were as
sessed at $37,860.
Mr.. Robinson tooay admitted ne
wrote the letter to Mrs. Wallenta and
that he Intended to move very soon. I
He denied the letter was written as a
threat from one in public office, but
said he had written it any private
citizen might write about a private af-
fair. He said:
such an increase Mrs. Wallenta
made her tenants was very unfair. Her
taxes were Increased but a trif1e over
$40 per year. She asked me to pay
$50 of this $40 and besides that she
proposed to collect ten times that same
amount from her other tenants When
wrote Mrs. Wallenta I considered I
was writing on my own private bus
mess in which the public has in
-erest.''
Mrs wallenta employed an attor-
1ey to appear before the board of re-
ef to protest against the increase in
her assessment.