Forty-year Democrat incumbent U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-09) promoted her involvement in legislation establishing a nationwide tenant eviction moratorium, yet attempted to evict two tenants during the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of the evictions was requested strictly for the reason of not paying rent.
The legislation that Kaptur co-sponsored is H.R. 6347, a bill that would establish an eviction moratorium until six months after the president’s COVID-19 emergency declaration expired.
“This bill establishes a moratorium on the initiation of eviction proceedings, except with respect to tenants who have perpetrated certain criminal acts, for a period that lasts until six months after the termination by the Federal Emergency Management Agency of the presidential emergency declaration relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019),” the bill says.
It “prohibits the eviction of tenants for six months after the COVID-19 pandemic is officially declared over.”
The Biden administration extended the National Emergency declaration to go beyond March 1.
The U.S. Supreme Court halted the eviction moratorium on August 26, 2021.
On December 21, 2020, Kaptur promoted the COVID-19 relief package priorities of Democrats, which included an extension to the eviction moratorium.
“Rental assistance: Democrats secured $25 billion in critically needed rental assistance for families struggling to stay in their homes and an extension of the eviction moratorium,” was included in a press statement by the Ohio U.S. representative.
In February 2021, Kaptur and U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13) introduced the Restoring Communities Left Behind Act.
“Today, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) and Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), released the following statement after the pair introduced the Restoring Communities Left Behind Act. The legislation would make $5 billion available to local communities through a grant program administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development in order to fund neighborhood revitalization activities including homeowner rehabilitation assistance, weatherization, improved housing accessibility for seniors and people with disabilities, housing counseling, refinancing, property tax relief, and more. The purpose of the grant program is to provide a flexible source of dedicated federal funding to assist localities in their community development and revitalization efforts,” said Kaptur in a statement at the time.
That legislation “supports the purchase and redevelopment of vacant, abandoned or distressed properties to be used for affordable rental housing.”
The Detroit News reported that “she indicated the legislation supports the purchase and redevelopment of vacant, abandoned or distressed properties to be used for affordable rental housing, home ownership or commercial properties.”
Between February 2020 and January 2021, Kaptur rented her property at 5151 Fleet Rd. to TaShayla Sims, records show. Kaptur rented her property to Sims for $875.00 each month, which reportedly was more than the average price of rent in Toledo, Ohio, at the time.
In January 2021, Kaptur filed a complaint to evict Sims from the property for failure to pay rent. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine at the time recommended that only evictions involving physical harm or danger be scheduled for hearings during the pandemic. A hearing was scheduled on February 10, 2021, but Kaptur filed for dismissal without prejudice.
Documents obtained by The Ohio Star show, between September 30, 2020 and September 30, 2021, Kaptur rented the property at 1854 Harlan Rd. in Toledo, Ohio, to Matthew Baumgartner. On March 9, 2021, Kaptur filed to evict her tenant and scheduled hearings for having pets on the premises, “persons other than the tenant abiding in the property,” “making and/or causing noise that will hinder the pleasant living of neighbors,” and “smoking in the residence.”
Kaptur dropped both eviction suits before going to trial.
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Aaron Gulbransen is a reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]. Follow Aaron on GETTR, Twitter, Truth Social, and Parler.
