Disgraced Former Building Inspector Vouched for Oak St. Home

How did an overcrowded home with exposed electrical wiring and unvented heating units last April?

The owner received a little help from former Building Inspector Frank Ruccolo, less than a month before when police raided the building department.

Those details came to light this week after the home, at 142 Oak St., and 20 people were left homeless.

Inspections and a review of the parcel history by the Department of Code Enforcement revealed a and spurred department officials to take a closer look at the April 2010 fire safety inspection at the house.

A code enforcement inspector suspected the home was in violation, but Ruccolo assured him the building was safe and up to code, Code Enforcement Director Christopher Steers said.

"The location was inspected by a code enforcement officer and he questioned the legality of the basement (it was finished but un-occupied at the time)," Steers said in response to Patch inquiry. Ruccoloo "gave my Code Enforcement Officer erroneous information, specifically that the location was a lawful 4 family and that the basement was finished with permits. Neither statement was accurate."

The home is owned by Anna Maria Blass, and the building and property are valued at a combined $639,000, according to village records.

Overcrowding has been a major local issue for its impact on property owners, the school district and intangibles like the resources used by the Port Chester Fire Department and other agencies to respond to fires in rented homes.

Along with violations such as the lack of carbon monoxide detectors and makeshift electrical wiring, Blass was issued a violation for overcrowding: officials say the home was approved for three families, as per Ruccolo's inspection, but was actually home to between four and seven families at the time of Monday's fire.

Steers said he wants to make clear to the public that the violations and bogus safety inspection date back to the former building department, and the Department of Code Enforcement under his command has been focused on eliminating corruption that dates back to Ruccolo's predecessor, Leonard Cusumano. 

"Everything I've been doing since I've been here is to clean up these messes and to help fix these problems. They're significant," he said. "More significant than I imagined."

Check back with Port Chester Patch for updates.

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