Legal Help Dealing With A "retaliating" Township Supervisor?
So I was recently approached by my township supervisor asking me if i would be willing to remove "junk" from my property so that his plow trucks could turn around in my driveway since our road is a dead end road and I'm the last house.
The "driveway" they are refering to hasn't actually been used in years as a driveway, it was an extension of the driveway put in when multiple ppl lived here but the house has only had one resident in the past 20 years, no need for the big driveway. Owning this house 2 years ish now I've been trying to let the grass grow back but had issues with people using it as a turn around so I put up some saw horses, trash cans, some 2×4s laid between the cans. Whatever was quick and easy to make a "fence" with. This is the "junk" the supervisor was referring to.
I explained to the supervisor that the "driveway" they are referring to is actually part of my yard. My car is parked in the actual driveway. I told them the junk was simply there as a quick fix so the grass could grow back from people tearing it up turning around there. They then argued with me that they needed a spot to turn around and since they had used my property in the past they wanted the junk moved so they could use it again. My response was calm but I told them that his trucks haven't turned around on my property in years. Not the 2 that I've been in the house or the other 8 when I was next door and my gram lived here who also refused to let them turn their trucks around here but for different reasons. After giving my explanation all he had to say was "so that's a definite no?" Told him "absolutely a no" and he smiled, said ok in a cocky manner, snapped some pics with his phone, started making a call, and left.
I knew immediately this was gonna turn into some b.s. that because I told them no they were gonna retaliate somehow. I was right. Just got a letter in the mail for a court summons for "exessive rubbish". Considering how long the stuff has been there and knowing my neighbors it's blatantly obvious who called and complained. The supervisor. Again, this wasn't an issue until I told this person they couldn't use my property. I've never had a complaint from anyone on this road.
I'm going to remove the junk and put up fence posts instead now that I know this is going to be a problem. If this was just a junk scenario I wouldn't care so much, the thing that gets me is that I now have to go to court just because I told this supervisor they couldn't use my property. Had i told him "yea I'll move that for you so you can turn around" i wouldn't be going to court and that to me is absolutely not ok. Notice they didn't ask me to clean up the mess, no they asked me to clean up the mess so they could use my property. Big difference considering they arent reimbursing me for the use of it or offering to maintain it. They were fine with the junk as long as I moved it and they could turn around. This is a clear act of retaliation and coming from my township supervisor I find it very unacceptable and feel it needs brought to more people's attention.
Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated. Located in Pennsylvania usa. Im mostly interested in bringing attention to this supervisors shady actions but i dont want plow trucks turning around in my yard next to my car spraying it with salt and I'm not paying to have something graveled for the township to use that they have no right to anyway. Thoughts?
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