When Essex and Middle River residents see a boarded-up building, they might file a complaint with the Baltimore County Code Enforcement Office, the police or even the fire department. But most likely, sooner or later, they will call the duo everyone knows as “Leah and Kevin.”
Leah Biddinger, 55, and Kevin McDonough, 30, are the odd couple of code enforcement in Eastern Baltimore County. She’s president of the Sussex Community Association, a well-kept neighborhood of World War II-era bungalows. He leads the Rockaway Beach Improvement Association, where residents enjoy waterfront views and more affluence.
They spend hours of their own time each day tackling a persistent problem in the increasingly high-rent neighborhoods of Essex and Middle River — the number of vacant bars, homes, and boatyards that investors have walked away from in recent years.
“Leah is the only reason we have gotten anything done around here,” said Timothy Wagenfuehr, who lives next to a troubled vacant property on Margaret Avenue. She and McDonough convinced authorities to shut off the water due to teenagers squatters sneaking into the property.
Added Gerri Taylor: “Kevin is so smart. He knows what’s legal, what’s not, what you can do and what you can’t. He’s helped me many times.”
Among the 77-year-old Taylor’s issues: neighbors who housed chickens and ducks in their home, an aggressive pit bull trying to climb the fence where her grandchildren played, and grass that needed to be mowed. McDonough, a neighbor, saw her through all of it, not to mention shutting down some illegal dumping at a nearby gas station.
They sometimes refer to themselves as Mutt and Jeff, after the comic strip of opposites.
Biddinger is in-your-face confrontational; McDonough is more about the strongly worded email. McDonough likes crab cakes; Biddinger is more about pit beef. They are Butch and Sundance, but for code compliance.
Turkey Point resident Debbie Hoehn had been emailing with McDonough for a year when she finally met the boyish, lanky neighborhood activist. “I saw what I thought was someone’s teenage kid at the community leader’s table and wondered why he was there. I was SHOCKED after I realized THAT was Kevin,” she said. “I assumed the Kevin I was emailing with was at least 38 years old because his replies were always so professional.”
Sometimes, Biddinger refers to them as Sweet and Sour Patch Kids; McDonough, she said, is the sweet one. Biddinger is a cancer survivor who has children older than McDonough and runs a dog rescue. McDonough, who has no children, has been a dog dad ever since Biddinger found him a black lab. Hank the lab recently became Baltimore County Animal Services’ first “spokesdog.” Pet and owner have embarked on a goodwill tour of area pet stores and assisted living facilities.
McDonough has taught Biddinger patience; she’s taught him, as she puts it, that “sometimes, you have to bite.”
They met by chance years ago at a community meeting. Biddinger had a zoning question; someone suggested McDonough might know the answer. Since then, they’ve been two-call-a-day friends, with many texts in-between. Biddinger, a retired clerical worker, calls McDonough as he drives to his legal clerk job to go over the day’s plan. He calls her en route home to discuss accomplishments and next-day goals.
“It’s usually a force to be reckoned with when the two of us show up together,” McDonough said.
She added: “It’s going to be ugly. We’re going to pull the code out. We’re going to pull all the tricks out of the basket.”
Baltimore County has a new trick that the pair are watching. Last January, the administration of County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. announced a new law to create a process for identifying vacant structures and tearing them down. One of the properties that the pair have been complaining about for years, 32 Back River Neck Road, was scheduled to be the first to be demolished. That was in May. As of late August, it was still standing.
Code Enforcement Chief Adam Whitlock said the property would be demolished “any day now.” Rather than express frustration with the duo’s frequent emails and calls, Whitlock said he’s grateful.
“Just them being out there and reporting this kind of stuff makes our jobs more impactful, and we very much appreciate their partnership and their commitment to their community,” he said.
Whitlock’s department includes 25 inspectors — the county executive’s brother, Justin Olszewski, works as a coordinator — and he is “confident” in his staff. Whitlock could not say whether the Essex area had more violations than other places, but said he understands community frustrations over longtime derelict properties.
Until the new law was passed, being a vacant structure was not necessarily a violation. Another challenge is that administrative law judges give owners ample opportunities to raise funds, acquire permits, or sell the structures. And code enforcement is complaint-driven. If no one complains, properties continue to deteriorate.
Enforcement has largely been about bringing the property back into compliance and not about punishment for past violations, a policy that infuriates community activists. If a person who follows the rules and applies for a permit for a pier is ultimately treated the same as a person who builds that pier under the cover of night, what incentive does anyone have to follow the rules?
“We don’t enjoy spending our free time deep in the law books of Baltimore County, but we are having to do it more and more,” Biddinger said while examining the loose boards on the Margaret Avenue property.
Added McDonough: “These issues erode average people’s trust and confidence in local government.”
And though bird-dogging code enforcement isn’t enjoyable, there’s evidence that their advocacy is effective. In addition to the Back River Neck house, a burned-out building on Eastern Boulevard will soon have new owners who have filed for a renovation permit. The bar at 1528 Old Eastern Ave., which the owner originally tried to renovate without permits, is now working with the proper permissions. And the Margaret Avenue house, while still derelict, no longer has squatters in the garage.
Biddinger takes nothing for granted, though, and attended a Margaret Avenue Zoom hearing before Chief Administrative Law Judge Andrew Belt.
The property’s owner, Victor Guillen, pleaded for more time to fix the violations. Biddinger calmly listed all the hazards she and McDonough had chronicled over two years. The judge fined Guillen $1,800 and ordered him to finish the work in 30 days. If he didn’t, he’d be fined another $200.
“The fines are just going to keep coming,” Belt told Guillen. “I would recommend you assess your future plans.”
Before ending the hearing, Belt said: “Ms. Biddinger, I always appreciate your service to the community.”
She thanked him, then logged off to text McDonough an update. It was time to strategize about the next steps.
