Code officer used to getting an earful<\/b><\/p>\n
When residents call the City of Kent to complain about junk vehicles, garbage on property or abandoned homes falling apart in their neighborhoods, Brian Swanberg goes to work against the public nuisances.<\/p>\n
Swanberg, in his 15th year as a city code-enforcement officer, investigates the complaint and takes steps, including eventual fines or court orders, to get a property owner to remove cars or fix up homes if they have violated city regulations.<\/p>\n
Swanberg, a former Renton Police officer, knows the complaints will continue even after he has completed his job.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a job like this with enforcement, you always have someone mad at you,\u201d Swanberg said during a Monday interview at his office in the city\u2019s Centennial Building. \u201cThey\u2019re mad that you\u2019re not doing enough (about the problem) or the property owner\u2019s mad that you\u2019re doing too much to them. I figure if both of them are mad at you, you probably made the right decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
Swanberg knows as well as anyone how protective residents are of property rights.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody likes the government coming on their property to tell them what to do,\u201d said Swanberg, who tries to explain to violators why certain activities become public nuisances to neighbors.<\/p>\n
Swanberg, 49, became the city\u2019s first code-enforcement officer in 1994. Then-Mayor Jim White promised to start a code-enforcement program as part of his campaign for office and Swanberg became the hands-on guy.<\/p>\n
Swanberg retired from the Renton Police in 1989 after he sustained an upper-back injury when a drunk driver going 40 mph rear-ended his parked patrol vehicle shortly after he had responded to a call in downtown Renton.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter six months of rehabilitation, I came back for a while,\u201d Swanberg said. \u201cBut I did not want to get my back hurt again and endanger myself or my partner, so I retired to pursue something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
After Swanberg left the Renton Police, he spent four years as a private investigator. But with way too many 16-hour days, Swanberg viewed the City of Kent job as a good way to be able to spend more time with his three children.<\/p>\n
For 13 years, Swanberg worked as the only code-enforcement officer in the city. Two years ago, R.E. Miller became the second code-enforcement officer after he retired from the Kent Police. Miller has watched Swanberg make a difference in the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe helps clean up the city to make it a better place to live,\u201d Miller said of Swanberg. \u201cAnd he works with people to get the problem solved. It\u2019s not all black and white with him. He\u2019s pretty flexible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Besides the removal of numerous junk vehicles and garbage from property, Swanberg said more than 130 dilapidated structures have been torn down during his 15 years with the city because of code violations. He said the empty buildings can become fire hazards as well as hangouts for transients.<\/p>\n
Despite the challenges Swanberg faces on his job, nothing compares to the personal tragedy he suffered nearly three years ago with the death of his oldest son in Iraq.<\/p>\n
Marine Lance Cpt. Shane Swanberg, 24, died when mortar and rocket fire struck his base camp at Ramadi on Sept. 15, 2005. Shane Swanberg had been in Iraq fewer than 10 days and had yet to serve on his first mission.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not something I\u2019d wish on anybody,\u201d Swanberg said. \u201cThat\u2019s the biggest thing I\u2019ve ever had to deal with. The holidays are still rough. But his buddies contact me to see how I\u2019m doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brian Swanberg spent the first 12 years of his life in Georgia and Florida before moving to Washington when Boeing transferred his father, who worked with the Minuteman missile systems, to Seattle.<\/p>\n
Swanberg, who is remarried and lives in Tacoma, has a 23-year-old son who serves in the Army reserves, a 21-year-old daughter who works at Starbucks, and two grandchildren. Military portraits of his two sons stand on his office desk.<\/p>\n
Health problems became a personal challenge to Swanberg five years ago, when he suffered a massive heart attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy doctor told me I had the heart of a 30-year-old and four months later I had a massive heart attack,\u201d said Swanberg, whose family has a history of heart trouble. \u201cI thought I had chest congestion from a cold.\u201d<\/p>\n
An angiogram revealed blocked arteries and Swanberg had two stents placed in his arteries to help restore normal blood flow. The officer has since had two more heart attacks, even though he takes daily medication and watches his diet. Whenever he feels chest pain, he immediately must head to the doctor to determine the status of his heart.<\/p>\n
Despite the personal tragedies suffered by Swanberg, Miller has watched his fellow worker continue to live with a positive outlook.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor somebody who\u2019s been through as much as he has, he\u2019s still very outgoing,\u201d said Miller, who shares an office with Swanberg. \u201cHe still cares about people. I\u2019ve seen people go through similar things who get cynical and hard. He\u2019s not like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Outside of the office, Swanberg enjoys playing golf. He has a painting on his office wall of the 13th hole, part of Amen Corner, at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.<\/p>\n
Swanberg also does woodworking. He built a gate for his backyard fence and has made several furniture pieces. Spending time in his workshop gives him a chance to get away from the duties of enforcing city codes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s relaxing when I get in the workshop,\u201d Swanberg said. \u201cI like working with my hands.\u201d<\/p>\n
Contact Steve Hunter at 253-872-6600, ext. 5052 or shunter@reporternewspapers.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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