Sidewalk Ticket Blitz on East Third

The Daily News's tireless Brooklyn reporter, Mike McLaughlin, weighs in on an issue that's been a major local irritant:

Two dozen homeowners on one Kensington block have been slapped with orders from city officials to fix up their cracked sidewalks, residents said.

But many in the single-family detached homes on E. Third St. complained about the crackdown, saying they're being forced to spend thousands on repairs for minor breaks.

"I don't think this...is hazardous," said Ahuva Spiro, 51, a college professor, pointing to one sidewalk section with small, flat cracks the city ordered repaired. "I want to do it on my own time, not because the city is telling me."

The homeowners between Ditmas Ave. and Avenue F received letters from the Department of Transportation about two weeks ago notifying them they had 45 days to fix the broken slabs or they'd have to pay the city to do the work.

Residents ordered to fix their entire sidewalk face bills of $2,000 or more.

"That's a lot of money right now," said Edgar Varella, 26, a flier distributor who rents a house and will split the tab with his landlord.

[snip]

But a spokesman for City Councilman Brad Lander (D-Kensington) said it was the first time that one block in his district had been hit with so many violations.

A DOT spokeswoman said the block was targeted after the agency received complaints aboutd it.

But residents there don't think conditions on their block are any worse than any typical city street.

"They could do it anywhere," said Joe Leibovits, 30, a software developer.