Jim and JoAnn Saleet were among the heroic homeowners who refused to bow to the government’s demand that they give up their homes to make way for a private development.

Lakewood, Ohio’s official motto is “The City of Homes.” Yet the City sought to take away through its power of eminent domain the homes of many residents not for a public use, but for private development—specifically, for high-end shopping and upscale condos. Among those who would have been kicked out were Jim and JoAnn Saleet, residents of Lakewood since 1965. The Saleets’ dream home on Gridley Street is located in a cozy neighborhood with a backyard that has a breathtaking view of the valley.

Despite the beauty of the Saleets’ home and neighborhood, Mayor Madeline Cain and the City of Lakewood declared the area “blighted” as a pretext for eminent domain—where the government takes private property for public use with just compensation. Many of the homes were declared blighted for such petty reasons as they don’t have an attached two-car garage or they have less than two full bathrooms. (If these standards were applied to the homes of Mayor Cain and the City Council members, they, too, would have to be declared blighted, but no such threat loomed over their homes.)

The justification the City had offered for the takings was that a new development would create more jobs and taxes, but keep this in mind: anyone’s home or small business would generate more taxes as a shopping mall. If that can justify such takings, then literally no home or business would be safe from this kind of abuse at the hands of government.

The Institute for Justice took on the City on behalf of the Saleets and their neighbors, filing suit on May 19, 2003 in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas.  IJ also joined with grassroots activists in Lakewood to fight these takings through two ballot initiatives; in November 2003, Lakewood voters rejected the development plan that would have taken the West End neighborhood and in March 2004, the voters rescinded the blight designation, which would have allowed the City to take the homes.

IJ’s victory on behalf of the Lakewood residents was a victory for property rights as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.