Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Elected & Public Officials, Tax Delinquencies (as reported by Tax Collector's Office)
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31 comments:
Frank,
Generally I agree with your posts and comments however I think you are being a little unfair here. Granted these folks are late making their payments but 1 month does not make a tax scofflaw in my opinion. They will all pay late fees when they make their payments and if they let it go six months or more than as public officials they should have to explain how they can effectively govern while in arrears.
Must be Democratic math. Taxes are due on July 1, and September 29th is 2 months. State law provides for constables to be issued a tax warrant after 60 days, which is just 2 more days, so I guess the law is not important to Democrats.
Are these reports still un-paids now or have these bills been paid
to date?
THEN:
As of March 4, 2009
1. Alderman Lori A. Rocha: $813.78
3. Alderman Tonilynn Collins: $348.93
NOW:
Alderman Lori A. Rocha, motor vehicle: $1,452.18, as of 9/29
Alderman Tonilynn Collins, motor vehicle: $262.92, as of 9/14
One repeat offender owes $638.40 more than in April and the other owes $86.01 less, so I guess it is acceptable behavior for elected officials to not pay by the due date like the rest of us are expected to?
Frank,
I disagree with the person who thinks it is wrong to tell us that someone who is an elected official is late paying their taxes.
I think your timing is perfect.
We are just about 2 weeks or so away from a municipal election, and the people deserve to know which of their elected officials and candidates for office are responsible enough to pay their taxes, and for the ones who are delinquent, the timing offers them a chance to make it right before the election and to offer an explanation for their malfeasance to their constituents.
I think the people want to know if a candidate doesn't take his/her obligations serious, especially one as personal as having to pay your taxes on time.
I could understand people being upset if you waited until the day before the election, so that the candidates couldn't respond to the issue, but your timing will allow for open discussion and debate before the election, and isn't that what an election is all about?
And for those who constantly accuse you of being in the tank for the Republicans, I noticed at least a couple of them on the list too. I guess you really are providing "Fair and Balanced" reporting.
Keep up the good work!
It is confusing because your letter starts by saying city officials "currently owe" in excess of 50,000 when in fact there
are two remaining alderpersons who
have yet to pay their bills.
Thanks for clearing that up. I am especially glad to know that the larger real estate bills have since been paid.
These are difficult times and it is certain that many in the private sector who are not elected to service or volunteer their time to service for this city have
had slow or late payments.
50 public officials and 4 candidates for office, all delinquent on their taxes. Must be some sort of a record!
It is confusing because your letter starts by saying city officials "currently owe" in excess of 50,000 when in fact there
are two remaining alderpersons who
have yet to pay their bills.
INTERESTING MATH, I COUNT 50 CITY OFFICIALS AND 4 CANDIDATES FOR OFFICE. WHOEVER THIS PERSON IS, THEY MUST HAVE LEARNED TO COUNT IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM RUN BY UNIONS.
The Thorn said...
Frank,
I disagree with the person who thinks it is wrong to tell us that someone who is an elected official is late paying their taxes.
My concerns were not for the elected officials but instead for those who have chosen to serve on committees. Those who choose to serve the community in a manner that is neither for the pay and or political purposes. It seems to me (and this is only my opinion) that many of these folks are not gaining anything by serving and might not deserve to be publicly humiliated for making a tax payment 1 month late.
Elected officials certainty should be up to date on their taxes.
I think in this economy iam surprised that there aren't more people that are late or behind on not only there taxes but other personal debt as well.
People that are in office and / or running for office are not exempt from this economy. Maybe a spouse lost a job or took a paycut. That does not mean that they are not an effective leader or irresponsible, just that they are human.
As the owner of a small business with accounts recievables in the six figure range, and banks not willing to extend credit lines, it is tough to get things payed on time.
Anyway I am sure all taxes will be payed soon enough, and look at the bright side the city will make more money from the intrest.
Hey Frank,
Saying that a public official isn't delinquent because he is only a couple months late paying his taxes is like saying you are only a couple months pregnant.
You are either delinquent, or you are not. Get real.
Anonymous said: My concerns were not for the elected officials but instead for those who have chosen to serve on committees.
>
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Once someone volunteers to be a commissioner, they become an important public official responsible for enforcing the law, and in many cases responsible for holding city employees or even taxpayers accountable for the law.
For example, a police commissioner has the ultimate authority to hire, fire, promote and discipline police officers. Would it be acceptable to have one of these commissioners blatantly disregard paying their taxes, but vote to discipline a police officer for some petty violation of the law or even a department policy?
Commissioners should be held to an even higher standard than the general public. If it is too hot in the kitchen for any of them, maybe they need to rethink their purpose for serving as a public official.
Does this mean it is bad to have a "commissioner" who has already plead guilty to federal tax evasion, who is delinquent with his taxes?
What about an alderman who sets the tax rate we must all pay, and then doesn't pay her own taxes?
Is that hypocrisy?
The Thorn said...
Once someone volunteers to be a commissioner...
All of the points you have made are valid and I agree 100%.
I only disagree with the assumption that if someone is 1 month in arrears with taxes that they have "blatantly disregard paying their taxes".
As I do with Frank, I usually agree with your comments.
Let’s agree to disagree on this one!
Since taxes are due and payable July 1st, they are actually almost 2 1/2 months delinquent at this point. Would you have Frank wait until December (after the election) to tell you that candidates in the election the month before are still delinquent when you can no longer hold them accountable?
I agree with the guy who said that being a little delinquent is like being a little pregnant. You either obey the law or you don't.
What kind of person is going to run for office and just doesn't care if his/her taxes are paid according to the law?
Doesn't this speak volumes about a candidate's character, or lack thereof?
Doesn't this speak volumes about a candidate's character, or lack thereof? I couldn't agree more!
I guess nobody thinks that having some of the same aldermen on the list for a second time is a newsworthy item? Perhaps they are proving their worthiness to serve in Obama's cabinet, like so many other tax cheats.
NEW BRITAIN — Mayoral candidate state Rep. Timothy O’Brien announced Friday that if elected mayor in November he planned to address the problem of escalating property taxes in the city.
What if O'Brien just were to get all of the members of his slate to pay their taxes?
As we know the taxes that are payed go to benefit the city and the people who live here. I can't believe that everyone who posted a comment has NEVER been late with any of there payments EVER. Or is it that every politician is exempt from this bad economy? Come on people is this really that big of an issue? Before you point fingers at other people maybe you should look at what you haven't payed on time.
If someone is foolish enough to run for office without paying their taxes first then they clearly aren't cut out for the job.
Apparently from the comments on here the people of New Britain encourage their elected officials to not pay their taxes, even if the rest of us have to. I am 63 years old and have never been late paying my taxes--ever. After reading the postings on here defending the people who make the laws not paying their taxes I am convinced anyone running for office in this city should make it a campaign promise that if they are elected they will never once pay their taxes as long as they are in office and apparently that promise alone will get them elected. I now understand just why this city is as screwed up as it is.
what is more disturbing with the current council members being late on their taxes is: THEY ARE PAID A STIPEND BY THE CITY!!!
How many of the Aldermen not only get paid a stipend by the council, but either work for the city, the state, or have a high salary from a publicly funded organization. Almost all of them make more than the average citizen, all at taxpayer expense, and how many of them are collecting a pension and free health insurance from one government agency and getting another large salary from another, and still everyone feels sorry for them not being able to pay their taxes? What is wrong with this picture?
Doesn't anyone have a problem with a former mayor owing $12,000?
I can only assume it represents several years of taxes, because short of being a commercial facility, I don't know of any homes in New Britain where the taxes could be $12,000 a year, unless you elect O'Brien mayor, because that is the norm in cities like Hartford that are run by Democrats, in fact in Hartford the average taxes are higher than $12,000 a year.
Democrats are only about raising taxes, not paying them!@!@!
Since Mayor Stewart was elected on the issue of fiscal stability, the mill rate has not risen in six consecutive years under his leadership.
Anonymous said...
Obama's going to take care of that for the seniors by denying them needed medical treatments so they die off earlier and no longer live long enough to be a burden to the government controlled health care system that the Democrats are going to ram down our throats.
Why else would he be pushing so hard to cut $500 million in Medicare funding?
Frank, are the seniors all singing his praise: mmmm mmmm mmmm, Barrack Hussein Obama, mmmm mmmm mmmm?
I am really surprised that more people are not upset that their public officials think they are better than the rest of us by not seeing the need to pay their taxes on time.
Is it because the Democrats have that much control over the people, that everyone is afraid to speak out for fear of reprisals?
I know that the Nobel Peace Prize given to Obama is a sham because there could be no more fitting recipient for this award than Fox News Information Czar Glenn Beck!
Anonymous said...Also, Bill Candelori is no longer a partner with Colonial Realty...let it go!!
and Bernie Madoff is no longer with Bernard L Madoff Investment Securities either!
Sounds like the Democrats don't like you pointing out that they appointed a convicted felon to administer over $10 million of your taxpayer money, especially when he is asking for another $90 million for the expansion of the plant. Are they embarrassed for the public to find out that the Democrats appointed a felon to chair such a board?
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