Chronic Tax Delinquent wants to be Tax Collector!!
By: jeff04
Published On: 5/17/2007 4:20:44 PM
I have been observing the Arlington Treasurer's race for a while, even made some comments on this and another blog when I questioned the legitimacy of one of the candidates' non-profit organization's status. And I wondered what Bob James' obsession with the decal was. Finally I understand. Arlington taxpayers and voters have a right to know. Bob James is a chronic tax delinquent!!
Bob James paid his car tax late four times between 2001 and 2006. Bob James received three parking tickets for driving around with an expired county decal! No wonder Bob James wants to "dump the decal". Bob James received parking tickets for driving around with expired state inspection stickers. Will he "dump the inspection sticker"? Bob James received a bunch of tickets for expired meters which he paid late!! Will he "dump parking meters"? Is Bob James going after Treasurer O'Leary because O'Leary went after him for delinquent taxes and parking tickets?
Who will Bob James go after next? The Chief of Police? The County Board? The Governor?
Comments
Great scoop!!! (Greg - 5/17/2007 9:28:53 PM)
I'd guess this is available in public records -- can you reference the specific place this is available to give this some sourcing (and clue in the media types who read RK)??
Thanks!
Information (jeff04 - 5/17/2007 10:34:48 PM)
is available in Arlington County. Media types know where to get it.
so (Politicalhack - 5/17/2007 11:56:46 PM)
you are refusing to document your charges. Interesting.
No. (jeff04 - 5/18/2007 8:02:59 AM)
You know where to get this information as well as I do.
Bob James Tax Delinquencies (Fred - 5/19/2007 7:19:16 AM)
In case anyone wonders, the facts about Bob James' tax and parking ticket delinquencies are public information. It was released to the public on May 4, 2007, in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request submitted to the County on April 24 by Arlington resident Suzanne Sundburg, and has been circulating since. (Why it has not made it into the newspapers is a good question.)
The FOIA request sought information concerning delinquent taxes, parking tickets and other fees owed to Arlington over the last few years by various incumbents and candidates for office, including Bob James and Frank O'Leary. It specified eight such people, including Democrats, Republicans and Greens.
There were no delinquencies reported for Frank O'Leary. Concerning Bob James, the information shows that for his personal property taxes (all due on October 5), he made final payment on November 13, 2001 for 2001, June 3, 2004 for 2003, November 18, 2005 for 2005, and January 5, 2007 for 2006. He paid late payment penalties and interest each of those years.
For his 2002 real estate taxes that were due October 5, he made final payment on January 10, 2003. Again, he paid penalty and interest. In total, he was delinquent on taxes five out of the last six years.
The information also shows that since 2005 he has been issued ten parking tickets, including three for expired County decals. Of the ten tickets, he paid late fees on three in 2005 and 2006.
(Another good question is when would James have paid these taxes if not for O'Leary's aggressive delinquent account collection program?)
So, if you're Treasurer (Lowell - 5/19/2007 8:28:54 AM)
...is one of the perks that you get to pay your taxes late or not at all? Since nobody - and I've talked to people who call Bob James a "friend" - can figure out why this guy is running, have we stumbled on the hidden answer here? Ha.
I am surprised. (jeff04 - 5/19/2007 11:24:57 AM)
Why the newspapers have not picked this up is beyond me. This is important information, since Bob James is running for tax collector. How is he supposed to collect back taxes from Arlingtonians if he does not pay his own taxes on time?
This candidate is a tax delinquent, for crying out loud! Arlingtonians deserve better than this. IMHO, Bob James makes Arlington Democrats look bad. Doesn't the Democratic "establishment" that has been rumored to be behind his campaign, understand that?
The newspapers? Pick up on an important story? (Lowell - 5/19/2007 11:39:18 AM)
You mean, like:
*Weapons of mass deception...er, destruction
*The Saddam-9/11 connection (not!)
*George Allen's questionable past with regard to race, prior to Macaca
*The Bush Administration's assault on science and reason (see Al Gore's latest book)
Given all that, why on earth do you think they'd pick up on THIS story?
You're right. n/t (jeff04 - 5/19/2007 12:35:54 PM)
The document (jeff04 - 5/19/2007 1:33:52 PM)
Click to embiggen.
Wow, Bob James has quite a rap sheet! (Lowell - 5/19/2007 1:35:19 PM)
Unfortunately for him, I don't think that's what impresses Arlington voters when they go to the polls...
Bob James, Candidate for Tax Delinquent (Arturo - 5/19/2007 8:09:17 PM)
You couldn't get a job in any Treasurer's office with a record like that.
why hasn't the sun gazette been all over this? (interestedvoter - 5/19/2007 9:01:54 PM)
Clearly, we are not well served by our local paper, the sun gazette, that appears to be asleep at best. I have often found it funny when they pulled out information from the ACDC newsletter about upcoming events and reported on the events later as "facts" such as when they reported on Ingrid Morroy playing at a labor day picnic she was supposed to play at but did not, too lazy to actually attend the event and report the facts... and the Connection is no better, their piece on Mr James said he has worked at his current law firm 8 years which everyone knows is not true, but neither the James campaign or the Connection corrected the story. Liberal press? looks like we have a disinterested illeterate press.
