Transparent and Accountable? Frank O'Leary Yes, Bob James NO

By: interestedvoter
Published On: 5/18/2007 11:32:50 PM

Looks like the candidate in favor of transparency has been hiding some information. One would think that anyone running for Treasurer and wanting to collect others taxes and assessments would pay their taxes and assessments on time. Doesn't seem like he is the best candidate for the job if he can't keep his personal finances in order. But that may also explain why he doesn't want people to know he worked for DC govt, that may explain their financial woes, and on that note, did he resign or was he asked to leave by DC's new mayor?

Mr James says he works at a law firm but if so, why has he been spotted walking in Arlington during the day? I sure wish I had a new job and didn't have to show up, makes me wonder what is in it for his company (which just so happens to be a lobbying firm that does business with govts? doesn't pass the smell test to me...)

And why hasn't anyone responded to the fact that the campaign lit brags about his founding Latitudes, a non-profit, which in fact is not a non-profit at all (by they way, does that organization pay business taxes in Arlington as they lost their non-profit status in Dec 2005? Source, IRS, public records --- which also shows that when Latitudes was classified as a non-profit it was A23, a cultural awareness non-profit -- not at all a non-profit for serving the underserved.

So let's sum up, a candidate who hides his former employer, who implies he works at a big shot law firm but spends his workdays campaigning, who claims to have started a non-profit that is not a non-profit according to the IRS, and who claims that non-profit serves the underserved when it was classified by the IRS as a cultural awareness organization. Not to mention that if you visit www.latitudes.org, it continues to claim it is a non-profit and collect donations that folks are unwittingly duped into believing they are a non-profit - check out their website and see for yourself, http://www.latitudes... - oh yeah, and you will also see that they have no events planned after 2004.

Is Bob James for real running on a platform of transparency and accountability? And more disturbingly, since the information coming out is all available in public records, why isn't the press all over this? Do the citizens of Arlington need to depend on the bloggers to get the facts?

Comments



What a candidate! (jeff04 - 5/19/2007 11:09:39 AM)
So Bob James is not only a tax delinquent, he may also be a tax evader.  It is simply mind boggling that this individual is running for Arlington Treasurer.  Does he really think that Arlingtonians will fall for his crap about integrity and accountability?  If Bob James wins, which is not likely, who would collect his delinquent taxes?


Huh? (Waldo Jaquith - 5/19/2007 10:08:09 PM)
Mr James says he works at a law firm but if so, why has he been spotted walking in Arlington during the day?

I don't know or care about this race (it's as removed from my life as the recent French elections), but this is a bit silly.  I say I work for Virginia Quarterly Review, but anybody who was on Water Street in downtown Charlottesville on Friday around 1pm would have seen me.  Or anybody who was at the Piedmont Virginia Community College graduation Friday of last week might have seen me there just before 5pm.  They might have even seen me on Thursday the 10th, roundabout noon, getting my haircut at Staples Barbershop.

Does this mean that I don't really work for VQR?  Or does it mean that sometimes my work obligations take me away from my desk, and that sometimes I have to run errands during the day?

If this guy is a lousy candidate, fine, demonstrate it.  But accusing the man of once being spotted in public during work hours only makes it look like you've got nothing else on him.



He took a leave of absence (Arturo - 5/20/2007 8:50:57 AM)
After a couple of days (or a week or so) on the job, Bob James took a leave of absence from his brandnew job.  There might be some arrangement in the works where, should Bob James win, he may try to get his bond law firm, a lobbying firm, some business with local government.  This is the point interestedvoter was making.  It is one of many questions we have about James. 

The other is his Arlington tax payments which too often appear to arrive late; it was noted in another diary. 

Another question is the status of James' non-profit, Latitudes or Latitudes Group.  If the organization lost its tax exempt status, they are supposed to pay tax.  Are they paying tax? 

All legitimate questions for someone who wants to collect taxes.



where's waldo and where is bob james (interestedvoter - 5/20/2007 10:36:04 PM)
thanks for sharing, guess we now know the original of where is Waldo! Bob James workes purportedly in DC but has been seen in Arlington during the day REGULARLY, not once, not sure where you got idea it was one time, we are talking daily, baby! Hey, it takes 45 minutes to get to DC on a short commute day so you really think he would have time to stroll in Arlington on his lunchbreaks? too too funny! And great if your boss has no problem with you goofing off during the day and running errands, but we are talking about someone who wants to be a civil servant, as in our tax dollars pay his salary, so no, I don't want a treasurer who goofs off on the company dime, as that becomes my dime.  So thanks for sharing where the origin of where Waldo comes from!! guess your company is wondering too. No wonder you defend this type of behavior!