Massachusetts Candidates Nabbed for Not Paying Taxes on Campaign Accounts

Governor Deval Patrick dawdles over a definite commitment to assure the Commonwealth that he will carry out a tax rollback if it is the Massachusetts voters' will in November. Meanwhile, state treasurer and governor hopeful, Tim Cahill, Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murphy, and former sheriff, Guy Glodis, candidate for state auditor, were taken to task this week for failure to pay taxes on investment income earned on campaign accounts. Candidates should be the solution, not the problem.

The candidates involved in the tax fiasco say it was either an oversight or an error due to their misunderstanding of information provided on tax forms. Apparently, the taxes in question stemmed from earnings on certificates of deposits. From the standpoint of a voter and taxpayer, though, I see this as a disturbing omen.

For me, the leadership ability of these people to run my state in an honest manner is questionable now. I believe most Massachusetts voters will agree; we are fed up with this type of double standard. I pay taxes -- I expect the politicians to do the same.

Not Paying Tax is Disrespectful

The more I watch, listen to and study Deval Patrick and the candidates running for Massachusetts governor, as well as candidates seeking other offices in my state -- the more disillusioned I become as a voter and a resident. I exclude Green-Rainbow Party candidate, Dr. Jill Stein, who is in the race to unseat Governor Patrick, because, frankly, she appears to be organized and honorable.

If I were running for any kind of office, I would take the time to make sure my ducks are in order. If I were the state treasurer and boldly running for governor, I would leave no stone unturned. How do you explain away not paying a state tax for ten years? As well, if I were seeking the post of state auditor, you would find nary a tax skeleton in my humble closet.

Surely, these politicians knew the voters, the media, and opponents, would be gunning for them come election time. What they heck were they thinking? To me, It makes the candidates look like they are above having to do what everyone else is forced to do.

Of all people, independent candidate and State Treasurer, Tim Cahill should never have had to tell WHYN radio listeners in Springfield, MA, on Wednesday, "I'm not perfect. Nobody is." His failure to make sure his state taxes were paid is a huge disappointment to me. I had been steadily leaning his way up until now.

However, I do value him publicly embracing his mistake. In addition, he tossed a $15,000 check to the state, in the mail Tuesday, according to a SentinelandEnterprise.com article. Guy Glodis also paid the state over $2,000 a couple days ago. For Glodis, this was tax on interest earned in the years 2007 and 2009.

Many Massachusetts voters I speak with are experiencing a heightened sense of political distrust. They are scrutinizing every move a candidate makes. I am as well. The tax issue timing could not be worse for the candidates or for the voters. On the other hand, it probably could not be better timing for Republican Charles Baker, who is also running for governor.

Beware the Ghosts of Big Dig Past

Naturally, Charles Baker was quick to lash out at Tim Cahill and his tax blunder. I assume Baker was thrilled to hear the bad news -- it takes him and his role in the financial plan of the $26 billion Big Dig calamity out of the current spotlight. In his bid for re-election, Governor Patrick continues to hammer away at Baker for misleading the public about the project's finances. It is politics as usual.

There is a lot of commotion surrounding Massachusetts' upcoming elections. I have a governor who will not say say he will implement a voter backed tax rollback. There is a state treasurer, who wants to be governor, but overlooked paying his own taxes.

Someone who played a major part in the disastrous financial planning of the Big Dig, which as a taxpayer I am paying for, also wants to be governor. I think I need to do a lot of soul searching before November.

Sources:

Boston.com

SentinelandEnterprise.com

Eagle Tribune

Boston Herald