Ask A Candidate
Richard Panichelli has a question for Michael Nutter. Nutter has an answer.
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The city is owed hundreds of millions of dollars in outstanding real-estate taxes, and tens of millions of dollars in outstanding unpaid parking tickets. What will you do to collect the money that hasn't been paid? And, should we look into whether the top offenders, resident or business, have made donations to any of the candidates?
The only way to effectively collect taxes owed to the city is to decide what we're prepared to do. To paraphrase Sean Connery in The Untouchables, "everybody knows where the booze is, Mr. Ness. The only question is, who's willing to cross Capone?" Are we willing to foreclose on properties that have accumulated back taxes from five, 10 or 20 years? Are we willing to boot or tow the cars of driverswho have accumulated five or 10 parking tickets?
Every time the city has talked tough on collections, say with the tax lien sales back in 2001, we end up walking away or screwing things up with special exceptions for favored districts. And yes, of course, we should investigate the political contributions of the larger deadbeats who owe real-estate taxes and parking tickets. The legislation I worked [on] and got passed in 2005 helps make it possible to conduct those kinds of investigations. We can call this game of neglecting your tax bills "play to not pay" and work to end it.
If you have a question you want to ask one of our potential next mayors, send it to hickey@citypaper.net or call 215-735-8444, ext. 211. (And please include your name and neighborhood.) We'll personally pass them along and publish the responses in the paper and at www.citypaper.net.
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