* We talked a bit about a St. Louis Post Dispatch article last week which revealed that Republican congressional candidate Jason Plummer paid his property taxes late. But this section sparked my interest as well…

Plummer, who is a multimillionaire according to a personal financial disclosure, also took an owner occupied exemption on the property, which means the house must be your primary residence. The house is outside of Illinois’ 12th district, which runs from parts of eastern Madison County to the Kentucky border. His campaign noted that the tax bill was for the past year. He moved to O’Fallon, Ill., which is in the district, in October of 2011.

* A check of Madison County records shows that Plummer’s homestead exemption was renewed on March 26th of this year…

A closeup…

* So, he’s voting at an address in Fairview Heights, but he is getting a homestead exemption in Edwardsville. You have to swear that this is your primary residence to qualify for this exemption, and it’s an issue which has ensnared other politicians, including Tammy Duckworth, and many more.

* The explanation from the Plummer campaign…

The homestead exemption is automatically renewed. The next property tax bill Mr. Plummer will get on that property is in May of 2013 for the 2012 year.

OK, he won’t be getting any benefit from that exemption until next year. There’s still time to opt out of it. It’s not a huge deal.

Even so, when Plummer moved his residence, he took the time to register to vote in the 12th but he didn’t fill out any paperwork to change the homestead tax exemption and as of right now he’s voting at one address and there’s a record saying that his primary residence is somewhere else.

It’s not like he’s gonna go to jail or anything. But, c’mon, man. You’re running for Congress. Take care of this stuff.

       

29 Comments - RNUG - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 12:05 pm: I’m still in the process of moving (started 5 months ago) … and although I changed my voter registration when I updated my driver’s license, it never crossed my mind to formally change which house had the homestead exemption. I probably would not have thought about it until I got next year’s tax bill and seen it on the statement. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 12:08 pm: “Dear Rich, I was all fused about all this living here, and there, and stuff. I dunno this tax stuff about ling any where, cause when I went to Kollege, I live a bunch of all these places, and then I would come home, and work at the lumber yard, then intern, then Kollege, then work at the lumber yard, then go to Washington and intern at Heritage. Whew! That is a lotta movin Rich for anyone. I will have one of Dad’s people or one of my friends that happens to work for my Dad take care of this, but good. Thanks for pointing it out, I feel silly. you’re Pal, Jason.” - CircularFiringSquad - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 12:17 pm: Capt Fax: Please understand Jason Romney-Plummer was too afraid to change — you know about how scary it is sleep in a new house…in the dark. Plus remember this was really Daddy’s job. Romney-Plummer is not allowed to have his own attorney. That would deplete his allowance. And he is edging back into the whackiest races. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 12:20 pm: “Wether I win, or the election gets stolen from me and my Dad, and I am not in Congress, Dad says I can keep BOTH houses, you know, to have a Party House, then a like Study House when I need to be all adulty. Pretty Kool deal. Now, if Dad can get me Pony like I wanted in the first place .. or not try to fool me and have the REAL Power Rangers visit, then THAT would be even Kooler, or the Koolest even.” - Lil Enchilada - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 12:23 pm: Ask Bobby Schilling… you don’t have to live in the Congressional district that you run in. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 12:27 pm: “Rich, Jason again. Dad says not to rite you no more and Dad wants me to stop apologizing for me, cause we got people who talk for me and stuff and I should just let them talk and be quiet about it. I guess we paid everything, so that is kool. So, this might be my last letter, unless I can git someone to sneak one out to you. Just remember, Rich, the taxes are even all paid so I dont owe money no more. got it? Talk to you after I win Congress. you’re Pal, Jason” - Team Sleep - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 12:38 pm: Not only is he a Congressional candidate, but he’s a Congressional candidate with a very wealthy family. This is the kind of revelation that makes regular joes take a second look and wonder why the Jason and Bob Plummers of the world did something that they could never do. I’m pretty sure most county officials would be pretty upset if I or a family member decided to try this. - CircularFiringSquad - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 12:59 pm: Speaking of Billboards Tommy Cross’ pals saying the dopiest stuff… (Remember Billboards tried to block Tribbie McPier reforms to save Gates) “Regional Transportation Authority Chairman John Gates Jr. Today apologized to members of the disabled community for referring to ADA paratransit service as “limousine service.” Gates said he made the remark “without thinking” while trying to describe the difficulty of providing funding for federally required paratransit service for the disabled…” We assume one as rich as Gates must turn on his noggin before speaking about the unrich. Yikes - Brendan - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 1:03 pm: Much ado about NOTHING. I’m no fan of Plummer, but law and the courts treat “primary residence” (used for taxes) and “permanent residence” (used for ‘residency’) as separate and distinct. Not to mention the fact that U.S. Representatives are required to live only in the state, not the district, they represent. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 1:17 pm: - Brendan - All you say is true, but you can’t not pay your taxes on time, you can’t leave the perception that there is shenanigans going on, especially since your sole purpose in your move IS to live in the district, when in reality you don’t need to … But … Being perceived to be living out of the district is not the best, and being perceived you are playing loose with the law on property taxes, which reminds people no one has seen Jason Plummer’s tax returns … makes the perception bad. Not a death nail, not a fatal wound, not even close … but it just seems shady. Not a big deal, correct, but at what price do you want those perceptions. - Hail 4B - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 1:23 pm: By itself it’s not that big a deal. But when you add in the cloud of suspicion surrounding Daddy’s little disappointment’s income tax returns, and the belief of many within the 12th that Plummer is just an ambitious carpetbagger it becomes a somewhat bigger issue. Will this be the thing that will cost him the election? Probably not. But I do think it could hurt him with those undecided voters (mostly moderate to conservative Democrats) he needs to win. - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 1:31 pm: ===But I do think it could hurt him with those undecided voters (mostly moderate to conservative Democrats) he needs to win.==== Only if it gets picked up by the media down yonder and flogged repeatedly and then used in TV/radio/mail. Other than that, this will have no impact at all. - David - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 1:35 pm: Jason Plummer is fond of saying, “If you can’t be honest with the voters, what are you going to do as a Congressman?” Master Plummer’s website says he lives in O’Fallon. The State Board of Elections website says he lives in Fairview Heights. The Madison County assessor’s page says he lives in Edwardsville. Plus, the multi-millionaire paid his taxes late showing a serious lack of attention to details. Add to this the fact that when he was chairman of the Madison County Republican Party, the party rented offices in a building he owned. He also steered catering jobs to his mother. Self-enrichment. Plays by his own rules. Now add the previous news stories when he ran for Lt. Gov. about how he embellished his work experience. He couldn’t be honest with the voters then, either. You can say, well, you’re biased, and you’d be right. But being biased doesn’t make me wrong. The kid has no qualifications, shady practices, exaggerated experience …. If it were not for his family’s money, none of us would ever have heard about this guy. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 1:42 pm: ===Only if it gets picked up by the media down yonder and flogged repeatedly and then used in TV/radio/mail. Other than that, this will have no impact at all.=== Period. End of sentence, New Paragraph. This perception and problem for Plummer only … only grows as fast as the media covering Plummer makes it grow. On its OWN merits … It’s just a reason for “Jason” to write Rich and that is about it. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 1:53 pm: Under HB506, county assessors would be able to go after cheats who fraudulently take homestead exemptions. The bill passed the House and will be voted on during veto in the Senate. The state actually loses over $100 million a year because of people who take undeserved exemptions. By taking an exemption where he doesn’t live, Mr. Plummer is causing his neighbors’ tax bills to increase. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 1:58 pm: - Anonymous -, So I am clear, I am only looking at it from the politcal spectrum. You have a very good point and its all true. I do not make light of that, I am just not looking at it from that vantage point you are addressing. - ArchPundit - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 2:01 pm: Not sure if this got mentioned the other day, but I heard the replay of his interview on KWMU the other day as I left work late. Mostly, he didn’t a decent job, but at one point he said something to the effect that he was tired of the negative advertising from Enyart because, you know, Enyart doesn’t have a record or anything so who is he to attack Jason. Please call 911 for Willy now. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 2:06 pm: ===Enyart doesn’t have a record or anything so who is he to attack Jason.=== (light-headed … visions of Phil Ponce interview swirling around …visions of Jason debating flashin in front of my eyes … Jason’s Phil Ponce’s “pause” and “help” being waved off by Jason now apper …) What? … where am I … I’m still not in the 12CD, right … (get cold wash rag, place it on my forhead … muttering …”I’m not in the 12th, I’m not in the 12th …) - ArchPundit - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 2:08 pm: “When you have folks that don’t really have a record to run on, when you have folks who don’t want to run on the record that their policies support they are going to attack. ” “Illinois is considered a blue state, but if you really break it down and look at it, I’d say it’s a purple state.” - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 2:13 pm: ArchPundit, try not to kill Willy. We like having him around and the Golden Horseshoes voting doesn’t start for a couple of months. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 2:14 pm: CANDIDATE PLUMMER UNDER INVESTIGATION IN O.W. HOSPITALIZATION - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 2:16 pm: “Illinois is considered a blue state, but if you really break it down and look at it, I’d say it’s a purple state.”. “To be completely honest, when I go to Denny’s, or IHOP, or Olive Garden, and they have those ‘color the map’ place mats, I always color Illinois purple, so that says a ton right there…” - ArchPundit - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 2:18 pm: LOL–The funny thing is he really wasn’t bad for most of it, but what I want to know is who is telling him he has a record? - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 2:24 pm: ===…We like having him around…=== It’s great to have a place to go … Back at you, Rich … - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 2:30 pm: - ArchPundit -, I always feel the need at one point or another to clarify. I said he should statr lower when he ran & won the LG nomination. all the credit to him, he has done that and running… But my point to the snark, be it from the LG race to now … Jason is completely clueless to who he is, how he is perceived, and thinks amplifying HIS image of who he thinks he is, to who Jason Plummer is, be it his experiece, his public and private record, and his arrogance and the idea that Jason Plummer is owed a political office, just because … that is where I come from, especially now. It may “kill” me … but I have medical help at the ready … - Oh Yeah - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 3:42 pm: The print media down here in the 12th C.D. is mostly conservative so I wouldn’t bet on it being picked up and flogged. Little Plummer Boy doesn’t seem to have a clue, but the way the GOP Superpacs are running ads in the 12th, he may end up winning. The most clueless Congressman money can buy. It really turns your stomach. Thanks Citizens United. Now I need a beer and a towel to cry in. - ArchPundit - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 3:48 pm: OW–Yes, good points. That’s really what stuck out there. He wasn’t bad for most of the interview that I heard. But then he complained about his opponent not having a record and so he attacks Jason. Ummmm…Jason–you have no record. That’s not a bad thing necessarily–but really, you have no record. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 4:01 pm: I forgot to add … Jason makes it too easy for a Dope like me to mock him. Jason Plummer has no clue how to be .. un-mock-able. For that, I thank him. - RNUG - Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 5:20 pm: Jason Plumber … part of the Rich Miller full employment act … assisted by various others, including Pat Quinn Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.