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Milde |
BY JONAS BEALS
Stafford County Supervisor Paul Milde displayed a pattern of late personal and business tax payments, even while serving on the board, county records and circuit court documents show.
Tax records between 1993 and 2009 show that Milde and companies he owns or that bear his name have a history of delinquent county taxes and federal tax liens.
Before taking the Aquia District seat on the board in 2006, Milde made at least three delinquent real-estate tax payments on his home. One bill was paid off nearly a year late.
During Milde's time on the board, the county sent him at least 30 delinquent real-estate tax bills on Garrison Woods condominiums owned by McMillion and Milde L.L.C.
Closet Interiors Plus, a company owned by Milde, was subject to four federal tax liens while Milde was serving on the Board of Supervisors.
Stafford Treasurer Laura Rudy said this week that Milde does not currently owe any taxes to the county. His companies' last delinquent property tax accounts were paid in full this past July 1. Those payments totaled $14,495 and covered 14 bills on five separate properties.
Circuit court records indicate that his companies have been released from tax liens filed while he was on the board.
Milde faces two challengers in his bid for re-election Tuesday to the Board of Supervisors and one of them--Paul Ortiz--has raised Milde's history as a campaign issue. A Free Lance-Star review of information posted on Ortiz's campaign Web site last week verified that the documents are from the public record.
Ortiz says Milde's history is relevant because the Board of Supervisors sets tax rates and policies. Milde has been a vocal critic of the business, professional and occupational license tax and has used his seat on the board to criticize government spending.
"The voters should have an understanding of who they are voting for," Ortiz said. "This information is all a matter of public record."
Milde declined requests to respond to specific questions but sent The Free Lance-Star an e-mail calling Ortiz's conduct "dishonorable."
The Free Lance-Star also received e-mails from two different attorneys representing Milde. Both attorneys cautioned that Milde is not personally responsible for the financial or tax obligations of corporate entities.
In addition to the tax information, Ortiz's Web site raised the issue of Milde's criminal history.
During Milde's first campaign for supervisor four years ago, he faced questions about a felony conviction for cocaine possession with intent to distribute in 1986, a misdemeanor burglary conviction in 1994 and a reckless driving infraction in 2000.
He easily defeated incumbent Kandy Hilliard in that Aquia District race.
In Tuesday's election, Milde, the 42-year-old Republican nominee, faces independents Irene Egan and Ortiz, who has the endorsement of the Stafford County Democratic Committee.
Ortiz maintains that Milde's history is a significant factor for voters to consider.
"The role of the supervisor is to make decisions that primarily affect land use and budgetary concerns," Ortiz said. "People who are unable to manage their own budgets is germane here. Elected officials should at least be able to uphold and respect the law."
County records show that Milde was often late in paying real-estate taxes on both his personal residence and investment properties in Stafford that are owned by Milde L.L.C., formerly known as McMillion and Milde L.L.C. The records show tax bills for the company were sent to Paul Milde.
Milde L.L.C. owns six Garrison Woods condominiums built in 2006. County records show that for five of those units, the company has been delinquent on every real-estate tax bill since 2007. In some cases, full payment came 14 months late.
For example, 505 Garrison Woods Drive #333 was billed for $618.10 on Nov. 5, 2007. The bill, having grown to $759.24 with interest and penalties, was paid off on Feb. 12, 2009.
OTHER RECORDS CHECKED
Ortiz, a civilian program manager competency lead for Marine Corps System Command, owns two houses and has no record of paying his real-estate taxes late.
Egan, who recently served as director of government affairs for CH2M HILL, owns one home, and had one late real estate tax payment when she and her husband bought their house in 2003. She blamed it on a mistake made by their mortgage company.
County records show that over the last 10 years, an average of 97.8 percent of real-estate taxes are collected within the fiscal year the bill is sent.
Businesses owned by Milde--Closet Interiors Inc. and Closet Interiors Plus Inc.--also have had tax issues. They have been subject to at least eight federal tax liens. Records show that five of those liens have been released. No release documents could be found on the remaining three.
In addition, one federal tax lien was filed against Milde himself in 2004. It was released in 2005.
A lien gives the government a legal claim to property as payment of a tax debt.
One lien, filed in 1994 against Closet Interiors, was for an unpaid balance of $14,629.48 for tax periods in 1993 and 1994. The lien was released Oct. 9, 1998.
A more recent lien, filed in 2007 against Closet Interiors Plus, shows an unpaid balance of $10,647.28 for tax periods in 2005, 2006 and 2007--time that overlaps with Milde's current term on the board. That lien was released Jan. 16, 2008.
Milde would not comment on the public records but called Ortiz's use of them a personal attack.
"I stand ready to compare our respective visions for Stafford's future," Milde wrote, referring to Ortiz. "Until then, though, he will have to spend his time in the political gutter alone, as I have no intention of wallowing in the mud and muck with him."
Jonas Beals: 540/368-5036
Email: jbeals@freelancestar.com
