Ron Dellums, who earns about $184,000 as Oakland mayor on top of a congressional pension, appears to owe the Internal Revenue Service at least $66,554. A lien has been placed against his property for failing to pay taxes for 2006. According to the East Bay Express, which broke the story, Mayor Dellums and his wife, who file jointly, may owe more than $239,000 in taxes, mostly for the years he worked as a lobbyist in Washington, DC.
Though there has been some speculation that Mayor Dellums would run for reelection, this confirms long-standing rumors that he has financial problems that are exacerbated by his job as mayor. The failure to pay taxes on what is undoubtedly a comfortable income is also an embarrassment to the mayor. It is unclear how the tax dispute arose or will be resolved; normally, taxes are a private matter, but the filing of the lien created a public record discovered by the Express. |