Thursday, June 26, 2008

Oh Alan


Isn't it odd that someone trying to balance the city budget is probably not contributing to the city excise tax on his car because it is registered in Florida? Why would a city employee have a car registered in Florida? He clearly doesn't commute from Florida every day. Could it be that Florida is a tax haven that doesn't have a state income tax?

The Wall Street Journal reported that, "Some relatively high-tax states are increasingly cracking down on individuals who claim to have moved out of state, but still maintain strong connections to their former homes. Massachusetts plans to hire additional tax examiners over the next few months, some of whom will be assigned to a special "domicile unit" as part of its tax-audit program. "We are confident there are a significant number of cases for us in this area," says a Massachusetts Department of Revenue spokesman.

From the MA RMV website:
How do I report someone who has vehicles registered in another state but who lives here?Report this by calling the "I PAY TAX" hotline at 1-800-472-9829

One final thought - Seriously with the vanity plates???? "CITY ADM" too funny....

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

He is permanent here or on a long term contract? Good point, he has
been here at least 6 months that's
a part time resident

Anonymous said...

Sre you kidding me!!! I know he does alot of work from Florida. He emails the work to dept. heads from there, but to have the nerve to actually have your car registered there. Why isn't this in the HN on the front page so everyone can see!!!!!!!!!!

Fear and Loathing in Fall River said...

This explains why the Mayor recently changed the name of the position changed from Director of Municipal Services to City Administator.

Director of Municipal services doesn't fit so well on a license plate.

Anonymous said...

Ok, so my question is :

Has he been appointed and when?

Is he commuting back and forth
from FLA to MA?

How is he getting around the residency requirements?

I guess if the Supt of Schools can he can but I don't think Fisher is driving a bmw and living in FLA where there are no taxes.

Shamrock, this may require contacting the FLA folks .

Anonymous said...

Maybe he also lives in swansea with lund!

Anonymous said...

* Alan Silva

My life has been dedicated to public and community service, especially in leadership roles. My professional career, until retirement in 1997, was in management and the Foreign Service: as City Manager in Fall River, MA and director of various offices in the U. S. Agency for International Development. Upon retirement, I moved to Florida and became active in civic and political organizations:
· volunteering as Acting City Manager of Fort Lauderdale for ten months;
· served as Parliamentarian, By-laws Chair, and Secretary of the Dolphins;
· elected as Broward Democratic Party’s Area 9 Leader (for Greater Fort Lauderdale-Dania Beach); and
· honored by the Dolphins as “Humanitarian of the Year”.

I am known as a “team player”, an innovative organizer and manager, and effective coordinator --- someone who can bring people together, develop a game-plan, and get the job done. These skills are especially important this year to mobilize Democratic activists, ensure that the Dolphins are in the forefront of statewide and local GLBT get-out-the-vote efforts, and elect Democratic candidates up and down the ballot. I have been honored to serve as your Secretary for the past year and would appreciate your support of my candidacy for Director/Board member.

Alan Silva

http://www.dolphindems.org/2006_01_29_archive.html

Anonymous said...

interesting reading in fla

Brittany Wallman can be reached at bwallman@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4541.



http://www.fortlauderdaleobserver.com/

Before and after :

budget crisis
Before:
http://www.galtmile.com/budget.html

Anonymous said...

hmm, backing cindi for mayor:

http://www.dolphindems.org/2006_01_29_archive.html
http://www.ourcindi.com/

Anonymous said...

AFTER:
Fort Lauderdale, for better or worse, would survive another year! The Gretsas version of Alan Silva’s budget keeps Fort Lauderdale on the road to recovery. The surgery that Gretsas did on the budget to make it more universally palatable was a multi-step procedure. In addition to locating $4.8 million in spending cuts, the fledgling City Manager designed a sweeping reorganization of city departments to improve efficiency and save money. The reorganization provides for several additional “hires” to relieve the service burden that the budget crisis precipitated. His plan slows the paydown of deficits in the City’s insurance accounts and stretches out the time that it will take to fully replenish our vacant reserves. As in all things political, it is a trade-off. He alleviated the immediate pain by extending the overall painful process.

shamrock said...

To Anonymous #3 -

1) Alan Silva was appointed by Correia in Jan of 2008 http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/ciswel/WELTOMAS.HTM

2) He certainly isn't commuting back and forth to FL every day but I don't know with what frequency he returns, if at all, to FL.

3) I don't know how he is getting around residency requirements (if he is actually violating them). I do know that, according to the Secretary of State's Office, the requirements for establishing residency are informal. I would say that, even conservatively, working and living here for 6 months would establish residency.

4)I am not terribly familiar with Fischer's living arrangements but if you are please share!

Finally - I have not called the tax reporting hotline but I hope someone does!

Thanks for reading and commenting,
Shamrock
shamrockblogger@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

so he is not a consultant? I would think he would have to
claim residency somewhere! I have commuted inter state but not to
fla so I can't see how he can commute and not claim a residence.

Anonymous said...

Shamrock,

Like me "inquiring minds want to know" !

Didn't really have a place to post this but thought you might find this site interesting for state
info!

http://www.issuesource.org/index.cfm?Mode=Welcome

Issue: Chapter 40B/Anti-snob zoning
Summary
The debate over how to balance quality of life with the construction of new affordable housing is one of the most contentious in state policy making. Enacted in 1969, the Chapter 40B law, sometimes called the "anti-snob zoning" law, allows developers to skirt local zoning codes if they commit to 25 percent affordable housing in their projects. A city or town can block the developer only if at least 10 percent of its housing stock is affordable.


Status
Despite the recent passing of "smart growth" zoning incentives, suburban lawmakers continue to call for 40B reform. According to CHAPA figures, only 47 out of 351 cities and towns in the state had reached the threshold stipulated in the law, as of January 2006. Another 36 communities are near 8 and 9 percent of the minimum including Danvers, Stoughton and Franklin. Since 1997, Marlborough, Newton, and Walthan have added the most affordable housing units.


Latest News
A new citizens’ action group, the Coalition for the Reform of 40B, was recently established with the goal to repeal Chapter 40B, the state’s affordable housing law. John Belskis of Arlington, the founder of the group, is working on collecting the 66,593 signatures needed to put an initiative to repeal the law before the Legislature in January 2008 — with an eye toward putting the proposal before voters in November if the Legislature fails to adopt it. Belskis called Chapter 40B a “developers’ welfare program that doesn’t really create affordable housing.”

Supporters of the law, however, say that without it fewer affordable housing units available would be available. According to a Boston Globe report, about 31 percent of all new housing units built in 2005 were constructed under the provisions of the law.

Last updated: July 31, 2007

Anonymous said...

The first question that will be asked when calling the tax hotline is:

Where does the individual you're complaining about reside?

So you better get an address for him. I'm sure he's either renting or owns property up here.

Anyone know?

Tom Paine said...

I believe he might be staying with his mother. I think that is what he did in 2000. I am not sure where she lives if that is the case.

Anonymous said...

Who is giving and getting money from Hutchinson? Candidate for Mayor:

> Posted by Brittany Wallman


So far the biggest winner in the campaign for Fort Lauderdale mayor is Stephen Gaskill. He's Cindi Hutchinson's campaign spokesman.


According to her contribution forms, Hutchinson has paid Gaskill more than half the money she's taken in so far.

By March 31, the latest deadline for filing the reports, she had taken in $27,250. By then she'd paid Gaskill $16,000. She had spent $21,626 in all.

In December, Gaskill was paid $10,000. Feb. 18, he got $2,000 more. January 7, another $2,000. January 28, another $2,000.

She did put him to work. He's helping Hutchinson shape her mayoral message. He also helped her communicate to voters that she used city resources for her campaign, and that she initially lied about it.

Also running for mayor are Jack Seiler, the state rep, and Steve Risso, the lawyer whose ads are on bus benches all over town. Both live in Wilton Manors. They'll have to move to Lauderdale in order to run for mayor of Lauderdale, of course.

Seiler mailed his report to City Hall so I'll be getting a copy soon.

And Risso just announced on March 28.

To find out who's giving to Hutchinson, keep reading.

Here are some of Hutchinson's contributors, from last October through March 31, 2008:

Among the other contributors to Hutchinson were these folks:
Fort Lauderdale doctor George Trodella
Fort Lauderdale doctor Erwin Vasquez
Ronald Wright of Fort Lauderdale (and Turtletown, Tenn.), the former medical examiner here
Ron Hicks, former city employee who moved to Nyack, New York
Efrem Zimbalist of Manhattan Beach, Calif.
Norm Thabit, a CPA who was Broward County's auditor
Cindi Hutchinson, the candidate
Attorney George Platt and wife Anne
Robert "Buddy" Lochrie Jr., retired
Patsy Mennuti, Riverwalk
Michael Emanuel Rajner, gay activist
Ina Lee, publisher of TravelHost
Alan Levy, CEO
Elizabeth Hays, education
Michael Albetta, business development and gay activist
Michael Ferber, philosopher (that's what the form says!)
Coleman Prewitt, the attorney who is running for Cindi's district seat
Ron Centamore, downtown civic leader
Ed Coyle-Barranco, partner of former interim city manager Alan Silva


POSTED IN: City-Town-Village Elections (90), Fort Lauderdale mayor's race (20)

Anonymous said...

He has family in FR

Anonymous said...

www.browardsoe.org/GetDocument.aspx?id=2253

10/13/2006
64
10/13/2006
65
(7)
Full Name
(Last, Suffix, First, Middle)
Street Address &
City, State, Zip Code
Ed Coyle-Barranco
5800 NE 20t h Ave
Ft Lauderdale FL 33308
Contributor
Occupation
Consultant
$ 250.00

Anonymous said...

http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:JKOZk2fvGRoJ:southflorida.blockshopper.com/property/494212160300/5800_ne_20th_avenue/+5800+NE+20th+Avenue+Ed+Coyle-barranco&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us

5800 NE 20th Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308
Neighborhood: Imperial Point

Owner: Alan A Silva and Ed Coyle-barranco (as of October 2007)



Sales History (2001-present)
No sales history available.
About the Property

This property includes a pool.
Year built: 1973
Square footage (land): 7,500 sq. ft.
Square footage (living): 1,774 sq. ft.
Beds: 3
Baths: 2.0
Stories: 1

2007 property taxes: $3,218.75

Anonymous said...

City property Nicholas Fisher:
919 BAY ST UNIT 42

http://fallriver.patriotproperties.com/Summary.asp?AccountNumber=21238

funny look at the sales tab and :

7/7/2006 Sale price 434,000 MHBC LLC???

2/4/2005 Sale Price 180,000 BORDEN&REMINGTON CORP

Wonder who MHBC is ??

shamrock said...

I did a quick title search on the Fischer property and it appears as though there were municipal liens against the property in 2006, then owned by Gilbert Oliveira and William Munro. Oliviera and Munro granted the property to MHBC LLC in 2006 who then granted it to the Fischers. MHBC LLC appears to be some kind of property flipping business. Buying foreclosed property or property with liens and reselling.

By the way, the Fall River Registry of Deeds website is FANTASTIC! They allow full online title searches for free! https://www.fallriverdeeds.com/fallriverdeeds/

Anonymous said...

Oliveira insurance and real estate?!

shamrock said...

I'm not really seeing anything nefarious here. Am I missing something?

Anonymous said...

No, I am just trying to connect the dots if there are any. Oliveira is buddies with Karam.

shamrock said...

Ah I see. I tried to use the property search on the city site to see what other property they owned, but the service is down.

Anonymous said...

I think I remember driving down bay st not too long ago and there
was an Oliveira real estate sign there- they must have developed
the area along the water.

Anonymous said...

I have another question. How do Alan Silva and his partner Ed Coyle-Barranco feel about Correia's homophobia?

Next to Travis and Goguen, Correia was the most anti-gay legislator in the house. I guess Correia's hurtful homo-bashing house votes were for grandstanding purposes only. Wish he was more courageous and less hypocritical.

How can he work for Correia? Oh well, must be a generational thing.

shamrock said...

I have wondered that myself. Perhaps, since Silva is willing to do things like compromise the safety of Fall River by cutting fire and police budgets to save some money, he is willing to compromise his own values to make $100K+/year.

OR..."Pride City Wide" was Correia's way of making it up to Silva.

Anonymous said...

as for his lic plate new residenr, i believe, has 30 days to register his vehicle. Residency is a loose "idea." See Chp 90 Sec3 1/2 of Mass. Gen. Laws. It defines residency and also imposes penalty for evading payment of vehicle excise , sales, or use tax, or insurance premium. Each year shall constitute a violation, but only up to three years. 500 fine--Sit on this teil the end of the year. Then big Al will have to file income tax here, one more particle of proof of residency, or call State Police

shamrock said...

I haven't had the cojones to report him yet.....I keep saying I will do it "tomorrow." I think this time I really mean it! I'll let you know what I find out.