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Louisiana Mayor Under Investigation After Dad's Land Grab
Posted by Pile
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[Get-Rich-Quick] |
 Kenner Mayor Phil Capitano initially implied that he didn't see it as any conflict-of-interest or ethics issue when his father managed to snap up almost all tax delinquent properties in his county, at least 40 homes, for around $10,000, with virtually no competition or bidding process.
Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee and many others do have a problem, including some who showed up to participate in a bidding process on the property only to be told the lots were sold to the Mayor's dad. Too bad! What? You mean this is an ethics violation? No way! This couldn't happen in Louisiana?!?
Wait, it gets better. The Kenner mayor defended his dad's "first-come-first-served" land grab by claiming the Parish's computer system can't handle multiple bidders! |
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Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee on Thursday opened a criminal investigation into a Kenner tax sale at which the mayor's father bought every property save one because he was first in line.
"What hit me, you can't sell private property on a first-come, first-served basis," Lee said Thursday. "That defies explanation."
Lee said his office conducts tax sales as auctions, with buyers bidding against one another on percentages of property ownership.
Kenner Mayor Phil Capitano defended the city's first-in-line method, saying that it has been in place for 20 years and that Kenner's computer system isn't set up to run auctions.
"It's certainly interesting that all of a sudden it's a big issue when nobody had an issue with it for 20 years," Capitano said, adding that he allowed Lee's deputies access to Kenner on Thursday. "We welcome it. We're not afraid of it."
Capitano's father, Philip Capitano Jr., bought 40 properties at Tuesday's tax sale for about $10,000. |
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| Posted by wizeGurl on 2005-12-30 23:09:17 | | Sounds like Kenner should definitely consider using eBay. |
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