LoHud.com has reported $46K in taxes remain unpaid on a Rye home at 60 Roosevelt Avenue owner by Latimer's wife Robin Phelps-Latimer. The two bedroom, one bath home was part of the estate of Latimer's mother-in-law, who passed in 2012.
(PHOTO: $46K in Taxes are due on 60 Roosevelt Avenue.)
Latimer told LoHud.com the taxes will be paid as part of the estate being finalized.
"RYE – A house owned by state Sen. George Latimer’s wife has $46,000 in unpaid property taxes dating back to 2012, Rye city records show.
Latimer, a state Senator running for Westchester County executive, blamed the tax arrears on ongoing negotiations over the estate of his deceased mother-in-law who formerly owned the property.
“It has not been finalized and as soon as that is done all of the past taxes will be paid up,” Latimer said. “There’s no attempt to avoid the obligation. The obligation will have to be met and I assume it will be met when the estate is finally resolved.”
The house at 60 Roosevelt Ave., still listed by Rye city as owned by Alice Phelps, has $46,009 in unpaid city, school and county taxes dating back to 2012, according to Rye’s property tax database. Alice Phelps, Latimer’s late mother-in-law, is still listed as the owner of the property in city tax documents…
But the property was deeded to his wife, Robin Phelps-Latimer in August 2010, according to Westchester County land records. The deed document grants “life estate in the premises” to Alice Phelps.
Alice Phelps died in July 2012, according to her obituary printed in The Journal News.
Latimer said that five years after Phelps’ death, there are still assets that are being "finalized and released." When that occurs, the money will be used to pay off any debts including the taxes and penalties.
“I’m not directly involved in all the negotiations or the discussions on it but pretty clearly it’s something that has to be resolved and it will be resolved, I don’t have any doubt of it,” he said. “It’s a question of making sure that the resources that come from the death of my mother in law will resolve the issue.”
The property, listed with a full-market value of $727,848 on the city’s tax rolls, hasn’t been lived in since Phelps passed away, Latimer said. The Latimers own and live in a separate house in Rye.
In 2014, the Latimers were taken to court over their mortgage of that home but that matter has since been settled.
The state senator is facing incumbent Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, a Republican, in the Nov. 7 election. In his post as a state legislator, he makes $79,500 a year with an additional $12,000 stipend."
See the LoHud.com story.
Only Astorino’s type of dirty fighters would push a story about an in-law’s estate issue as if it had something to do with George. Gross. Just shows they don’t have anything real to say about him.
It a cheap shot and a long stretch to try and blame George for a probate issue with his in-laws estate. These things often take years to settle and it is ridiculous to expect someone to front the money for taxes that is a responsibility of a estate probate proceeding.
Well said Ray. Thank you for such a great explanation.
Sir, I’m sorry, but you have been deceived. There is no estate probate issue on this property. There never was. Senator Latimer admitted that last night.
This is a legitimate public policy issue: How does a sitting state senator — now county executive candidate — not pay Rye school taxes, city taxes, and county taxes for five years? Are politicians now exempt from paying taxes? Not where I come from.
George Latimer, whom I genuinely like, has been raising taxes for many years. You can agree or disagree with that as policy decision. But how does a 30-year elected official raise taxes, expect others to pay them, but not pay his own — for five years and counting?
Rye taxpayers are now out $48,000 and counting. Delinquent Rye school taxes alone total more than $35,000. Other people have to make up for that when their state senator won’t.
Are people not supposed to ask these questions? Is it now taboo to ask elected officials to meet their tax obligations?
Respectfully,
–William F. B. O’Reilly
Spokesman, Friends of Rob Astorino
Dear Mr. O’Reilly,
No doubt questions will be raised, however it is still a stretch holding George Latimer responsible. As most know, families thrown into financial conflict after the death of a loved one are quite common. Here it is just such a family dispute that they are apparently working through. Similarly, if his wife were found ‘at fault’ in a car accident, would the court of public opinion hold her husband personally responsible? I don’t think so.
Rye schools and the other entities are not going to be permanently out any money. They will actually be receiving more than the going interest rate on the overdue taxes when they and the associated penalties are fully paid. You are talking about someone that is admitting that these taxes are due and admitting they will be paid with penalty and interest. Might I suggest that you, Mr. William (paid advisor for The Astorino Administration) O’Reilly are twisting these matters and that this is not -as you’ve characterized it – “a legitimate public policy issue”.
Mr. Latimer didn’t outright cheat on his Rye City real estate taxes for over 10 years via a 2nd illegal STAR Tax Exemption like ex-Rye Mayor Douglas French. Maybe you can inform readers here why Ex-GOP Mayor French was never prosecuted by our District Attorney for this which is – as you well know – considered an enforceable felony out on Long Island where you’re from.
As far as deceit goes it was Rob Astorino who deceived all Rye City residents when he promised he was going to correct the public health and safety issues on Hen Island when he was first elected. I contributed to his campaign because of that direct promise and it never happened. Instead he allowed the political protection of Hen Island to continue. This was the same thing that Ex-GOP Mayor French and current GOP Mayor Joe Sack did.
The County Health Department still allows all 33 homes on Hen Island to pollute the Sound with their tidal marsh located sewage pits and other ineffective ad-hoc sewage “systems.” And the County Health Department still allows the residents to collect, store and use water from rooftops for domestic use. Stagnant untreated water that has tested positive for West Nile Virus and Zika carrying mosquitoes – millions are bred annually on the island and are blown into neighboring sound shore communities by the prevailing winds.
So I ask you, why did your client Mr. Astorino not protect the health and safety of the residents of Rye? Are patronage payoffs more valuable than the health, safety and welfare of the Westchester public? I think that answer is yes.
It’s really me who is sorry, Mr. O’Reilly. I’m sorry that this issue is taking so long to rectify. I’m sorry that politicians are willing to disregard the health and safety of residents and ignore the local environment for campaign contributions. I’m sorry that we are discussing a Rye resident who is late on her taxes in an estate dispute rather than talking about how we can protect the health and safety of Rye & Mamaroneck’s pregnant women and vulnerable senior citizens from Zika and West Nile Virus. And I’m sorry – truly sorry – that I ever trusted your client, Mr. Astorino, to keep a promise, or tell the truth.
Respectfully,
–Ray J. Tartaglione
A Rye, Harrison, White Plains, Valhalla, Dobbs Ferry and Chester NY taxpayer