After paying taxes, Whitehead gets nod to replace El-Amin
Whitehead
ST. LOUIS — Before she clinched the nomination to fill a vacancy in the State House on Saturday, St. Louis Democrat Hope Whitehead paid a visit to City Hall a day earlier.
Not to mobilize supporters, but to pay hundreds of dollars in outstanding taxes.
It was more than just her civic duty. Under state law, candidates with overdue tax bills are ineligible for the ballot.
Her obligations met, a panel of city Democratic leaders gathered Saturday to nominate Whitehead, 50, to fill the vacancy created by former state Rep. Talibdin El-Amin, who submitted his resignation at the end of September after pleading guilty to federal bribery charges.
El-Amin is the third local Democratic lawmaker to leave office this year after getting caught in an FBI crackdown on corruption.
Whitehead battled fellow Democrat Karla May for the party’s nomination. While May had a family connection — her mother is a former alderman and current City Hall official — Whithead had the thicker résumé.
An attorney, Whitehead served previously in the city prosecutor’s office and was head of the state Division of Liquor Control under former Gov. Mel Carnahan.
In special elections, party leaders, not voters, select the party’s nominee. As the Democratic nominee, Whitehead is virtually assured of winning the Feb. 2 contest — Republicans generally do not compete in the district.
Even so, Whitehead will be under close scrutiny. She’ll have only a few months in Jefferson City before gearing up to run again in 2010. A top priority, she said, will be wresting the St. Louis Police Department from state control.
Whitehead also said on Saturday she would do a better job of paying her taxes — city records show she owed $1,155 in personal property taxes. Whitehead acknowledged paying her vehicle taxes only when her two-year registration expired, not annually as required.
“I’ve got to do that different now,” she said.
Taxes are for the little people, eh? I have little confidence in a candidate who will only follow the law when it serves her quest for power.
“I’ve got to do it different now” is the lamest line from a St. Louis politico since Jeff Smith tried to claim that a deceased campaign worker would “totally” want to be thrown under the bus to cover his fraud.
People, we must demand better than these two-bit circus performers.
That would be “differently” in correct English, but hey, she’s another Democrat who doesn’t pay her taxes. How long before she finds herself out of office for corruption? Why do Dems continue to vote to raise our taxes but don’t want to pay them? Why aren’t there any Republicans in office in the city? Isn’t it time for a change in our big cities? The Dems have destroyed our cities.
Of course the Post buries the story on a Saturday afternoon… but hey…
Would the last Democrat that actually pays their taxes stand up!?!
Dont label all Democrats with one broad stroke. I pay my taxes on time and am just as offended as you are by politicians that don’t. And by the way did you see the $20,000 tax bill that Republican state Rep. Denny Hoskins just paid. We should all do a better job cleaning up this mess.
What do you expect? Every other DEM had to pony up his tax cheats too. That is the way it works. That is the way Obama insists his scum operate. Never overlook the need to look good, even if you are a lying, authoritarian govt control freak, and anti-American messiah.
Maybe Sharon Tyus will pay the taxes for Whitehead.
> Whitehead acknowledged paying her vehicle taxes only when her two-year
> registration expired, not annually as required.
On my last tax bill, I had a 2005 Mini Cooper convertible and a 1993 Volvo 850. My total tax bill was only $384. Miss Whitehead must be rolling on some smooth wheels to owe $1,155 in back taxes, especially considering that this year isn’t even due for another month.
> A top priority, she said, will be wresting the St. Louis Police
> Department from state control.
And a freshman, minority party, tax scofflaw will certainly be able to accomplish that. Way to go, Miss Whitehead!
For once, I have to agree wholely with my rightward brethren. Local city democrats should be ashamed of bringing forward a nominee that is unable to say that she has followed her basic responsibilities as a citizen. This is not just about politics, but personal ethics. If I was Ms Whitehead, I would be embarassed to put my name forward.
Plus, it sloppy. The boys at the central committee must be asleep at the switch. There have been two announced candidates for this office for about 1 month, and no one in the leadership deigned to call over to check the basic requirements.
This is why most citizens in the city no longer bother voting, or even being registered, and have no confidence in local Democratic leaders of being either capable or forthright.
Indepen - you missed the irony - which you Dems like so much - its the Dems that continue to ask for higher and vote regularly to raise our taxes.
They have never met a tax they don’t like. The loves taxes except when it comes to paying them, unlike the Reps. who don’t like either.
This article is factually incorrect. The law requiring candidates to pay taxes has been invalidated in the state courts. It is amazing to me that people, even officials, continue to believe that this law is still in effect when it is not.