44°
To the editor:
At the October Yorktown Board Meeting, Supervisor Michael Grace said he owed more than $30,0000 in unpaid town and school taxes. Grace was indignant that taxpayers had "lifted up his dirty sheets for public view."Grace mentioned his son's multiple arrests and drug addiction, his two failed marriages and a bout with cancer 40 years ago as the reasons he can't pay his taxes.
Grace was unapologetic and offered an impassioned challenge for anyone to try to criticize him being a tax scofflaw. I accept his challenge.
The difference between Grace and his neighbors is that although they may share similar troubles in their lives, they chose to keep their personal problems to themselves and they meet their obligation as fathers, husbands and neighbors without making excuses or without blaming their children for their own shortcomings.
The average Yorktowners would love to have all of the financial resources at Grace's disposal to pay their own bills, like his law practice, rental property, multi-acre lot, a classic car collection that he loves to display and a high-paying, part-time political job.
Why are Yorktowners expected to pay all of their bills and Grace can’t with so much more then they have? If Grace is truly unapologetic, why did he ask a reporter to hold off writing a story about his being a tax scofflaw until after the election? Why did he scramble to pay a portion of his tax debt when he found out the tax debts were going to make the front page on several newspapers?
It appears Grace has great difficulty with handling his life. How can Grace expect voters to feel comfortable with him making decisions for them? Grace is pushing for a new big money highway department building. Grace's ongoing personal and money troubles makes him vulnerable to exploitation. Grace should be reminded that broke politicians and developers looking to make multimillion-dollar land deals don't mix well together.
David Witkowich, Yorktown
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