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Opponents Question Meg Whitman's Unpaid Taxes, Offshore Investments

Zach Behrens — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:10:22 GMT

When you run for office, your life will be scrutinized. For former eBay CEO and gubernatorial Republican candidate Meg Whitman, she's been hit hard over the last week. Today, the California Democratic Party called attention to over $1,600 in unpaid employment taxes for household servants when she lived in Boston during the 1990s.

“It’s true that most of us don’t know what it’s like to be a billionaire and to keep household servants but you would think she could afford to pay the $1,648.58,” huffed John Burton, Chairman of the California Democratic Party, in a statement. “This development only adds to the long list of questions that are starting to pile up on team Whitman’s doorstep."

Also on the proverbial doorstep are questions about a $4 million offshore investment, in Hedge Funds based in Bermuda and the Cayman Islands, made by Whitman's charitable foundation in 2007. "Is Meg Whitman still shifting her millions into offshore tax havens to avoid having to pay her fair share?" questions Nick Velasquez of the California Accountability Project, who is asking for full transparency by Whitman. "The release of tax returns by wealthy candidates for governor is a well-established precedent in the State of California."

Whitman is reportedly worth $1.4 billion.

Dennis Kucinich's Brother Found Dead

Brock Keeling — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 11:01:17 GMT

Perry Kucinich, the brother of Democratic Prez candidate Dennis Kucinich, has been found dead according CBS 5. His other brother, Larry, found 52-year-old Perry at his Cleveland home at around 9 a.m. this morning. Reports claims that there were "no signs of foul play."

Trying to scrounge up some info on Perry, we came across this interesting Esquire article from November about said deceased brother and a bank robbery. Something or other having to do with Cleveland Trust Bank back in 1978. It seems that "Cleveland Trust made good on their ultimatum and refused to extend the city credit on $14 million worth of short-term notes" at the time. Or something like that. So:

On December 18, 1978, Mayor Kucinich, surrounded by the media, strode from City Hall to the main branch of Cleveland Trust downtown and withdrew his paltry life savings in protest. And because it was Cleveland, on the very same day, blocks away, his youngest brother, Perry Kucinich, robbed a different bank. Perry wasn't really a criminal; he was literally insane. But it sure looked bad for Dennis. [via Esquire]

Your Mecke Photo Fix for the Day

Brock Keeling — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 14:33:42 GMT

Objectifying Gavin Newsom is dead. We've shifted our stalker gaze on Quintin Mecke, and so have many of SFist's more randy readers. Where does he stand on the issues? Who cares! (Well, actually, we do care. Excuse us for getting caught up in the moment.) People are begging for more shots of him. And so are we.

Sadly, we have no bare-chested shots of the flaxen mayoral candidate. Yet. But allow these bits to wash over you over until we meet again.

More -- oh, much more -- after the jump.

Above image: IMPEACH