When Mayor Nutter called tax deadbeats "trifling and raggedy people" this week, he surely wasn't thinking of real estate developer Bart Blatstein, who was recently outed as tax delinquent by It's Our Money reporters Elizabeth Fiedler and Holly Otterbein.
From NewsWorks:
Since 2011, [Blatstein's] company, 1033 North Second Associates LP, owed back taxes on a building in Northern Liberties, according to city records. The $120,274.89 debt included property taxes, a city lien, penalties, interest and other fees.
After It's Our Money contacted him, Blatstein paid the debt and released a statement that seemed to suggest it wasn't his fault because he has a lot to keep track of: "The Blatstein companies own more than 100 properties in the city of Philadelphia. We just became aware of this tax issue."
Not surprisingly, it turns out the city's records were incorrect, and Blatstein owed less than they charged him, so now they owe him a refund. At any rate, Blatstein is contesting the bill altogether.
The bigger issue may be the implications of that delinquent label on the developer as he seeks the license for his Provence casino on North Broad Street. A former member of the PA Gaming Control Board said, "I would think [the delinquency] would be examined. The fact that it was paid would be the good news. The fact that it ever existed is the bad news."
· Developer Bart Blatstein's company was tax delinquent until our call [It's Our Money]