A Philadelphia Journal of Politics, Finance, Ethics, and Culture
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
MORE ON SANTORUM
A Very Crowded Little House
The emerging controversy over Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), his place of residence, and his neighbors' taxes may be even more interesting than I thought. (See "Small Brain, Small House," November 13.)
According to Sunday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ("Penn Hills Studying Santorum Residency Issue," by Eleanor Chute), "The Santorums use the Penn Hills address for voter registration as do two other people, Bart and Alyssa DeLuca, both 25, according to Allegheny County records."
Toss in Mr. and Mrs. Santorum and their six kids, and, I assume, at least one dog, and that is one crowded two-bedroom house.
Someone is living in that house. Chute writes, "When a reporter went to the house on Stephens Lane on Friday, a young man who came to the door declined to comment." (According to the article, the house is at 111 Stephens Lane. The Post-Gazette also published a photograph of the modest abode.)
Who are the Delucas? Are they residing full-time at 111 Stephens Lane? Are they relatives of the Santorums? Squatters? Or is the senator renting out the house for a little extra income?
He had better hope not. Chute also reports, "Bob Hunter, Penn Hills director of code enforcement, said the Santorum house lacks a required occupancy permit, which calls for a municipal inspection for any code violations and a dye test of the sewer system. Hunter has sent a letter asking them to seek an occupancy permit."
[Post-publication addendum: The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, historically sympathetic to conservatives, on November 11 ("Santorum's Residency Questioned," by Reid R. Frazier and Tom Jewell) reported: "He pays about $2,000 annually in property taxes on the Penn Hills house he owns on Stephens Lane. Santorum has been registered since last year to receive a homestead exemption on the house, which allows property owners to exclude the first $15,000 in the assessed value of their homes from county real estate taxes. But he doesn't take the tax break, Traynham said. The county's homestead exemption application states the break 'can only be claimed once, for a place of primary residence . . . where the owner intends to reside permanently, not temporarily.' "]
[Note: This post may differ slightly from that originally published. Portions of the initial post were lost when the addendum was added. I have tried to reproduce the original to the best of my memory.]
He received the 2002 Koufax Award for Best Post for "Al Gore and the Alpha Girls" (published November 25, 2002). Capozzola's record in the Koufax Awards includes two additional nominations for 2002 (Best Blog and Best Writing), three nominations for 2003 (Best Blog, Best Series, and Best Writing), and two finalist nominations in 2004 (Best Blog and Best Writing).
Capozzolas experience beyond the blogosphere includes a lengthy career in financial journalism, securities analysis, and investment research, and in freelance writing, editing, ghost-writing, and writing instruction.
Capozzola lives in Philadelphia with his bulldog, Mildred.
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THE LIFEGUARD
By James Patterson & Andrew Gross
Rating: Not Recommended (Zero Stars)
(Allow me to explain. I received this book in a "Secret Santa" exchange. I thought it was a gag gift, as such were allowed by the rules, with appropriate compensation, but I was assured by the game's judge that it was, in fact, a genuine gift. All the worse, I discovered at home that at least a dozen pages were dog-eared by a previous reader. Next year, I will make a better choice.)
HITTING HARD
By Michelangelo Signorile
Rating: Very Highly Recommended (Four Stars)
[Full disclosure: I am thanked and complimented in Signorile's acknowledgements in this work.]
