Politics

Detroit News: 4 Tax Liens On Kevyn Orr's Home Include 2 Still Outstanding

March 16, 2013, 8:41 AM

Ooops, this is what PR types call "stepping on the mesage" and politicos dub "bad optics."

Keyvn Orr, the attorney appointed to get Detroit financially straight, was hit with with four tax liens on his Maryland home in four years for income and unemployment taxes, Joel Kurth and Chad Livengood of The Detroit News found via online sleuthing.

They note that the situation is ironic "since Orr is tasked with improving tax collections."

State records show Orr, who was appointed emergency manager on Thursday, has two outstanding liens on his $1-million home in Chevy Chase, Md., for $16,000 in unemployment taxes in 2010 and 2011. Two other liens of more than $16,000 in unemployment and income taxes were satisfied in 2010 and 2011, records show.

Orr said he didn't know anything about the liens when shown records of them Friday morning by The Detroit News.

"I don't know what they are," Orr said, as his new boss, Gov. Rick Snyder, sat next to him in The News' offices. "That's surprising to me, to be honest."

Quick damage control followed.

By late that afternoon, Snyder's spokeswoman said Orr would pay "in full ASAP." He blames the embarrassment on his tax accountant.

State backround checkers hadn't spotted the liens, Snyder's press secretary told The News.


Read more:  The Detroit News


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