Trustee Scaletta dodges paying his real estate taxes

   

Arlington Heights Trustee John Scaletta Unaware of Double Exemption

Until I phoned him, three-term Arlington Heights Trustee John Scaletta was unaware he'd been claiming two primary homeowner exemptions -- one for his Evergreen Street home where he lives with his wife and son and another for a house 3½ miles away on Fernandez Place.

Records from Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios' office show the Evergreen property was purchased by Scaletta's wife before they were married and a primary homeowner exemption has been claimed at least since tax year 2009 on the property. The couple have also claimed a primary exemption on the Fernandez Place house for the same period, resulting in them paying about $4,200 less in property taxes over the years.

"I went home and grabbed my property tax bill and headed to the township office," Scaletta said a few hours after I called him about the exemptions, which I'd heard about through an anonymous tip. Scaletta says he and his wife each owned houses in the village before they married and began living together. After the township confirmed the error, he filled out a waiver to take off the exemption on the Fernandez Place property. "Better you calling than the county," he quipped.

(Above article by Ms. Kerry Lester, The Daily Herald on April 7, 2016)

Lets recap:

Arlington Heights Village Trustee John Scaletta was unaware of the double primary homeowner exemption he had been claiming for six years. Is this incredibly naive or conveniently overlooked? And are these good traits for a Village Trustee?

Also did Mr. Scaletta repay the $4,200 plus interest penalties that he has evaded since 2009? In the meantime someone else had to come up with his $4,200, while Mr. Scaletta was not paying his fair share. Am I the only one that finds it ironic that while Mr. Scaletta was voting to raise our taxes as he was not paying his fair share? 

But then again Mr. Scaletta has a reputation of not exactly paying attention to detail, especially when it is in his favor. He was fined three times for $600 by the Illinois State Board of Elections (ISBE) for late filing violations of pre-election and semi-annual reports to campaign committee Friends for John Scaletta.

Mr. Scaletta's nominating petitions for trustee in 2011 were so filled with errors that it prompted a first ever candidate challenge in an Arlington Heights election. Fortunately for Mr. Scaletta he had at his disposal the politically connected law firm of Storino, Ramello and Durkin of Rosemont and was able to get the challenge thrown out. That law firm has contributed to the campaign of ex-Village President Arlene Mulder and current Village President Thomas Hayes.

But somehow Mr. Scaletta has been able to hang on as Village Trustee. Even though he lost the theater management job given to him by Joseph Freed and Associates, LLC during the fast and furious T.I.F development times of the 1990's. There he drove the Arlington Theater into bankruptcy while keeping his corporate management position at F&F Management of Buffalo Grove. Although 25 theater employees summarily lost their jobs. 

Despite Mr. Scaletta's sloppiness in filing taxes, meeting deadlines for election campaign reports, submitting candidate petitions and managing a simple movie theater he continues to get re-elected to the Village Board. But one has to seriously question if his inattention to detail spills over into his capacity as Village Trustee.

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