City Council candidate owes Providence $93K in back taxes
PROVIDENCE — The Ward 10 City Council seat was vacated amid a swirl of legal controversy, but the race to fill that vacancy is shaping up to be contentious as well.
A candidate running to replace former City Councilman Luis Aponte, who had to resign earlier this year after admitting to embezzling $13,942 from his campaign account, owes the city $93,332 in property taxes and has accused other candidates of mounting political attacks against him.
Democrat Pedro Espinal owes the taxes on four properties he owns in the city, three of which he owns in partnership with his wife, Clarisa Espinal.
Espinal, a real estate investor, acknowledged on Monday that the back taxes he owes are an issue and said he was working to address it. He also called the city’s tax system “unfair” and “unbalanced” due to the fact that many properties in the city, such as those owned by hospitals and universities, don’t pay taxes at all.
Read more: https://www.providencejournal.com/news/20190930/city-council-candidate-owes-providence-93k-in-back-taxes