Montana U.S. Senate candidate claims primary home tax break in California

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Last edited Sat Nov 18, 2017, 02:47 PM - Edit history (1)

Nice work by the @bozchron! He’s a MT senate candidate, but his “primary residence” is in San Diego.

Link to tweet

U.S. Sen. candidate @TroyDowningMT is receiving a tax break on a CA property he owns with his wife, an exemption for homeowners if it's their primary residence. http://bit.ly/2zL2BYM #mtnews #mtpol

Link to tweet

His campaign chair is Lola Zinke wife of Sec of Interior Zinke. Lola has been flying with her husband but not paying for it. Zinke did not keep records or remember when Lola was with him.

Link to tweet

SAN Diego man... was asked by Trump Jr to run for office in MT

Link to tweet

What an incredible evening w/@DonaldJTrumpJr & @EricTrump! They look great in Troy Downing for U.S. Senate hats! #mtsen #mtpol

Link to tweet

Montana U.S. Senate candidate claims primary home tax break in California

By Freddy Monares Chronicle Staff Writer Nov 17, 2017

U.S. Senate candidate Troy Downing of Big Sky is receiving a tax break on property he jointly owns with his wife, Heather, in California, an exemption that is for homeowners if the home is their primary residence.

The Chronicle obtained a copy of Downing’s property tax bill for a Sleeping Indian Road residence he owns in Fallbrook, California, about 60 miles north of San Diego. ... The San Diego County assessor’s office confirmed that he had been receiving the homeowner’s tax exemption since 2005. The most recent property tax bill for the fiscal year beginning July 1 and ending June 30, 2018, showed Downing received the exemption.

Downing’s residency recently came under scrutiny after he received several citations from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks for allegedly obtaining Montana resident hunting licenses unlawfully. Downing’s campaign, though, has adamantly claimed that Big Sky is his primary residence.

San Diego County Division Chief for Assessment Services Jeff Olson said Downing acquired the Fallbrook property in 2005 and has had the exemption since then. The application for the tax exemption is a self-declaration that is signed under penalty of perjury, he said. .... Downing is currently facing seven misdemeanors for unlawful purchase of or apply for resident license by nonresident. He was cited an eighth time for transferring a hunting license to another person and a ninth time for assisting an unqualified applicant in obtaining a hunting license.
....

Freddy Monares can be reached at 406-582-2630, or by email at [e-mail].
....

Freddy Monares covers politics and county government for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

[marble falls]

1. Laws are for the little people, doancha know?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. 'UGH!': Zinke's wife's travel caused headaches for Interior staff

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

'UGH!': Zinke's wife's travel caused headaches for Interior staff

Newly released records shed light on the outsize profile Lola Zinke has established compared with the typical Cabinet secretary's spouse.

By BEN LEFEBVRE 11/20/2017 06:12 PM EST

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's wife has frustrated department staffers by saddling them with extra work when she traveled with her husband on official business, according to new records that a liberal watchdog group says uncover the potential misuse of government resources.

The records document Lola Zinke's last-minute requests to join high-level dinners and additions to the guest list for a conservative group's event near the couple’s home in Southern California earlier this year. The Western Values Project filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit last month to force Interior to release more than 100 pages of documents related to Lola Zinke's trips with her husband and interactions with Interior staff.

Shared first with POLITICO, the documents shed new light on the outsize profile Lola Zinke has established compared with the typical Cabinet secretary's spouse, including her dictating which people to invite to a town hall hosted by the conservative Young America's Foundation for her husband.

New emails also reveal a celebratory dinner the Zinkes attended that was organized in part by a major GOP donor who gave heavily to Ryan Zinke's congressional campaigns. And they show Interior staffers had to accommodate a last-minute request for her to join the secretary at an official dinner with Alaska's governor. The records cover two trips Lola Zinke joined in the first three months of her husband's tenure as well as some other interactions with Interior staff, such as coordinating her attendance at a White House briefing for Cabinet members' spouses.

Western Values Project