DETROIT – Lieutenant governor candidate Garlin Gilchrist has paid the $758.23 in property taxes he owed the city of Detroit.
The taxes were paid immediately after a summer tax bill from the city of Detroit surfaced and showed Gilchrist owed $768.23 in unpaid property taxes on an unoccupied blighted apartment building he owns.
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Zack Pohl, communications director for the Whitmer for Governor campaign commented on the tax bill Monday by email.
"The taxes will be paid in full as of today," said Pohl.
Pohl forwarded a copy of a receipt from the city of Detroit's treasury office showing the taxes were paid in full.
Deadline Detroit reported Friday the apartment building has no back door and the littered yard has an unfilled sewage trench. Nearby residents have complained about the blighted property.
Gilchrist, Gretchen Whitmer's running mate, bought the property from the Detroit Land Bank for $13,500 as part of a discount for city employees. Gilchrist worked for Detroit from 2014 to 2017.
Gilchrist wrote it has been a struggle securing a loan to rehabilitate the property, partly due to his runs for office. He says he "exhausted my personal resources" to demolish the interior and do other work, but the building "is not in the state that I want it to be."
Gilchrist could lose the property because of its condition. According to the Detroit Land Bank Authority, Gilchrist has been given multiple warnings regarding non-compliance.
Detroit Land Bank Authority public information officer Alyssa Strickland issued the following statement in response the blighted apartment building.
Mr. Gilchrist purchased 253 Marston through a Detroit Land Bank Authority Auction in August 2016. The Detroit Land Bank Authority is actively monitoring Mr. Gilchrist’s progress at 253 Marston in accordance with the DLBA’s compliance program. The Detroit Land Bank Authority has continued to work with Mr. Gilchrist based on several factors, including the unusual size and scope of the project-253 Marston is an eight-unit dwelling in need of significant financing, whereas most structures sold by the Detroit Land Bank Authority are single-family homes. Additionally, the Detroit Land Bank Authority granted Mr. Gilchrist an extension based on direct contact with lenders who provided evidence that financing was forthcoming, evidence of considerable investment at the property, and ongoing communication. The Detroit Land Bank Authority finds the current condition of the exterior of 253 Marston to be unacceptable, and on Thursday, October 11th, 2018 Mr. Gilchrist was given until Monday, October 15th, 2018 to provide proof that the exterior of the property is clean and secure. The Detroit Land Bank Authority has previously issued multiple warnings to Mr. Gilchrist regarding non-compliance. If Mr. Gilchrist fails to provide the requested evidence of clean-up at his property, the Detroit Land Bank Authority will issue a notice of reconveyance.