Property owned by Philly councilwoman's husband is more than $4,200 behind in taxes

A property owned by the husband of Philadelphia City Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown is more than $4,200 behind in taxes, creating more negative publicity for an elected official already facing criticism over violations of city campaign-finance laws.

Through a spokesman, Reynolds Brown directed questions about the rental property in Mantua to her husband, Howard Brown, who works for the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, a state-chartered economic development agency.

Brown did not return calls seeking comment late Wednesday. He and Reynolds Brown are divorcing.

According to city records, Reynolds Brown bought the property at 601 N. 33d St. in 1986 and transferred it to Howard Brown in 1999. Her name is no longer on the deed but it is on the rental license. As recently as 2010, she disclosed it as a "direct or indirect" source of income on a financial disclosure form.

Philadelphia City Paper first reported the delinquency. Howard Brown told City Paper he thought tax payments were included in his mortgage, said he was unaware of the liens, and promised to set up a payment plan. The delinquency began in 2011, but Brown said he never received any notices.

In January, the city Board of Ethics fined Reynolds Brown a record $48,834 for dozens of campaign-finance violations, including the use of $3,300 in campaign donations to repay a personal loan from Chaka "Chip" Fattah Jr., son of U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.). The councilwoman has said financial problems that began in late 2010, after separation from her husband, caused her to use poor judgment about repaying the loan.

In February, Reynolds Brown's former campaign-finance manager, John McDaniel, pleaded guilty to stealing more than $103,000 from her reelection campaign and another political committee. Reynolds Brown said she was unaware that McDaniel apparently tried to conceal the $3,300 repayment in December 2010 by listing it in her campaign-finance reports as a printing expense. Only after she learned that Fattah Jr. was under FBI investigation did she check the report herself, she said.