NEXT UP Attleboro's fed money will go toward cleaning, relining wate… Mayoral candidate criticizes Dumas over taxing Attleboro's LaSalette Shrine Assessor defends stance on 2013 tax bill BY JIM HAND / SUN CHRONICLE STAFF Mar 13, 2017 +2 0 remaining of 1 Welcome! We hope that you enjoy our free content. × Jose Lemus +2 Kevin Dumas Sept. 18, 2015 +2 Attleboro mayoral candidate Ron Churchill. ATTLEBORO - Mayoral candidate Jose Lemus is criticizing the city for taxing part of LaSalette Shrine and is saying Mayor Kevin Dumas is ultimately responsible, but Assessor Stan Nacewicz says Lemus is misinformed. Nacewicz said he and the board of assessors are responsible, and Dumas had no say in the matter. He said Lemus seems to misunderstand how taxes work. The assessor also said he was speaking out to set the record straight - not just to defend Dumas. He said it is well known that he and Dumas do not always see eye-to-eye. The LaSalette situation involves the shrine suing the city over a $96,000 tax bill in 2013. LaSalette contends all of its property on Park Street should be tax-exempt because it is a religious organization. Assessors contend that only the part of the property that is related to worship is exempt, and other property such as a bistro, conference meeting rooms and shed should be taxed. The case is before the state Supreme Judicial Court and should be decided this month, unless the court extends the matter. Nacewicz said the city decided to tax the non-religious part of the property after walking trails were created and taxpayers complained to assessors. He said Dumas never intervened. volume_off "There is no interference," he said, explaining that he works for the board of assessors, not the mayor. But Lemus, who is running against Dumas, said the mayor appoints the board, approves its budget and approves the people it hires, so the mayor is responsible. "Although I admire the assessor for taking all of the responsibility in the matter, I believe this tax issue is another example of the current mayor avoiding responsibility. He seems to be very good at that," Lemus said. He said Dumas points fingers when things go wrong, citing teacher layoffs and empty storefront downtown, as examples. Lemus is a newcomer to city politics. He is taking on Dumas, and former Fire Chief Ronald Churchill in a September preliminary election. State Rep. Paul Heroux, D-Attleboro, said he is also leaning toward running, and will announce his decision by the end of the month. The two top vote-getters in the preliminary will run against each other in the November general election. JIM HAND covers politics for The Sun Chronicle. He can be reached at 508-236-0399, at jhand@thesunchronicle.com and on Twitter @TSCPolitics. Court to rehear LaSalette tax case Shrine lawyer balks at changing tax status in Attleboro What would Attleboro be without LaSalette Shrine? Lawyers in state court argue over taxing LaSalette Shrine land in Attleboro Attleboro, LaSalette in legal battle over taxation Education emerging as a key issue in Attleboro mayor’s race Tags Sun Chronicle Ma Sun Chronicle Attleboro Sun Sunchronicle Lasalette Shrine Stan Nacewicz Sun Chronicle Sports Kevin Dumas Politics Sun Chronicle Local News Attleboro Newspaper Assessor Stan Nacewicz Assessor The Sun Chronicle Jose Lemus Thesunchronicle Sun Chronicle Features Ronald Churchill Mayor Trending Now 1 North Attleboro insurance broker faces federal fraud, ID theft charges 2 Demolition of old North Attleboro mill done for now, roads reopened 3 Tractor-trailer crash ties up traffic on I-95 in North Attleboro 4 Mansfield police say skimmer found on ATM machine at Rt. 106 Cumberland Farms 5 Norton High teacher honored at Celtics game for work with special needs athletes Latest e-Edition The Sun Chronicle 7 hrs ago Quiz Paul Heroux As of 2021, how many actors have already portrayed the role of James Bond? 7 8 9 10 powered by Sections News Obituaries Sports Opinion Features e-Edition Services Contact Us Subscribe Manage Your Subscription Place an Ad or Announcement Submit Your News Photo Reprints Print Services Skip © Copyright 2024 The Sun Chronicle 34 South Main Street, Attleboro, MA | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy Powered by BLOX Content Management System from BLOX Digital.
