Shore Mayor Taxes Himself Out of Own Home

Egg Harbor Mayor James “Sonny” McCullough says he’s being taxed out of his home by skyrocketing local rates. “It’s more than what I can afford,” said McCullough, whose rate increased 60% this year, to $31,050. “It’s kind of disappointing. I thought I would be able to live and die in my home, but it’s gotten to the point where it’s gotten up so high.” Now he’s selling and says he might have to move to his winter home in Florida. Oh, the irony.

In 2012, McCullough praised the property re-evaluation he initiated in Egg Harbor (much like Philly’s AVI), saying it would provide “much needed relief to homeowners whose properties may have been overvalued.” In the Township’s tony Seaview Harbor section, where he lives, property taxes increased by 90 percent following the re-evaluation, compared to one percent in the rest of town. Then, earlier this year, McCullough defended his 2013 property tax increase, which he said was needed to help pay for a budget increase, following Hurricane Sandy.

Put another way, McCullough implemented policies that raised property taxes, especially on the township’s more expensive homes. Now, he’s paying the price for his own fiscal prudence/tax-and-spend folly. (I’ll let the good people of Egg Harbor decide which.) [Press of AC]