Ronald Green, leading candidate for Houston city controller, owes $100K in federal income taxes, records show

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A Houston city councilman running for city controller owes more than $100,000 in federal income taxes dating back seven years, public records show.

Ronald C. Green, a lawyer who has served in the city's At-Large Position 4 since 2004, owed $120,043.11 to the federal government earlier this year, according to federal tax liens filed with the Harris County clerk's office this past summer. The delinquent taxes go back as far as 2002.

In a phone interview this afternoon with Texas Watchdog, Green said he's disputing the amount of his tax bills to the Internal Revenue Service, and that the filing of the liens is merely part of the process. He said he hopes to have it resolved soon.

“I am in an honest dispute with the IRS, and this is standard procedure; the lien came out in July," Green said. "We have been working together and it will be resolved for both sides amicably. They have the authority to place liens and the person disputing it doesn’t. I hope to have this resolved in the next 30-45 days.”

Green said he restated his income -- on the plus side of the ledger -- for the affected tax years, and in doing so created a greater tax liability.

Green said the matter was a public record and he made no effort to conceal it: “No one asked, but it is not a secret.

"Just like I am advocating for the city, I am advocating for myself. I hope people know that this is an honest dispute. We haven’t tried to hide anything. As a person dealing with a bureaucracy, it takes even longer than I expected.”

Green is one of three councilmembers running on Nov. 3 to replace Annise Parker as the city's next chief financial officer. The campaign of one of Green's competitors, Councilwoman Pam Holm, struck out at Green this afternoon.

“It says, one, he’s got a lot of nerve, and two, he has no respect for the voters," said Bethel Nathan, Holm's campaign manager. "If he can’t handle his own finances, how can he handle the city’s finances? If he comes back and says he paid this, we would ask for proof. And if he says he worked out a payment plan, it doesn’t matter – look what you did going back to 2002.”

The liens are stamped by County Clerk Beverly Kaufman's office on June 24 and July 7. The lien covering the back taxes for 2003-06 names both Green and his wife, Hilary Green, a justice of the peace.

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	Ken Martin Thursday, 10/22/2009 - 19:52 Keep up the good work, Texas Watchdog.
	Jennifer Peebles Thursday, 10/22/2009 - 20:39 Ken, Thank you! Take care, Jennifer P. jennifer@texaswatchdog.org
	Family Ties Wednesday, 10/28/2009 - 12:33 Welcome to the world of politics........Doesn't change a thing! My vote still goes GREEN.
	Dixie Thursday, 10/29/2009 - 19:26 What IS it about Democrats and taxes? Sheesh, we could cut the federal debt in half if the bloody Democrats would just pay their bloody taxes. Good job, Watchdog!!