An attorney for Gov. Peter Shumlin said Wednesday that Shumlin is prepared to nullify a controversial real estate transaction he conducted last year with an East Montpelier neighbor.
Shumlin’s lawyer, former Vermont attorney general M. Jerome Diamond, said he’s been attempting to reach out to the neighbor, Jeremy Dodge, “so we can present a number of proposals to make the Dodge family happy about the situation.”
Having not heard back from Dodge (pictured at right), Diamond said the governor was now floating one of those proposals publicly to make clear where he stands.
“We just thought, rather than allow a war of words, the governor wanted to convey at least that the governor wanted to achieve exactly what the family has said they’re looking for: which is to put the family back exactly where they were before,” Diamond said.
In recent weeks, Dodge and his family have said they regretted selling his home and 16 acres of land to Shumlin, who months before had bought a property next door and built a home on it. They say the governor took advantage of Dodge, who was facing a tax sale, was not represented by an attorney and, they claim, has diminished mental capacity.
Shumlin maintains he was simply trying to help a neighbor in need. He says his $58,000 offer was a fair price and enabled Dodge to stay in his home until this July.
On Tuesday, Dodge told Seven Days his goal was “to get my property back and pay the governor back what he invested in it — and not a penny more.” He said he was willing to sue the governor if Shumlin refused to nullify the transaction.
Evidently, the governor got the message.
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
Shumlin is taking the high road. Jerry, your 15 minutes is almost up.
If this guy couldn’t pay his taxes before, how is getting his land back going to help that at all? He’s going to end up in the same situation next year when he goes bust on his property taxes again. Though I doubt the tax department is going to be as forgiving as Shumlin has been thus far.
As I understand it Shumlin suggested repeatedly that he consult an attorney (VT legal aid is free).
The man signed a legally binding agreement. He was not under duress, and it took place over a period of months. Giving him ample time to seek legal counsel.
Actually, it appears that Mr. Dodge was being significantly overcharged on his property tax bill. At his income level, he should have been paying something on the order of $500 a year in property taxes – not $4,500 a year. He was caught up in a very confusing property tax system and apparently did not file his homestead declaration and claim for property tax adjustment, which would have lowered the bill dramatically. This is a problem that happens more often than many would think, and Vermont’s most vulnerable citizens are the ones who end up losing out. $500 a year in property taxes is a much better deal than the $9,000 Governor Shumlin charged Mr. Dodge for 9 months of “prepaid occupancy”.
As for Legal Aid, it has been reported that Mr. Dodge has been told by Legal Aid that they do not represent clients in real estate transactions.
That being said, it looks like Governor Shumlin is now doing the right thing, and giving the Dodge family the opportunity to buy their home back.
I agree that Shumlin is doing the right thing regardless. WTF good is legal aid if they don’t provide comprehensive legal services?
On another note, the man hasn’t paid his property tax in 10 YEARS. 10 years and he never sought help of any kind. That calculation was made using data from news sources and without the $9k for occupancy.
This is also the same reason we have tax preparers, so you don’t get caught in this kind of BS.
The Therrien family of Sheffield would like to extend our sympathies to the Dodge family.
Shumlin is good at sacrificing people- he sacrificed ours and other families when he green lighted Industrial Wind Turbines in Vermont.
To hear him say he was acting as a good neighbor and true Vermonter is an insult to every Vermonter.
Mr. Shumlin, please quit using the terms.
A true Vermonter turns every stone to help a neighbor.
Not scratch out an agreement and offer their own lawyer as council, making a sacrifice of a neighbor for their own gain.
Being who Shumlin is and his background in the State of Vermont- knew full well the laws and that Jerry had options.
Shumlin said “with all power comes sacrifice and problems”.
Apparently the same can be said if you are his neighbor and live in Vermont.
This is just another example of how Shumlin could care less about the ‘little guy’.
We know, because Shumlin has sacrificed us.
what do the turbines have to do with a land deal? the wind project benefits the WHOLE state.
So the lessons learned are twofold – the property tax system needs to be better defined, easier to administer and definitely easier for residents to understand. Secondly, relatives need to stand ready to help more expeditiously as was clearly not the case with Mr. Dodge.
Has everyone forgotten John Campbell was nearly a victim of a tax sale? We were 9 months late paying $8,000 on $300,000 property in my family 100 years. . Monkton,Vermont tried to sell and only talked to my husband. We suffered much that year. I wrote to the Governor, Pat Leahy and more. Town refused abatement. 2 lawyers said I cannot fight city hall. Bruce Campbell active in this fight.Tax sales are unconstitutional but never tested. That is why no one wants these cases in the supreme court. What would property flippers do then?
Getting a tax abatement is a simple two step process:
1. Get elected Governor.
2. Ask for it.
Savvy?
Legal Aid does not typically handle sale of real estate.
It seems pretty obvious that if Dodge didn’t file the docs necessary to get a real estate tax adjustment, that he didn’t have the level of competence that Gov. Shumlin contends. Nor, did he understand that following a tax sale the landowner has a year to “redeem” his/her property.
Lastly, when I was on our board of civil authority, we were told that the town could only put as much of a piece of property up for tax sale as would satisfy the taxes. So, an entire property valued (by the town of E Montpelier) at $250,000 +/- could not have been sold to satisfy a delinquent tax bill of $17,000. Apparently Gov. Shumlin and his atty didn’t tell Mr. Dodge this either.