Carl DeMaio still hasn't come up with a good explanation for his stance on taxes. He's a leading advocate for a new billion dollar tax increase that the public will pay directly to private businesses without having a public vote.
Developers have been major financial backers of DeMaio's campaigns, and he says he owes them in return, but it isn't just a recent phenomenon to support his mayoral aspirations.
DeMaio been working on subsidizing developers for a while. Back in 2009 as the city was wrestling with some of the toughest budget struggles, city staff pointed out that taxpayers were subsidizing 14% of developer fees. Staff analysis explained that "the recommended fees presented in the study reflect the full cost of providing the individual services"
It was a clear enough issue for every other member of the council when it came to a vote that in tough economic times, taxpayer subsidies for developers may not be the best use of money. But Carl DeMaio was the lone vote to continue the subsidies.
