Tax filings offer window into mayoral candidates' lives

Whatever privations Nelson A. Diaz suffered as a child growing up in a Harlem tenement, they are in his rearview mirror now.

Lynne M. Abraham stands as a testament to the relative generosity of city pensions.

And State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams' household keeps the bills paid with a big boost from fracking interests.

Those are a few highlights gleaned from federal tax returns of five Democratic mayoral candidates.

Diaz, Abraham, Williams, James F. Kenney, and Doug Oliver voluntarily released past returns to The Inquirer for review. All but Abraham released returns for 2011, 2012 and 2013. Abraham released only her 2013 return, her campaign explaining that it was representative of all years requested.

Former State Sen. T. Milton Street Sr. declined to release his return. Angela Griffin, Street's campaign manager, said Street was busy campaigning and would not entertain the request until after April 15.

The Rev. Keith Goodman, pastor of North Philadelphia Seventh-day Adventist Church, withdrew from the race Tuesday.

In alphabetical order, here are the Cliffs Notes for those who offered their taxes for review.

Abraham, 74, reported $428,982 in total income for 2013. Of that, $194,860 came from her law practice at Archer & Greiner. She reported $165,896 from pensions and annuities. Of that, $27,035 was from a state pension and $107,091 from a city pension.

Abraham served 15 years in the state court system, first as a Municipal Court judge and later a Common Pleas Court judge. She was on the city payroll, off and on, for about 27 years. She was district attorney for about 19 years.

She reported receiving $36,800 in Social Security payments.

Abraham paid $109,246 in federal taxes.

In terms of deductions, she reported paying $10,806 in property taxes on her Society Hill home and making $10,690 in charitable gifts. She did not deduct mortgage interest.

She reported selling $61,523 in short- and long-term assets, which are typically stocks, bonds, or shares of mutual funds. She also reported a carryover-loss of $118,000 in financial assets from the previous year.

Finally, she reported holding an IRA with $78,000.

Diaz filed his taxes jointly with his wife, Sara Manzano-Diaz, a regional administrator for the U.S. General Services Administration. The couple reported total income ranging from $520,921 in 2011 to $374,482 in 2013.

Diaz, 67, reported a $43,622 pension and no Social Security payments. He served as a Common Pleas Court judge from 1981 to 1993.

Diaz also was paid to serve on the boards of Exelon and Peco. He received, for instance, $94,948 in 2011 for serving on the Exelon board and $4,500 the same year from Peco.

Diaz and his wife paid a high of $127,981 in taxes in 2011 and a low of $71,543 in 2012.

Among the deductions claimed: property tax ($11,911 in 2013), mortgage interest ($26,679 in 2013), and charitable gifts ($11,840 in 2011 to $8,575 in 2013). Their income was adjusted to reflect $23,796 paid out each year in alimony.

The couple also reported using 140 square feet of their 2,300-square-foot Chestnut Hill home for a business office. In calculating business deductions, they reported utility costs ranging from $4,636 in 2011 to $3,134 in 2013.

The couple's returns, beyond reporting significant income, suggested significant investment resources as well. For instance, the couple reported selling $833,796 in long-term assets, largely mutual fund shares, in 2012.

The former City Council member, 56, filed joint returns with his wife, Maureen A., who was listed as a homemaker. The couple are separated. They claimed deductions for their daughter in 2011-13 and their son in 2011.

The couple reported total income ranging from a high of $228,463 in 2012 to a low of $202,116 in 2011.

Kenney reported wage income from three sources - City Council ($120,355 in 2013); the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches at the Fels Institute of Government ($10,000 in 2013); and Vitetta Architects & Engineers, which lists Kenney as a business development director ($64,055 in 2013).

He also was compensated for serving on the board of directors of Independence Blue Cross ($42,200 in 2013).

Kenney and his wife paid a high of $40,057 in federal taxes (2012) and a low of $34,433 (2011).

Among their deductions: property tax ($3,193 in 2013), mortgage interest ($3,986 in 2013), and charitable gifts ($3,730 in 2013 to $3,060 in 2011).

Oliver, 40, filed as head of household, although he did not claim his son as a deduction.

He reported total income ranging from a high of $179,121 in 2013 to a low of $171,207 in 2012.

Oliver reported income from three sources: the Philadelphia Gas Works, where he served as vice president for marketing and corporate communications ($169,771 in 2013); National University, an online college for which he has taught ($9,350 in 2013); and La Salle University, where he taught in 2011 ($4,001).

He paid a high of $40,057 in federal taxes in 2012 and a low of $34,433 in 2011.

His deductions included $9,825 in mortgage interest (2013) and $2,340 in property tax (2013). He took no deductions for charitable gifts.

Williams, 58, filed a joint return with his wife, Shari. The couple reported total income ranging from $228,463 in 2012 to $202,116 in 2011.

In 2013, the couple reported $225,598 in total income, which included Williams' $103,143 salary as a state senator. His wife earned $112,700 as a community outreach manager for the Marcellus Shale Coalition, an advocacy group for the natural gas industry.

The couple paid total federal taxes ranging from $38,962 in 2013 to $25,714 in 2011.

Their deductions included property tax ($1,212 in 2013), mortgage interest ($5,630 in 2013), and charitable gifts ($1,695 in 2012 to $250 in 2013).

The couple also claimed 247 square feet of their 2,329-square-foot West Philadelphia home as an office for tax purposes. In calculating business deductions, they reported utility costs ranging from $9,196 in 2013 to $4,540 in 2011.

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