THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 11, 1996 TAG: 9610110532
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RALEIGH LENGTH: 54 lines
Calling U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms a ``millionaire slumlord,'' the state Democratic Party on Thursday called for a Senate investigation into financial reports that underreported his net worth.
Helms admitted Wednesday that he did not report ownership of all 15 rental properties that he, his wife or both own in Wake County. He said a lapse in communication with his wife, Dorothy, caused him to file a financial disclosure statement in May stating that his spouse owned nine rental properties worth between $250,000 and $500,000.
County tax records show the Helmses own 15 rental properties, assessed tax value $1,071,610.
``We believe that this undervaluation may have been deliberate,'' said Democratic Party spokeswoman Gail Nardi. ``Sen. Helms portrays himself as a champion of the average person and he would, therefore, have every incentive to cover up the fact that he is a millionaire.''
Helms did not immediately return a call seeking comment. A Senate Ethics Committee spokesman said its actions are confidential and could not confirm that a complaint had been received.
Inconsistencies in Helms' disclosure reports date to 1984, Nardi said. ``The failure to disclose may have been a deliberate attempt to hide the fact that Sen. Jesse Helms is a millionaire slumlord,'' she said. ``The timing of this thing was not chosen by us. It became a widely reported news story in North Carolina . . . and we're following up on that.''
Property owned and rented by the Helmses is in some of Raleigh's poorest neighborhoods. Tax records state that six of the units have no heat and seven of the homes are valued at less than $41,000.
Police records show a homicide occurred outside one home; one tenant says drug dealers regularly ply their trade in his back yard.
Most of them are under Dorothy Helms' name. Two are listed jointly. One is in Jesse Helms' name.
On Wednesday, Helms played down the inaccurate report and the state of the properties listed under his wife's name.
``It's making a mountain out of a molehill and I'm filing an amendment (to the statement) and every senator files an amendment from time to time,'' Helms said.
Helms said his wife handles her own real estate dealings, and doubted that any of the rental units lack heat. He said his wife was not responsible for handling the family's finances, but that she did oversee real estate holdings she inherited from her father, Jacob Coble.
County rental records show four of the 15 rental properties were inherited or received from Coble.
Any Ethics Committee action is unlikely before the election. The Senate has adjourned for the year. Committee rules call for reviewing the complaint if the chairman, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and vice chairman, Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., agree one is needed. by CNB