[edit] Residency dispute
In July 2008, Fox news host Bill O'Reilly surfaced information that Wexler was living in a Maryland suburb, while using his mother-in-law's Delray Beach address as his official residency. Edward Lynch, a Republican running for Wexler's congressional seat, has been researching Wexler's living arrangements and took his argument to the Fox News program. "The house he lists on his voter registration is his in-laws' house, in a gated 55-and-older community," Lynch said. "Legally, he can't move back with children under 18." After Wexler was confronted about the allegation, he stated that his mother-in-law does own the house in Delray Beach. But he also said he stays there when in Florida which, according to his office is, on average, about twice a month. As a Florida resident, Wexler does not pay personal income tax, and his vehicles are also registered in that state, despite his near-permanent residency in the Washington area.[3]
Wexler, born in 1961, also does not personally meet the age requirements for his mother-in-law's 55-and-older community. Though 55-and-older communities are required, both by Florida law, and federal equal housing laws, to permit a small percentage of younger residents.
"Congressman Wexler moved to Florida when he was 10 years old and he has continually met Florida's residency requirements ever since," spokesman Josh Rogin wrote in an e-mail. "As members of Congress have since the founding of the nation, he also keeps a home in the Washington area so his wife and three children can be with him while he serves in Congress."
Lynch said he intends to file legal papers about the issue in the coming weeks.
"That brings up a bunch of problems with respect to it is not truly his home, and it can't be his home, and he's using that address as his address to vote from," he said.
Lynch faces Wexler and no-party candidate Ben Graber in the Nov. 4 election.[4][5]
Topic: Robert Wexler (Read 1174 times)