House 110 candidate faces residency questions, weak polling
A voter poll released by South Carolina REALTORS is predicting a big win for Charleston County State Rep Chip Limehouse, with a fifty-one point lead over his challenger, Ron Paul supporter Peter vonLehe Ruegner (64-13, with 23% undecided). But it may not be the only problem faced by Ruegner in his uphill battle.
While the poll results suggest that House District 110 voters don't seem to know who Ruegner is, information we've received has raised questions about WHERE he is. This is no small irony as Ruegner, who fancies himself as a political crusader out to unmask what he sees as corruption and insider dealings, seems to have engaged in his own campaign of misinformation regarding his actual residency.
The Blogland received copies of Ruegner's filings and a screen capture from the Republican Party's Voter Vault voter database website, which paint a confusing and conflicting picture of Ruegner's whereabouts, suggesting that he may not even reside in the district which he wants to represent in the State House.
A screen capture from Voter Vault showed him residing in Colleton County, while his candidacy and Statement of Economic Interest filings reports two addresses:- 103 Wentworth Street, in downtown Charleston, which is a fraternity house (he graduated and the building is vacated during summer months). Not a residence for someone who just graduated.
- 164 Market Street, in downtown Charleston, which is a commercial building about a block away which has a number of retail tenants, including a UPS store, which rents mailboxes, which are generally listed as "Suites". Not a residence at all.
His website doesn't list an address for a contact at all. Maybe he didn't renew his post office box?
Some of Ruegner's supporters have made transparency in government and campaigns an issue, which is sorely needed. In the spirit of increasing transparency and accountability from politicians, we hope they'll be consistent with their stated views and ask Ruegner to honestly disclose his whereabouts so voters can get the transparency they deserve.
Update - Ruegner responded by claiming residence at 74 Montagu Street in downtown Charleston. The tax information for this property shows it is owned by the Beth Israel Temple, an Orthodox Jewish synagogue in downtown Charleston. They presently pay Charleston County $99 a year in property taxes as the home is listed as being used a parsonage. While it's hard to see how a recent graduate could afford downtown real estate, it raises additional questions if the temple is indeed renting out the property instead of using it as a home for clergy. A screen capture of the Charleston County property tax report is provided below.
Update - Ruegner responded by claiming residence at 74 Montagu Street in downtown Charleston. The tax information for this property shows it is owned by the Beth Israel Temple, an Orthodox Jewish synagogue in downtown Charleston. They presently pay Charleston County $99 a year in property taxes as the home is listed as being used a parsonage. While it's hard to see how a recent graduate could afford downtown real estate, it raises additional questions if the temple is indeed renting out the property instead of using it as a home for clergy. A screen capture of the Charleston County property tax report is provided below.
The sign hit the trash can as soon as the punk drove off. The next day, they stole the Limehouse sign from my yard.