As the filing period for state offices came to a close a few weeks ago, I began reviewing the Statements of Financial Interest for state candidates. One filing in particular jumped out at me.
Damon Wallace has filed to run as a Republican for House District 96, the seat being vacated by incumbent Rep. Duncan Baird. Wallace will face Grant Hodges in the Republican primary in May. According to Wallace’s SFI, he currently owes “approx $30,000” to the IRS. On the form, Wallace described the nature of the debt as “taxes.”
I suppose there could be a perfectly reasonable explanation for this debt. Unfortunately, I have not been able to obtain one — and I have had significant difficulties in making contact with Wallace. After repeated inquiries, I have not received any calls back, but I did receive a Facebook message from Wallace on Friday morning. He explained that he was unable to meet my deadline and was having difficulty arranging a time to call me back, but he was still willing to speak with me. He messaged me again late Friday evening and said he was willing to speak during the next 25 minutes. I was out at dinner with family; by the time I had finished my meal, his 25-minute window had passed. It is my hope that, in the next few days, Wallace will be able to find time to talk to me during business hours. Perhaps he will, in that conversation, not simply explain his eagerness to answer my questions, but also take the time to answer my questions. Seeing this $30,000 IRS debt has prompted me to do a little bit more digging into Wallace’s background. Stay tuned; I’ll have more information next week.
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