UPDATED: Bayside Trustee Candidate Kelly Herda Has Paid Delinquent Taxes

This story was updated at 9:55 p.m. to include a statement from Herda.

Bayside Village Board candidate Kelly Herda's personal financial tax records have come under scrutiny, due to articles and comments in the opinion section of local publications.

A look through online tax records confirms Herda has been delinquent on her property tax payments for seven of the 13 years she has lived in Bayside. Despite the late payments, Herda has paid all of her property taxes, interests and penalties in full every year.

This year, Herda was a month late and $87 short on her first installment, but as of Monday, she has paid the full amount due, including $104.83 in interest and penalties. Herda has also incurred interests and penalties as a result of late payments in 2011, 2010, 2009, 2007, 2001 and 2000, according to online tax records.

Less than 2 percent of Bayside taxpayers — or roughly 30 residents — are delinquent on their property tax payments on an annual basis, according to Bayside Village Manager Andy Pederson. 

None of the other Village Board candidates have been delinquent on their property tax payments, according to online records dating back to 1996. 

Learn more about the Bayside Village Board election

The matter of Herda's delinquent taxes first came to light in a North Shore NOW letter to the editor by Laurie Wolf, the chairperson of North Shore Republicans. Herda is the treasurer of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin's Women's Caucus

When contacted about the issue, Herda initially declined to comment. She later sent Patch a statement that read: 

"Up until last year my husband and I were self employed and our incomes have fluctuated over the years. But we have always paid our taxes in full every year and if we had a late payment fee, we paid that without complaint. I think it is outrageous that political operatives would make an issue out of something that, in this economy, affects so many families- it is just politics at its ugliest. 

"Why don’t we talk about my work on the Nicolet School Board and our outstanding stewardship with tax payer dollars? Let’s talk about the lack of communication between the Village Board and their constituents or about the bogging down of our village government with subjective and costly municipal codes.  There are so many important issues to discuss and I welcome the opportunity to have that conversation."

She also commented publicly on a Patch blog authored by trustee candidate Tom Noble, where a commenter rehashed Wolf's letter to the editor.

In the comment section, Herda responded that her personal finances were not an appropriate issue to be brought into a Bayside trustee race.

"I have no idea who you are or why you think that it is appropriate to try to embarrass my family, but like many Bayside residents, my family is on a tight budget," Herda said. "We therefore use the installment plan offered by the village. If we are late, we pay a fine that more than covers any costs to the village. In fact, we have paid our taxes in full every year that we have lived in Bayside."

Herda, who has lived in Bayside with her family since 1999, has previously served six years on the Nicolet High School Board. Herda said her ability to balance a budget was shown during her time on the school board. 

"As a school board member, I was able to maintain our district’s standard of excellence in education, despite the constraints of revenue limits and record-breaking cuts in state aid," she said.

A graduate of Whitefish Bay High School, Herda has served in the U.S. Navy and is the co-founder of Prown and Associates, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in assisting nonprofits with communications, advocacy and fundraising. She has also been active in village initiatives, such as developing a volunteer-based crossing guard program and doing community outreach for the City Water project.

Read more about Herda and the other three candidates running for Bayside Village Board