COLORADO SPRINGS – A former Colorado lawmaker and anti-tax advocate has been convicted of five municipal citations in Pennsylvania for a building that city officials say is dilapidated.
The Gazette reports Douglas Bruce failed to appear for the court hearing Thursday in Pittston, Pennsylvania, to answer to citations on the condition of the bar he owns in the small city.
The city’s code enforcement has cited Bruce for failure to demolish the building.
Pittston Mayor Michael Lombardo says city officials plan to work with the police department to consider a misdemeanor charge for municipal housing code avoidance.
Bruce declined to comment Thursday. He has previously denied any wrongdoing.
Bruce is known for being the author of Colorado’s Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR), a spending limitation measure approved by Colorado voters in 1992. His name is connected with the measure that attempts to bypass TABOR’s restrictions, known as “de-Brucing.”
Lombardo says the city might demolish the building and bill Bruce for the effort. Bruce has previously threatened to sue if his property is seized.