Irony: Detroit City Councilwoman and tax cheat who evaded property taxes by claiming non-existant tornado hit her house, blasts DTE for wind damage

Chalk this one up in the annals of political irony. JoAnn Watson is a property tax evader. (Detroit City Councilwoman JoAnn Watson To Get Away With Evading Property Taxes) Right after she started working for John Conyers, her property taxes dropped from around $5,000 to $68 as her property was reclassified as a vacant lot. She blames a tornado that somehow damaged her house (damage she never reported) but none of her neighbors. A fluke of nature? Nope. Just plain vanilla tax evasion. How is it that Watson spearheaded an effort to go after taxpayers who skirt their property taxes? How responsible is it to allow this tax cheat to have any say of Detroit's finances? What seemed common sense to me made the brain of Detroit voters short-circuit since they voted in the incompetent bob back into office. (she's not the only one either: New Detroit City Council Members Have Financial Problems, Debt, Tax Evasion Record) But the true irony is what Watson is doing with her time now- blasting DTE Energy for... wait for it... wind damage! From The Detroit Free Press, staffed with writers who have no sense for irony: Fiery windstorm that destroyed 70 houses in 2010 still under study

Nearly one year after a windstorm downed power lines and whipped up raging fires that destroyed dozens of structures in Detroit, the Michigan Public Service Commission is still investigating the causes and how Detroit Edison responded.

...On Dec. 1, the commission issued a report concluding that Detroit Edison wasn't negligent. But Isiogu said the state agency is still following up with DTE Energy, which is Detroit Edison's parent.

...Before closing the investigation, the three-person panel -- which oversees all utilities in the state -- could issue an order requiring that Detroit Edison make improvements. Or the commission could opt to not take any action.

...About 70 homes were destroyed or damaged when winds as high as 50 m.p.h. knocked down power lines and fanned fires all over the city.

So who comes to the proverbial rescue to the wind-damaged area? Why someone with experience in that area of course:

Detroit City Councilwoman JoAnn Watson said the city's Law Department finally sent back a draft Thursday of a cost recovery ordinance that it began reviewing in February.

Watson wants the ordinance, proposed in October, passed so the city can charge DTE for the time firefighters spend guarding downed power lines while waiting for utility personnel. The ordinance, similar to others in the state, is meant to spur DTE to respond faster to reports of downed power lines or pay for the time firefighters spend at those scenes.

"We absolutely need to be doing that in the city of Detroit," Watson said, noting she was thrilled the Law Department sent it back Thursday. "I'm not letting it go."

Which is, again ironically, what she said about her own money when skirting the very property taxes that would have, in part, paid for those firefighters spending time guarding downed power lines, a bill she wants to stick to DTE. Anyone bring up her Wizard of Oz tornado at one of these council meetings where such issues are discussed? If not, anyone out there up for it?

Exit question: funny how liberals always want someone else to pony up money for services that are already supposed to be fully funded by tax dollars, no?