Rector Demanded A Lavish Home(Soho)He is Retiring Selling to Developer? $12mil
Trinity Church is selling this Charlton Street town house for $12 million.Photo: Helayne Seidman
$
“Feed the Poor, lead a life as an example of the saviour and redeemer of sin, of how he lead his life”
I figure that quote belong here on this Mother’s day. Particularly working mothers or mothers that are in social security, disabled, retired or working for low wages.
SoHo is one of the riches neighborhoods not just in New York but in the Country, with one of the richest rectory’s so why should the spiritual leader not have the most expensive house there.? He could if I didn’t help pay for it.
When we talk New York we talk apartments. Even the wealthy live in apartments, luxurious yes ,but not houses. Most houses in Manhattan have not being constructed since the turn of the century. When the new Rector was named in 2004 He demanded this house and an allowance for his old house in Florida for well over $100,000. Which he got both, the Town house in Manhattan and the allowance for his old house for $118k. This all tax free. His old house in Florida and now when the rectory sells this house for $12million or so the tax payers of NY will get not a penny. That is the set up between the Churches’ and the Government in all levels.
I am not surprised as food stamps and other subsidies for the working poor in housing and help for those that have worked all their lives and paid the taxes now have to hear from the new government that is coming in power(GOP) that either their social security which they paid for, Medicare, which they paid for, will not have a serious cost of living increase but it might be cut, particularly medicare which will be going up for sure. Yes people have paid for medicare in their checks and when they needed. If they pay over $100 a month to see a Dr and then they are responsible for 20% of the bill. There plans now thanks to Obama care that gives them much more for that money , but it is not free sir SS or SSDI. I am not talking give aways, Im talking Social Security Disability Insurance or Retirement. There is not welfare involved there and let’s not get confused with SSI which is around $750 for those who worked but their income was so small they don’t even qualify for Regular SS which depends on wages.
As these talks goes on in Washington it amazes me that the Church(all denominations) do not step in and say, instead of cutting to the poor, let us pay half the tax on our ‘luxury items’. This is for funding on programs that help people at the bottom of the ladder for no fault of their own.
This is a pipe dream of mine and has such I will be surprise that they would do it on their own. One of the things we most look at after the debate on gay marriage is settled is to look at what churches sponsored by tax payers including millions of gays are doing against some at the tax payers that supper them. We hear ministers even calling for the death penalty for gays. This does not come from crazy ministers but savvy one that need to energize their diminishing flocks with incendiary statements to put the fire under their feet on money on the plate. Churches are fear based. Imagined if people one day found out that there is not hell but the one we go through on Earth; What do you think would happen tot he churches if they could not scare people into giving?
I say put up all the bill boards, commercials and so on but:
“Don’t pay for billboards, signs, commercials, etc., saying how discussing gay people are and how they should die …with my money!” We seriously need to look at the fairness of this deal if we are going to go back on promises made to the working people, vets and the poor.
Going back to the Tax free Rectory story……………..
As I mentioned the rector’s royal residence is no more.
As Trinity Church sells the lavish Soho town house that the Rev. James Cooper demanded as his home when he became rector of the historic Manhattan church in 2004 he has to live somewhere, tax payer paid.
This rector retired in February and Trinity recently put the Charlton Street home on the market for $12 million.
While a Trinity spokesman in 2012 had rationalized the church’s $5.5 million purchase of the town house as a permanent rectory for future leaders of the church, Cooper’s replacement is living elsewhere.
The Rev. William Lupfer is ensconced in a 2,300-square-foot Battery Park City apartment with three terraces and riverfront views. The rent was advertised at $15,000 a month.
The apartment lacks the grandeur of Cooper’s 1827 Federal-style abode where crystal chandeliers graced the living and dining rooms and a garden-level kitchen came with a fireplace.
The master suite had a separate study, dressing room and a marble bath complete with its own refrigerator, microwave and wet bar.
Cooper, 70, and his wife, Octavia, lived in the home tax free. They have returned to Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., a community south of Jacksonville where he used to preach. They’ve owned a home there since 1990 and also own property in Maine. A man that does not do regular work happens to have done so well!
During his tenure at Trinity, the church paid him a six-figure annual allowance for the Florida home. The allowance came to $118,675 in 2012, according to the latest available figures which put Cooper’s total compensation at $1.2 million, including his salary of $339,469.
As I mentioned Cooper headed what is considered the richest parish in the Anglican world, with real-estate assets of some $3 billion. He clashed with members of the church’s vestry, or governing board. Critics said he lavished money on plans for a luxury condo tower and a publicity campaign and veered away from Trinity’s charitable mission.
A Trinity spokesman said Lupfer and the vestry were reevaluating the church’s housing policy and that “funds realized from the sale of the former rectory will be used to support Trinity’s mission.”
Cooper will not comment.
Adam Gonzalez , Publisher. Credit for the picture and source on the particulars where taken from NYPost on line publication
Comments