Although his wife, Valentina, is listed as president and treasurer of Trans-lectric Supply Inc., Mescolotto has signed some company contracts with SEPTA and submitted at least one bid using a BRT fax machine, the inspector general found.
Mescolotto told the inspector general that he knew that his wife within the last six months "got some type of tax bill," but said he did not know what the bill was for or how much was owed. Mescolotto said his wife was in "the process" of paying.
He and his wife did not respond to calls seeking comment.
Kevin Feeley, a BRT spokesman, said he could not talk about the details of the investigation, and complained that "whoever leaked the report decided that they didn't have to play by the same rules."
He said Mescolotto, 56, is a "decent, hardworking man" who has done his best to try to keep assessments fair and impartial. The agency is still looking for a permanent director of assessments, he said.
For the last year, Mescolotto has been serving as the top assessor at BRT, supervising the task of setting values for all 577,000 properties in Philadelphia. He was paid $92,635 last year, second only to Executive Director Enrico Foglia, who says he has nothing to do with assessments.
The timing of the disclosure could not be worse for the BRT, which has been under siege since an Inquirer series detailed a history of mismanagement, patronage hiring, and deals for insiders.
Last week, Mayor Nutter asked board members to resign. They quickly refused, noting that they do not answer to the mayor. But the agency's future is still in doubt. City Council is considering a bill that would break up the agency and turn over property assessments to someone else.
Records show that Trans-lectric, a wholesale distributor of electrical equipment, was formed in 1987 with its address as the Mescolottos' house in the 1300 block of Brighton Street. Valentina Mescolotto is listed as president and treasurer.
