This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Rep. Carl Wimmer made $18,233 in the first 10 months of 2011, most of it from his salary as a state legislator, a financial report filed by the Republican congressional candidate Thursday shows.
But Wimmer, who has been campaigning for months for the newly created 4th Congressional District, said the figure doesn't reflect corporate income paid to his wife, Sherry, by Zions Defense Institute, a security consulting business where Wimmer also teaches concealed-weapons courses. That company brought in about $30,000.
"By the end of the year, we will have made roughly $60,000," Wimmer said Thursday. "We're an average, middle-class family."
The median household income in Utah is about $55,000, though the median income for a family the size of Wimmer's — he and his spouse have three children and two foster children — is $76,729.
The annual salary of a member of the U.S. House is $174,000.
Questions about how Wimmer makes his living have been asked around Capitol Hill for months, especially as his campaign has kicked into high gear.
Wimmer was a registered agent and manager of Zions Defense Institute until April 4, but he removed himself from those positions, leaving his wife in control of the business. That meant he didn't have to publicly report a specific income amount. He had formed a congressional exploratory committee months before — in early January.
Wimmer made $3,000 from landscaping work through the end of October from another company in his wife's name, Green Square Landscaping. He showed no income from Zions Defense Institute.
"Although I'm doing all the front work for the companies, they're listed under Sherry's name," he said. "I am pulling away somewhat from doing a lot of the day to day stuff." Instead, he said he is focusing on running for Congress.
Wimmer said a short-lived effort to charge for public-speaking engagements around the country never took off. He has been invited to speak at some events, he said, but only asked for the groups to pay his expenses.
In addition to his legislative salary, Wimmer receives health coverage through his part-time elected position. However, Wimmer said Wednesday he is considering resigning from the Legislature so he can raise money and campaign for Congress. Lawmakers are banned from fundraising during the 45-day legislative session, which begins in January.
Personal financial disclosures are required from all congressional members and candidates. They are imprecise, listing only broad ranges for the value of assets and levels of income and typically excluding things like the filer's primary residence. Individuals have to file their disclosures 30 days after declaring their candidacy — but Wimmer, who officially announced his bid in July, filed for an extension.
Wimmer has three state retirement accounts from his five years of service in the Legislature and, before that, about a dozen years as a police officer in West Valley City and South Jordan. They are worth, at a maximum, $66,000.
Wimmer lists between $5,000 and $15,000 in income from rental of a "mother-in-law" apartment attached to his Herriman home.
The report shows the estimated value of the apartment as between $250,000 and $500,000, although he acknowledged that is the estimated value of the entire home, not just the apartment.
The Salt Lake County assessor valued the family's home at $218,000 last year. The couple has two mortgages on the property, totaling between $200,000 and $500,000. They also have a credit union loan, listed between $10,000 and $15,000.
Based on the ranges — and assuming the home is worth $250,000 — Wimmer's net worth ranges from a high of $196,000 to a low of $217,000 in debt.
Twitter: @RobertGehrke
Thomas Burr contributed to this report. —
Wimmer's finances
See Carl Wimmer's financial disclosure statement > http://bit.ly/vm7iXq