Runyan, ex-NFL lineman, candidate for Congress in NJ, uses donkeys on land to limit tax bill

NFL vet Runyan uses donkeys to get tax break

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. — Congressional candidate and veteran NFL lineman Jon Runyan has taken advantage of a property tax break in New Jersey by selling firewood and grazing donkeys.

Runyan is retiring after playing this season with the San Diego Chargers to seek the Republican nomination for New Jersey’s 3rd District House seat now held by first-term Democrat John Adler. It’s expected to be a competitive race in a district historically controlled by Republicans.

Runyan’s tax break is legal and not uncommon, though the policies that allow it are often criticized in New Jersey because they can lower tax bills for wealthy landowners who don’t make their living in agriculture.

Runyan owns a 25-acre spread in Mount Laurel and, on the 5 acres around his house, his tax bill last year was $57,000. On the other 20 acres, it was $468 because he gets a break for registering it as farmland.

Tax records show he uses five acres for four donkeys and 15 for timber. Last year, he harvested seven cords, selling them for $810.

Runyan’s campaign manager says Runyan sees himself as a steward of the land.

“Only in New Jersey politics could Jon and his wife be attacked for paying nearly $60,000 per year in property taxes and following the law that’s on the books,” campaign manager Chris Russell said.