Latest news with #FritzKaegi
Politico
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Endorsement drama bubbles up
TGIF, Illinois. Enjoy the weekend. TOP TALKER IN THE HOUSE: Lieutenant governor candidate Christian Mitchell will stand before Cook County Democratic Party leaders today, making the case for Gov. JB Pritzker to be endorsed for a third term. Pritzker has a family commitment and can't attend. The spotlight will then turn to presentations by the U.S. Senate candidates before party leaders make their endorsement decisions. Today's line-up will also see pitches by state Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and state Treasurer Mike Frerichs. Since Comptroller Susana Mendoza isn't seeking re-election, Democratic candidates expected to step up include state Sen. Karina Villa, state Rep. Margaret Croke and Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim. The stakes are high, as an endorsement comes with cache and on-the-ground campaigners. Also on today's agenda will be a vote on the Cook County assessor's race. Two-term incumbent Fritz Kaegi failed to secure the slating committee's endorsement for a third term Thursday. A coalition of Black committee members opposed him, while others abstained. The party decided to hold off voting until today's full meeting, setting the stage for a potential open primary. Kaegi's outspoken challengers include Board of Review officials Dana Pointer and Timnetra Burruss, who accuse him of botching assessments and burdening property owners, and Lyons Township Assessor Patrick Hynes, who drew applause from some Democrats in the room before he pledged more accurate data collection. Thursday's other key moments: County Board President Toni Preckwinkle sailed through unopposed to secure the Democratic Party committee's recommendation for a fifth term. Maybe it helps that she also heads the committee. Preckwinkle still could be primaried by Chicago Ald. Brendan Reilly and former state Sen. Rickey Hendon, who attended Thursday's meeting. In the Board of Review contest, first-term Commissioner Samantha Steele failed to secure party endorsement and now faces a primary from candidates Liz Nicholson and Vincent Pace, who didn't get endorsed either. It was a thumbs up from the party for George Cardenas, who's running in a separate Board of Review race. Also getting endorsed: Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, Clerk Monica Gordon and Sheriff Tom Dart. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Giannoulias is out with his reelection launch video. 'We've accomplished a significant amount in a short time,' he said in a statement about his two-and-a-half years in office. 'I intend to continue to modernize the office, create efficiencies and prioritize and fight for what's most important to Illinoisans.' Watch it here. Digging in deeper ... Cook County Democrats hold off endorsement decision for assessor, don't back Board of Review incumbent, by the Tribune's A.D. Quig and Rick Pearson Party mostly sticks with incumbents on primary slate — but Assessor Fritz Kaegi is in limbo, by the Sun-Times' Mitchell Armentrout THE BUZZ NEXT CHAPTER: After nearly a decade of steering Equality Illinois through landmark civil rights progress, Brian Johnson is pivoting from LGBTQ+ advocacy to addressing America's economic disparity. Imagine that: On Sept. 15, Johnson will launch the Reimagining Capitalism Lab, a research and policy hub incubated by the Chicago Federation of Labor's Workforce and Community Initiative. The goal is to confront 'inequality like we haven't seen in over a century,' Johnson said during a Playbook interview Thursday night at the Hideout. 'If you care about working families, immigrants, queer folks, the environment — none of that gets better without economic justice,' Johnson said. 'We're seeing skyrocketing inequality, and with that comes crumbling trust in institutions, lower voter turnout and less faith in democracy itself.' He wrote the book: Johnson, who also authored 'Our Fair Share' in 2021, has long connected economic inequity to broader social struggles. The new initiative is rooted in the belief that rebuilding faith in democracy starts with fixing the imbalance of wealth and opportunity. In other words, more people will vote if they trust the system to help them. Sounds familiar: Johnson plans to apply the same grassroots organizing efforts he brought to Equality Illinois to the new Reimagining Capitalism Lab. Its four-part structure includes statewide community listening sessions, targeted interviews with civic and business leaders, deep-dive policy research and leadership education. 'This isn't just about theory — it's about translating lived experiences into bold, actionable ideas,' Johnson said, adding he'll take listening sessions to homes, classrooms and churches. He cites stark stats: While CEOs earned 20 to 30 times more than their lowest-paid employees in the 1960s, today that ratio is closer to 400-to-1, Johnson said. And the top 1 percent of earners now hold more than double the wealth of the bottom 90 percent. 'That flip in wealth distribution is fueling disillusionment — and it's unsustainable,' he said. If you are Tom Dart, Playbook would like to hear from you! Email: skapos@ WHERE'S JB No official public events WHERE's BRANDON At Chicago and Lorel avenues at 4 p.m. to attend the Take Back the Block activation Where's Toni At IBEW local headquarters at 9 a.m. for slating Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, new job or a (gasp!) complaint? Email skapos@ BUSINESS OF POLITICS — State Sen. Donald DeWitte, a Republican from St. Charles, announced Thursday that he won't seek reelection. 'This has not been an easy decision,' DeWitte said in a statement. 'Serving the people of the 33rd Senate District and previously as the mayor of St. Charles have been among the greatest honors of my life.' DeWitte is the minority spokesman for the powerful Senate Revenue and Senate Transportation committees. When he wraps up his term, he will have been in office 35 years. — State Rep. Bob Morgan is running for reelection in his suburban 58th District: 'I know that if we all head towards a better future where we invest in our schools, build the economy that works for working people, and protect equality under the law, we will extinguish the flames of hate, division, and violence,' Morgan, a Democrat, said in announcing his reelection bid. — Endorsements: Adam Braun, who's running for the open 13th District state representative seat, has been endorsed by Atty Gen. Kwame Raoul and former Ald. and community leader Ameya Pawar, according to Braun's campaign. He's running for the seat now held by state Rep. Hoan Huynh, who's running for Congress. — Diana García, who's running for the Democratic committeeperson position now held by Cicero's Larry Dominick, has been endorsed by former Congressman Luis Gutierrez. THE STATEWIDES — Leaders say they have a plan for downtown Springfield, business owners say it's not enough, by the State Journal-Register's Claire Grant — 23 Central Illinois nursing homes, care facilities fined by IDPH, by WCIA's Bradley Zimmerman CHICAGO — City Council members pushing to legalize video gambling — at Chicago airports or even citywide: 'Mayor Brandon Johnson's administration has argued the potential jackpot from lifting the Chicago ban on video gambling would be so meager that it's not worth pursuing,' by the Sun-Times' Fran Spielman. — City Inspector General Deborah Witzburg to leave post after one term: 'She made the announcement days after the city amended its ethics ordinance to ensure the 'independence and effectiveness of the investigative work' done by her office,' by WTTW's Matt Masterson. — Mayor Brandon Johnson talks affordable housing, funding CPS, transportation, via WBEZ's The Reset — ANALYSIS | City Council upheld the mayor's 'snap' curfew veto: Had the measure been approved, it 'would have been inconsistent with the powers granted to top cops in other large U.S. cities,' by the BGA's Sophia Van Pelt. — Retiring Walter Burnett says his 'son of the 27th Ward' has earned the right to take his City Council seat, by the Sun-Times' Fran Spielman — Chicago arts organizations press on despite 'gut punch' federal cuts, by the Tribune's Tess Kenny TAKING NAMES — Sarah Kerley, statewide chief administrative officer with the Illinois Department of Central Management Services, has been awarded the 2025 Eugene H. Rooney Jr. Award for Leadership in State Human Resource Management by the National Association of State Personnel Executives. — Jim Oberweis, the former Illinois lawmaker who is now running for Congress in Florida, is beefing up his campaign with cash. SPOTTED — Roseanna Ander and her partner, Greg Sonbuchner, hosted a dinner party at their Gold Coast home Wednesday to celebrate the fifth cohort of the University of Chicago's Policing Leadership Academy. Ander is helping lead the charge of the academy in her role as founding executive director of the U. of C. Chicago Crime Lab along with her colleague Meredith Stricker who is the executive director of the academy. Like the crime lab, the academy is working to reduce gun violence by improving police leadership in neighborhoods with high homicide rates. Attendees included World Business Chicago CEO Phil Clement, Clayco Chief Growth Officer Michael Fassnacht, the Pritzker Pucker Foundation's Julie Rubins Wilen, former Chicago Police Superintendent Charlie Beck, ATF Special Agent Chris Amon, real estate developer Jeff Shapack, nonprofit leader Lisa Wiersma, Cook County Sheriff's Office Director Roe Conn and restaurateur RJ Melman, who has donated meals to participants of the academy. Reader Digest We asked which politicians' comments you'd like to see in a group chat text chain. Christopher Deutsch: 'Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump. Oh wait, been there, done that.' Nick Daggers: 'I'd like to see Rahm's texts with anyone, but I'd be worried if Siri read them aloud while my kids were in the car.' Ashvin Lad: 'Rahm Emanuel and JB Pritzker.' NEXT QUESTION: If a Marvel superhero ran for office, who would be the best president? THE NATIONAL TAKE — Trump will sue the WSJ, directs Bondi to unseal Epstein material, by POLITICO's Irie Sentner — Getting up to speed on the Trump, Epstein, WSJ drama, by national Playbook's Adam Wren and Dasha Burns — ICE will get access to Medicaid enrollees' personal information to identify people it believes are in the country unlawfully, via NBC News — CBS cancels Stephen Colbert's show days after Trump settlement criticism, by POLITICO's Yurii Stasiuk — RFK Jr. wants artificial dyes out — but Chicago candy makers aren't biting, by Judith Crown for Crain's TRANSITIONS — Sam A. Harton has been promoted to senior attorney at Romanucci & Blandin, a national personal injury firm primarily based in Chicago. — Michael Owen is now senior counsel in Dykema law firm's corporate finance group in Chicago. He was a partner at Gozdecki Del Giudice. EVENTS — Tonight: A joint fundraiser will benefit Republicans Jennifer Davis, who's running for the open IL-08 seat, and Gabriella Hoxie, who's running for Cook County Commission in the 15th District. Details here — Tuesday: Democratic state Rep. Kim du Buclet will be feted at a fundraiser. Details here TRIVIA THURSDAY's ANSWER: The Chicago Board of Health was created in response to a cholera epidemic when Chicago became a mustering point for troops during the Black Hawk War. TODAY's QUESTION: What was the first professional sports team to play a game in Illinois? Email skapos@ HAPPY BIRTHDAY Today: SEIU Healthcare VP Myra Glassman, K&L Gates associate Berto Aguayo, IIT comms director Howard J. Lee and CRL Strategies Principal Consultant Christie Lacey Saturday: Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, Cook County Judge Fredrick Bates, former U.S. Attorney Ron Safer, lieutenant governor's chief strategist Charles Watkins, Advocate Aurora Health Government Relations VP Crystal Olsen and Illinois Channel Executive Director Terry Martin Sunday: Jeffries exec and former Deputy Gov. Dan Hynes, AIPAC regional director David Fox, UIC sociology professor Barbara Risman and Illinois Optometric Association CEO Leigh Ann Vanausdoll -30-
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Cook County Democrats hold off endorsement decision for county assessor, don't back Board of Review incumbent
Cook County Democrats punted Thursday on endorsing anyone for Cook County assessor, putting two-term incumbent Fritz Kaegi at risk of an open primary fight as he vies for a third term. The lack of an endorsement is the latest twist in the complex relationship between Kaegi and county Democrats. Eight years ago, Kaegi defeated incumbent Assessor and then-Cook County Democratic Party Chairman Joe Berrios in the Democratic primary race for assessor. Kaegi went on to win the 2018 general election and was subsequently endorsed by the party four years ago. But during a closed-door executive session of party higher-ups Thursday at the IBEW Local 134 meeting hall in Bronzeville, Black members of a party committee united to oppose a recommendation that the full county party organization endorse Kaegi when it convenes Friday. Caucus members were split on which of Kaegi's two primary challengers to support. Several other committee members voted 'present' on a Kaegi endorsement recommendation, bringing him short of the threshold needed to win the endorsement of the countywide slating committee. Instead, the full party will vote on that endorsement Friday. The Kaegi drama highlighted the first day of the party's slating sessions. The Democratic Party's endorsement carries less heft than in decades past, but still gives lesser-known candidates a leg up, providing help with petition signing, campaigning, and inclusion on countywide mailers heading into the March 17, 2026 primary. Candidates at slating make a brief presentation and take questions from fellow committee members from the city's wards and suburban townships. During the first session day, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle — who now chairs the party — avoided a direct faceoff with potential challengers 42nd Ward Ald. Brendan Reilly and former state Sen. Rickey 'Hollywood' Hendon. Reilly hasn't formally announced a run against Preckwinkle for County Board president as he is also considering a mayoral run. But Reilly attended the event as the party committeeman for his downtown ward. He planned to appeal to fellow Democrats for an open primary, but told the Tribune he was not allowed to speak during the early morning presentations or during a closed session because he was not a member of the countywide slating committee. Hendon said he was not allowed to present because he did not submit his resume early enough. That left Preckwinkle as the sole candidate and resulted in her winning the committee's endorsement. That decision must also be affirmed Friday. First elected board president in 2010, Preckwinkle, 78, sought to tamp down rumors she planned to end what would be her fifth term early and hand over the reins to a political ally. 'I look forward to being reelected and I will serve the entire term,' she pledged. During a brief presentation, she said she would defend the county's ordinance welcoming immigrants and fight for continued access to health care for county residents despite federal attacks on immigrant issues and health care funding. She won praise from allies such as state Sen. Rob Martwick, who credited Preckwinkle for her work in stabilizing the county's pensions and budget. 'All these issues we care about don't matter if we can't afford to pay for them,' he said. During his pitch to party leaders, Kaegi of Oak Park highlighted his advocacy for creating new incentives for affordable housing construction, his work to automatically renew a program that freezes property values for some seniors, and his 'circuit breaker' legislation designed to help low-income homeowners pay for big hikes in their property tax bills. 'When we work together, we can solve big problems,' he told committee members. 'Let's keep going.' Kaegi's personal wealth and ability to self-fund his candidacy represent a major challenge for his opponents, who are largely political unknowns. Kaegi ended the most recent quarter with $1.3 million in the bank. Since 2017, he has loaned himself roughly $5.4 million, including $750,000 earlier this year, according to the State Board of Elections. Any eventual challenger, however, is likely to attract contributions from the business community and commercial real estate interests, both of which have disagreed with Kaegi's methods in running the office. Two Democratic challengers who work at the Cook County Board of Review — which hears appeals to Kaegi's assessments — are so far trailing behind on fundraising and have yet to rally enough committeemen to win an endorsement, either. Timnetra Burruss, the Board of Review's main administrator, ended the quarter with $51,610 on hand, according to campaign records, $50,000 of which came from state Sen. Napoleon Harris, who represents voter-heavy Thornton Township. Dana Pointer, who serves as an outreach coordinator for Board of Review commissioner and constant Kaegi critic Larry Rogers, received a $50,000 loan from Rogers. Burruss, who previously worked for Rogers, told committee members she entered the race after becoming 'frustrated' by rising assessments that did not mirror market values, plus 'thousands upon thousands of errors and general disregard about impact on property owners.' She said she would support creating a new exemption for historically disinvested communities in federal opportunity zones and make it easier for property owners to sign up for other exemptions. Pointer blasted Kaegi's 'mismanagement and lack of transparency,' which she said contributed to this year's late property tax bills, as well as property assessment adjustments Kaegi's office made following the COVID-19 pandemic. The 'apartment loophole' Kaegi's office closed last year, which hiked assessments for certain business properties, wiped out 'some families' generational wealth,' she added. His 'continued use of propaganda to pit homeowners against business owners needs to stop,' Pointer said. Patrick Hynes, the current Lyons Township assessor, said he had 'fought tenaciously for fairness' in his corner of the suburbs after auditing current records and finding several properties missing from the property tax rolls. The Tribune and the Illinois Answers Project detailed some of those problems last year, finding the assessor's office had missed at least $444 million of assessed property value by misclassifying and undervaluing properties, primarily due to its failure to account for new construction and significant property improvements. 'I restored fairness and I will do the same for Cook County,' Hynes said, pledging to begin capturing more data to better reflect homes' true value. First-term Board of Review Commissioner Samantha Steele also failed to earn the party's endorsement as she runs for a second term. County Democrats opted not to back any candidates in her race for one of the seats on the three-member panel. County Democrats did endorse the other Board of Review commissioner running next year, George Cardenas. Steele, who until recently served on Lake County, Indiana's, property tax appeals board and runs a property valuation consulting business with government clients in Indiana, has been dogged by several controversies in recent months. On Monday, the county's inspector general cited an unnamed Board of Review commissioner for not properly disclosing outside work. The details of the case match Steele, whose annual economic reports did not disclose details about government contracts through her private business, the Leonor Group. Her annual economic interest statements mentioned she owned the firm but not which units of government she worked for, a failing the IG's office said equated to a breach of her fiduciary duty to the county. She's also been fined by the county's ethics board, and she's still fighting a DUI charge from last year. Steele has called the ethics fines 'unfair.' In a statement to the Tribune, she said she was 'singled out' for releasing confidential information about the valuation battle for the Arlington Heights property now owned by the Chicago Bears, arguing it was 'the public's right to know' about information that was already discussed aloud in a public hearing. Steele, who raised just $26,375 last quarter and has only $27,000 on hand in her campaign fund, had publicly considered running against Kaegi for assessor. But last week she dropped out of the race and said she wanted to focus on her board work. One of her opponents, Liz Nicholson, has a background in public relations, fundraising and advising nonprofits. Northfield Township Trustee Vincent Pace, who has worked in real estate investment and finance, also presented to the Democrats seeking the endorsement. Steele gave a brief presentation Thursday, but no committee members asked questions — a troubling sign given that the question period typically features supporters singing the praises of their candidates. No one presented to challenge incumbents Maria Pappas for another term as county treasurer, Monica Gordon for county clerk or Tom Dart for sheriff. All received the committee's recommendations for endorsement. Clad in a pink sweater that read 'All this and brains too,' Pappas highlighted successful efforts to sign up taxpayers for exemptions they were owed and her office's studies of major property tax issues. 'I don't think anybody's running against me, but if they are, I love a good fight,' she said. The party reconvenes Friday morning to hear from statewide candidates, including for U.S. Senate and comptroller, an opening that arose following incumbent Susana Mendoza's announcement that she would not run for reelection. A new name surfaced for the comptroller's post Thursday: State Sen. Karina Villa, a Latina who was born and raised in West Chicago. A former vice president of the local school board who has a master's degree in social work from Aurora University, Villa was elected to the Illinois House in 2018 and to the state Senate two years later. Villa is scheduled to present her credentials for comptroller to slatemakers Friday, along with state Rep. Margaret Croke of Chicago and Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim. Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
13-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Cook County property tax bills delayed after data error, officials say
Your Cook County property tax bill could be delayed after a data error at the Cook County Assessor's Office is holding up a key step in the process. Assessor Fritz Kaegi blamed Tyler Technologies, the contractor in charge of updating the data systems across the county's property tax offices for the issue. "The Cook County Assessor's Office does not determine when tax bills go out. For the past six months, the Assessor's Office has been sounding the alarm on this issue with all the people involved in the transition off of the legacy mainframe," Kaegi's office said in a statement. "It is not an easy process to retire this antiquated system, and it is imperative that all of the data transferred to the new system is correct. We have made repeated requests from the vendor, Tyler Technologies, to change these specific IDOR reports to ensure that they are wholly accurate." But Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said the problem originated during the assessor's portion of the process, in which "data was not transmitted to the state in a timely manner." Preckwinkle's statement continued to say that her office is now in communication with the Assessor's Office as they work through the delay. "With this issue now on the radar of the Property Tax Reform Group, we can collaborate to help ensure that tax bills go out as soon as possible," Preckwinkle wrote. It was not immediately clear how delayed property tax bills would be in reaching homeowners.
Chicago Tribune
05-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Appeals system raised property tax bills for Cook County homeowners, report says
Cook County's property tax appeal process shifted $1.91 billion in taxes from businesses onto homeowners over the last three years, exacerbating inequities in the city and suburbs, a new report found. Homeowners' bills grew by a total of about 7% over that span as a result of the shift, according to the latest report from the Cook County treasurer's office, the first to calculate how much shifting burdens have cost on property tax bills. Those increases fell more on lower-income Black and Latino taxpayers, the report found. The report does not draw conclusions about whether those appeals were correct, but does show 'that the county's assessment appeal system works far more to the advantage of business property owners than homeowners, and at the same time favors wealthier white homeowners over lower-income minority homeowners.' It looked at the impact of appeals at the county assessor's office and the three-member Board of Review during the 2021 and 2023 tax years. Though those years corresponded with much of the pandemic, its conclusions echoed similar findings from a Chicago Tribune and ProPublica investigation in 2017 about appeals' impact on assessments. Properties are reassessed every three years. Every year, owners have two chances to knock down their assessments via appeals before the value is finalized: once at the assessor, next at the Board of Review. If they're dissatisfied with those results, they can take their case to the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board or to circuit court. Owners of businesses have historically been far more likely to appeal. In the span of the study, nearly 64% of commercial building owners appealed, representing more than $100 billion in value. More than 46% of all businesses were 'serial' filers, appealing every year, according to the report. Business appeals 'were particularly successful' in the period of the study, the report found, lowering 'their taxes through appeals by a total of 12.5%,' or about $3.3 billion. Owners that didn't appeal wound up paying for it: Any reduction in assessed value for one property owner shifts the burden onto others. Successful appeals for valuable commercial buildings have a much bigger impact and shift millions in tax burden onto homeowners and other businesses. While overall 27% of homeowners appealed, the study found 'wide variations' in which homeowners filed their own appeals. Just 3.4% of homeowners in West Englewood, a majority-Black and low-income neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, disputed their assessment during 2021 city cycle, while nearly all Loop homeowners — 96% — did so. That could be because assessments dropped in Englewood and went up in the Loop that year as Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi rejiggered the office's methodology. In the suburbs, just 22% of south suburban homeowners appealed during that reassessment year, compared with 60% of those in the north suburbs. Homeowners and businesses in lower-income areas were 'hit the hardest,' the study found. 'Homeowners in those neighborhoods were less likely to appeal, less likely to win and, when they did win, received lower overall dollar reductions in their homes' assessed values,' the report said. Appeals led to bills increasing by about 5% for homeowners 'in high-income areas and about 10% in low-income areas, most of which had predominantly minority populations.' The assessor's office said a major reason for appeal rate disparities by neighborhood could be that median bills in wealthier neighborhoods are much higher. In some Chicago neighborhoods, the treasurer highlighted particularly sharp hikes where residents could least afford it. The South Deering neighborhood, which is majority Black and has a median household income below $35,000, saw overall tax bills go up 24.3% following appeals during the 2021 Chicago cycle. So did the majority-Latino Gage Park neighborhood, where median household income is about $50,000. It saw bills go up by 23% that year after appeals. But while all property owners have the right to appeal, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas said the answer isn't necessarily for everyone to do so. Rather, the assessor's office and Board of Review need to get on the same page about their data and methodologies so owners trust the assessments in the first place and so reductions for businesses aren't as dramatic, she said. Both offices pledged to do just that in December, after a county report concluded decades of communication failures had helped fuel gaps in how each office approached assessments. That study, commissioned by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, found suburban businesses were assessed too low compared with their actual sale prices and that appeals to the Board of Review made assessments less accurate. It also found Kaegi initially assessed Chicago commercial properties too high in 2021. But the political reality of reaching consensus is thorny. Board of Review Commissioner Samantha Steele and two board employees with ties to Commissioner Larry Rogers Jr. are running to replace Kaegi in the March primary. Steele and Rogers, meanwhile, are also rivals. 'These two offices are in a war zone, and if they don't stop their war zone, this is going to go on,' Pappas said. 'Can we get to the middle to get to a solution that doesn't hurt people?' Assessments for commercial buildings have been a hot button issue since Kaegi took office. The previous Tribune investigation found high-end downtown businesses had been under-assessed. For thousands of those properties, the investigation found, their assessment did not change 'even by a single dollar,' while for others, their assessments were 'so riddled with errors that they created deep inequities.' Kaegi pledged to fix those issues. The first commercial assessments he mailed were 82.5% higher in the north suburbs in 2019, 55.6% higher in the south suburbs the following year, and up 76.5% in Chicago in 2021. Business owners, believing Kaegi overcorrected, filed appeals, and the county's Board of Review, which disagreed with Kaegi's methodology, often granted reductions. Kaegi's office, in a statement, said the latest report backs up its long-held contention that 'outsized reductions' granted by the Board of Review to big commercial appellants are what is driving the shift. 'By comparison, the tax bill changes due to differences in residential appeal rates are relatively minor. We don't believe the problem of property tax unfairness is solved by pitting homeowners against each other, distracting us from the much more consequential inequities at play,' the statement continued, noting that independent analyses found Kaegi's assessments are more accurate than past years. Rogers, the chairman of the three-member Board of Review, said the assessor's 'flawed valuations' are to blame. 'The buck starts and stops with Fritz Kaegi.' Pappas' study suggests if the two offices standardized their data, they might grant smaller business breaks and reduce the massive shifts from the appeals process. The two previously promised to work together, and she said she hoped the report would help 'nudge' them to collaborate. Until then, the report said low-income homeowners should also be given tools to help appeal their assessments. Kaegi's office, the statement said, participated in more than 200 outreach events for homeowners to help with appeals and exemptions last year.
Chicago Tribune
16-03-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Alex Nitkin
Following a Tribune-Illinois Answers Project report, Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi's office is fixing hundreds of properties it misclassified.
