Ethics board fines Assessor Berrios $10,000
Tuesday, Jun 26, 2012 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Sun-Times obtained a Cook County Board of Ethics report that blasts Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios for showing a “knowing and flagrant disregard of both the letter and spirit of the ethical standards that all public officials are required to adhere to” for hiring his sister and his son. The board fined Berrios, who is also the Cook County Democratic Party Chairman, $10,000. The full report is here. AP’s summary…
The Cook County ethics board has ordered the county’s assessor to fire two of the three relatives who work in the government tax office.
Joe Berrios was elected in 2010 to run the office. The Chicago Sun-Times reports the ethics board determined Berrios violated his fiduciary duties as well as a prohibition on hiring relatives laid out in the county’s ethics ordinance.
The Sun-Times reports it obtained a “confidential” document with the ethics board’s finding. The report, signed by ethics board chairwoman Roseann Oliver, concluded the hiring by Berrios of his family members as county employees undermined the public trust.
* But, according to the Sun-Times, Berrios is unrepentant…
Berrios, learned about the report when the Sun-Times contacted him Monday. He shrugged it off saying the ethics board doesn’t have jurisdiction over his office.
“To me it’s not big deal, because I’ve been told by the state’s attorney they have no power over us,” Berrios said, adding: “In fact the state’s attorney hired outside counsel for me in this case.”
Asked whether he’s going to consider removing his relatives from the payroll, Berrios said: “I’m not going to do anything until my attorney tells me what the hell I should do.”
He said his relatives work 40 hours a week and were “instrumental” in helping the county get second installment tax bills, set to arrive in property owners’ mailboxes in the coming days, out on time — the first time in 30-plus years. The assessor sets the value of real estate for taxing purposes.
“I expect more out of them than anybody who works for me.”
He says his relatives are more than qualified to do the job, noting that they worked for him when he was at the county’s tax appeals Board of Review and the ethics board didn’t come after him then. He also notes that he didn’t technically “hire” his relatives, but instead “transferred” them to his office.
Berrios adamantly denies he’s an old-school politician stacking the payroll with friends and family.
“If I was an old school politician, I would have picked up the phone, had someone else hire them and I wouldn’t even be answering these questions,” Berrios said.
* This is from January…
Berrios insists he cleared things with human resources officials and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office, and says that while some job titles may have changed, the jobs did not
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 9:12 am:
===“If I was an old school politician, …”===
IF? … IF? ….IF??????
“Bathhouse” John Coughlin thinks Berrios is a new wave, but I dunno who else does …
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 9:13 am:
Sorry, that was me above … full disclosure
- Lincoln Parker - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 9:18 am:
===“In fact the state’s attorney hired outside counsel for me in this case.”===
Great, so we spent even more money defending his hiring of his relatives.
- Crime Fighter (fka Honestly) - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 9:18 am:
“In fact the state’s attorney hired outside counsel for me in this case.” - Another example of taxpayers subsidizing official misconduct. Plea to SA Alvarez and AG Madigan: Please find a way to; 1) stop supporting wrongdoing and 2) fight against it.
- MrJM - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 9:21 am:
A $10,000 fine is the penalty for getting your immediate family $134,000 in jobs?
That’s quite a stick you’ve got there, Ethics Board.
– MrJM
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 9:21 am:
–“If I was an old school politician, I would have picked up the phone, had someone else hire them and I wouldn’t even be answering these questions,” Berrios said.–
There’s something perversely true about that, for what it’s worth.
Still, who knew there was a Cook County Ethics Board that issued reports, levied fines and called for firings? I missed that somehow over the years.
- Bigtwich - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 9:28 am:
=“Bathhouse” John Coughlin thinks Berrios is a new wave, but I dunno who else does …=
Michael “Hinky Dink” Kenna.
- Ravenswood Right Winger - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 9:30 am:
I am stunned to learn that the Cook County Board of Ethics even exists.
- J - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 9:35 am:
No one who endorsed/voted for Berrios this past cycle gets to be outraged about this.
- BigDoggie - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 9:37 am:
In most states, this type of blatantly defiant behavior by a public official would be considered shocking and scandalous. In Illinois, it’s the norm. We’re the worst state in the country financially for a reason. Unfortunately the voters here (particularly the ones in Crook County) can’t figure out a way to undo the deep mess we’re in and the criminal pols continue to take advantage of all of us. Wash, rinse, repeat.
- Because I say so... - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 9:40 am:
=No one who endorsed/voted for Berrios this past cycle gets to be outraged about this.=
Thanks for letting me off the hook but they are still wasting my tax dollars on this guy.
- Except that - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 9:57 am:
The voters did elect him. We are to blame.
- Bill - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 9:57 am:
I’m sure that Joe’s relatives do a great job. Why should the taxpayers be deprived of their talents because they happen to be related to him? They were both county employees already with excellent work records and merely transferred. What’s the big deaal?
- Shore - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 10:06 am:
Democrats can use “right wing conservatives” to scare moderate suburban voters away from voting for republicans but springfield republicans can’t use stuff like this to get suburban moderates who value things like competent government to dump democrats.
- Bill - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 10:09 am:
Suburban moderates vote for democrats because they value competent government.
- Robert - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 10:14 am:
==Berrios insists he cleared things with human resources officials and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office==
Really, Anita Alvarez?
- Chris - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 10:56 am:
“No one who endorsed/voted for Berrios this past cycle gets to be outraged about this. ”
And those who didn’t vote for him get … what?
Also, need to add “anyone who voted for Alvarez” to the list of those who don’t get to complain.
- Just Observing - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 11:12 am:
@Bill…. it looks like you’ve been studying your talking points… good boy.
- mark walker - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 11:40 am:
Hmm. Action taken against the Chairman of the Cook County Democrats.
My guess is that Toni P. told the Cook County Ethics Board to do their jobs, just like she’s told everyone else in County government.
Maybe the times they are a changin’.
And to those in the suburbs looking down at Chicago politicians, we’ve got similar problems all around us, regardless of party.
- reformer - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 12:13 pm:
A quick reminder: Berrios was elected county assessor in 2010 with 48% of the vote because he had two opponents — a strong independent (Forest Claypool) who got all the newspaper endorsements, and a hapless GOP spoiler, who siphoned off 17.6% of the vote.
- Anon - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 12:14 pm:
==My guess is that Toni P. told the Cook County Ethics Board to do their jobs, just like she’s told everyone else in County government. Maybe the times they are a changin’.==
Look at who Toni P’s been endorsing. The whole Berrios family…
- springfieldwatcher - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 12:23 pm:
And the beat goes on, and on and on
- amalia - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 12:38 pm:
what is chutzpah in Spanish?
- Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 12:53 pm:
Amelia, ” cojones” doesn’t mean chutzpah, but it will do in a pinch.
- Just Observing - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 1:02 pm:
=== Amelia, ” cojones” doesn’t mean chutzpah, but it will do in a pinch. ===
Ha, I had the same thought.
- amalia - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 1:13 pm:
hmmm, yes, but I’m thinking that the new term for chutzpah in Spanish should be berrios.
- Anonymice - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 1:25 pm:
The phrase your looking for is “sin verguenza.”
- amalia - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 2:12 pm:
@anonymice, m.g.! plus from the google I find it’s also a tv show, a true guilty pleasure.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 4:04 pm:
@Reformer -
My bet is:
1) Most of those 17.6% who voted Republican would not have voted for Claypool in a two-way race against Berrios;
2) If Berrios had a serious race, he would have found another 2 percent of the vote;
3) Organized labor will do anything to prevent Claypool from holding elected office in Cook County again;
4) If you can’t win the Democratic primary, you shouldn’t bother running countywide in Cook. The opposite still holds true in DuPage, I believe.
- Jake From Elwood - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 4:05 pm:
Just how does the Cook County Ethics Ordinance exclude the Cook County Assessor? Methinks all elected officials are covered under the county ordinance. I doubt there is an exception in this case. He may have a challenge against the enforcement mechanism but not the scope of the ordinance.
- Boone Logan Square - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 4:20 pm:
“Cook County Ethics Board” would be a good name for a local improv troupe. I had no idea such an entity existed.
- Frank - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 4:23 pm:
===Just how does the Cook County Ethics Ordinance exclude the Cook County Assessor? Methinks all elected officials are covered under the county ordinance. I doubt there is an exception in this case. He may have a challenge against the enforcement mechanism but not the scope of the ordinance.====
I assume that when it comes to hiring, the position that his sister and son were hired for are exempt from the County equivalent of Shakman and therefore not subject to the County Ethics Ordinance.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 4:32 pm:
Having read the Ethics Ordniance, I have to agree with Berrios.
The Ethics Board may recommend action to the Cook County Assessor’s Office, but they have no jurisdiction over that office.
Berrios has 30 days to respond.
Which makes sense if you think about it, since they are appointed by the Cook County Board/President.
BTW, whomever leaked that report violated the Ethics Board’s confidentiality provisions. They need to investigate themselves.
- Jake From Elwood - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 5:27 pm:
YDD, if you are correct than I guess it is no surprise to this veteran observer that Cook County would adopt an ethics ordinance and then exempt folks from it. Typical.
- ChicagoDem - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 6:44 pm:
Like all Chicago machine hacks; the man has no shame!
- reformer - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 10:54 pm:
YDD
== 1) Most of those 17.6% who voted Republican would not have voted for Claypool in a two-way race against Berrios ==
If hardcore Republicans didn’t have a Republican to vote for, would they have preferred the county chairman of the Democrat Party over his leading critic? I doubt it.