* Sun-Times…
Gov. Bruce Rauner should look in the mirror before demanding the resignation of Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios for presiding over a corrupt and failing property tax system, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Tuesday.
“My basic point to Gov. Rauner [is], you’ve never passed a budget, let alone submitted one, that’s ever been balanced in three years. Don’t be throwing stones. … People in glass houses shouldn’t be throwing stones,” the mayor said while standing in front of a mountain of salt at Grand and Rockwell to highlight the city’s winter preparedness.
“Second, the voters decide whether somebody should stay or go. That’s what elections are about.”
* But it’s not just Rauner…
Prizker’s Dem rival, Chris Kennedy, has already called for Berrios to resign, blasting Pritzker in the process.
“J.B. has been a tax cheat as well,” Kennedy said. “You look at what he did on Astor Street. If that’s not tax cheating, I don’t know what is.”
Prizker managed to wrangle a nearly $250,000 tax break from Berrios’ office by leaving his Astor Street Gold Coast mansion in disrepair.
…Adding… Twitters…
- PJ - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 3:54 pm:
Rahm’s deft political touch. “Don’t worry about our corrupt assessor, because we also have a crappy governor”.
Hard to imagine why his approval ratings have tanked.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 3:59 pm:
– “If that’s not tax cheating, I don’t know what is.”–
Pritzker would have been wise to pull a Sgt. Schultz, thrown his money managers under the bus and wrote fat checks to the impacted taxing bodies to try and get this issue behind him.
Too late now. It ain’t going away and it will continue to sting.
- Say What? - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 4:02 pm:
It is more than a case of leaving the house in disrepair. If the reports are accurate, Pritzker actually had the plumbing fixtures disconnected so the second home would receive a lower rate due to its being unfit for occupation.
- SSL - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 4:05 pm:
The good news for Pritzker is everybody is taking shots at him, which means he is the one they are all afraid of.
The bad news is his past actions paint an unbecoming portrait. Are we supposed to believe what he says, or what he’s actually done.
Actions speak louder than words JB.
- toilets - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 4:05 pm:
If the tax cheat label sticks, it will hurt badly. Given the facts, it could stick.
- Puddintaine - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 4:09 pm:
When a Kennedy says that You Have Arrived!
- Sue - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 4:12 pm:
This coming from a guy who sat on the tapes, settled a case for 5 million in tax payer dollars to assure his re-election essentially stealing from the public instead of using campaign funds. Rahm is a low life scoundrel do who cares what he says
- ughhh - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 4:13 pm:
JB needs a guy in a toilet costume following him at events…
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 4:15 pm:
Wolf Point. Wolf Point. Wolf Point.
- Amalia - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 4:18 pm:
“….toilet costume….” mopping my drink up from the desk as I just tipped it over. hilarious.
- Arsenal - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 4:21 pm:
==“….toilet costume….” mopping my drink up from the desk as I just tipped it over. hilarious.==
It’s been suggested on here without execution from any of the rival campaigns so many times that I assume there must be a reason they’re all taking a pass on it (probably because they all got their little sweetheart deals from Cook County government).
- Chicagonk - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 4:22 pm:
Not so sure that throwing stones in glass houses is such a bad idea in Cook County. Berrios just might end up giving you a tax break if it ends up in “disrepair.”
- Arsenal - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 4:24 pm:
==Hard to imagine why his approval ratings have tanked.==
We just had a story last week about how they’ve recovered.
And frankly, this isn’t a bad explanation as to why. Turning the focus from an unpopular member of your party to an unpopular member of the opposition party.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 4:28 pm:
Maybe a call to “Joe the Plumber” is in order…
- It's time - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 4:33 pm:
Dear JB, you have been a gentleman and run a very classy campaign for the democratic nomination for Governor. Your opppnents Biss and Kennedy are partning with Rauner to throw mud and melign your good reputation. After months of waging a positive issue oriented campaign it is time to fight back. How about 14 million in ads exposing Biss and Kennedy for their shortcomings and failures!
- Pritzker Plumbers Inc. - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 4:38 pm:
These quotes from Kennedy and Biss will make great ads some day.
- A guy - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 4:40 pm:
When you’re that FLUSH with cash, why oh why?
The toilet, the gift that never stops (up) giving.
- Say What? - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 4:41 pm:
Or how about calling the plumber, reconnecting the plumbing and writing a check for back taxes to the County Treasurer based upon the amount you saved through chicanery? It is small change for you. The movie trailer for “All the Money in the World” had another wealthy cheapskate (J. Paul Getty) in it.
Don’t be that guy!
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 4:41 pm:
–How about 14 million in ads exposing Biss and Kennedy for their shortcomings and failures!–
Too early. Holidays and all.
- Lester Holt’s Mustache - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 4:49 pm:
Agree with Puddintaine, a Kennedy accusing someone else of being a tax cheat is pretty rich. Still, it’s hard not to feel a little sorry for the guy. This time last year he most likely considered himself to be the anointed D candidate that would slay the evil Rauner-dragon and save Illinois. Today he’s endorsing bagels and running a distant second (maybe even third behind Dan Biss).
I really did expect better from him. Even somewhat recently, after he gave that great speech on violence in Chicago’s south side, I thought he could really turn this thing around. Be a champion for the poor, both in Chicago and downstate rural areas - a populist Kennedy. We’ll probably never know how his campaign went so sideways unless someone writes a book a couple years down the road.
- Ron Burgundy - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 4:56 pm:
–JB needs a guy in a toilet costume following him at events…–
Johnny on the Spot
- Rabid - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 5:00 pm:
JB legally lowered his cook county property tax, and the voters across the state are up in arms for Chicago
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 5:38 pm:
It’s not cheating - it’s fraud.
What Kennedy is doing, is called desperation.
- Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 6:20 pm:
Old AA has trouble keeping things straight. Was it fraud, clerical error, Diana’s fault or what when The Rauners had several homeowners’ exemptions on houses and condos in Chicago and Winnetka?
- JmJ - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 7:53 pm:
If you are complaining you are losing
- Pot calling kettle - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 9:12 pm:
==The Rauners had several homeowners’ exemptions on houses and condos in Chicago and Winnetka?==
I was thinking the same thing. Rauner has a nice history of property tax dodging, claiming he lived one place so he could clout his kid into a certain school, etc. If he makes it past Ives, JB has plenty to fight back with.
Oh, the problems of the wealthy…
- Perrid - Tuesday, Dec 12, 17 @ 11:13 pm:
I just don’t get why people are so mad that pritzker made changes to the house to lower the value. He didn’t want to live there, he didn’t want to pay taxes as if he was living there when he wasn’t, and so made it “uninhabitable”. Would you be mad if he had demolished the house to lower the taxes?
- justAnothergal - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 3:37 am:
@Perrid - The fact that a billionaire went to so much trouble for what is little more chump change to him, says a lot about him and none of it is good.
- Rabid - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 5:57 am:
Fighting to lower your taxes is not good, you should stop making your kool-aid with the toilet water
- AndyIllini - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 8:16 am:
“I really thought he could turn this thing around”
I hate to spoil the ending, and I wish I shared your optimism, but this race is only about who is going to be the next governor. No one is going to turn the state around. Short of a federal bailout of the pensions (which we are nowhere near that being an option) this thing is unturnaroundable