53 Comments - Chris Widger - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 9:52 am: ==CBS 2 Political Reporter Derrick Blakley says Rauner did not, but the condo association for his Lakefront high-rise certainly did. Thus, Rauner benefited from the same system he has been known to call “corrupt,” by receiving hefty assessment reductions on his downtown penthouse.== “So, to be legit, every group that [appeals property taxes is assumed to have done so] unanimously? Odd.” - Say What? - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 9:52 am: It is fairly common for condo associations to appeal property tax assessments as a matter of routine. When the associations do so, all unit owners are included in the appeals. It would be a different story if Rauner did something by himself as outrageous as Pritzker did. Thus far, Rauner appears not to have done so. It is a real stretch to suggest that any property owner who ever appealed their assessments acted corruptly. Many appeals are necessary to correct “errors” by the inept Assessor or are based upon a “lack of uniformity” or a property being classed incorrectly. - West Side the Best Side - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 9:53 am: “Organges”? What can they be compared to? Glad I’m not the only one with a runaway computer. - cdog - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 9:54 am: Rauner has to go, but bad reporting like this isn’t going to help anyone on anything. The report is saying it is possible that Rauner passively benefited, but we are to believe he should be held responsible for actively taking the opportunity. That’s weird and not too smart. What’s that word for news that isn’t accurate…..? - Chris Widger - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 9:54 am: The present era has no monopoly on a lack of substance in political debate, but it is staggering how basically no one in the public sphere is willing to engage in any kind of “Do I agree with Pritzker/Rauner’s stance on [issue],” and instead we have to play this absurd game of whataboutism, aided and abetted by the fantastic resources of the Internet that ensures that for every stance anyone takes, there is some opposing action at some point in that person’s life. Let’s just have the election tomorrow. - West Side the Best Side - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 9:55 am: Rats! Headline corrected before comment posted. - Responsa - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 10:02 am: Toilet-gate will never get old. It is tangible and visual and simple and an apparent tax avoidance scam that voters can easily comprehend as something that regular people cannot and would not do. Searching for equivalency just highlights JB’s issue with this more. - Annonin' - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 10:05 am: GovJunk took the break so he used the same system. Apples and Apples How about a little check on his other gazillion cribs? - Fake Bruce Rauner- - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 10:15 am: Madagan - and my condo association he controls - JS Mill - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 10:16 am: =The report is saying it is possible that Rauner passively benefited, but we are to believe he should be held responsible for actively taking the opportunity.= He could have written the county a check that reflected the assessors valuation. He didn’t. Is it exactly the same? No, but the outcome is. Both guys took advantage of the system using their significant resources to pay less than they probably should have. No white knights here. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 10:25 am: Nothing, and I mean nothing, is beyond the limits of rauners scope of perfidy. Weak, lying, flaccid, incompetent - yes, I know, I’m bored with all the adjectives too. Even though they are sooo true. - DuPage Saint - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 10:28 am: The system is what the system is. Appealing your taxes is your right and is legal. Granted Berrios has gamed it and political attorneys reap money that flow into campaign donations so it is at least morally wrapped ng but still legal. Candidates for assor should say how they are going to make it equitable. Candidates for governor should say how they will reform property taxes and school funding state wide - @misterjayem - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 10:31 am: This piece is a worthwhile illustration of the box Rauner will find himself in during the general election: Rauner can’t run on his dismal record, but any mud-slinging about financial/tax schemes is likely to splash right back on him. So that just leaves Rauner’s increasingly tired and tiresome cry of “Because… MADIGAN” — and of late, that cry echoes back, “I’m not in charge.” – MrJM - Concerned Dem - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 10:31 am: I’ve been disappointed so far on how Team Pritzker has dealt (or not dealt) with this issue, but I struggle to think of what the “solution” to this issue is for them. Is it apologizing and cutting a check for the difference to the county? - Lucky Pierre Bot - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 10:39 am: There is a 1,000 mile chasm between a billionaire candidate for Governor, whose main message is that if the rich paid their fair share of taxes all of Illinois problems would be solved, removing toilets to save $230 K in property taxes on a spare mansion, from living in a building where the condo association, not the resident, appeals their assessment. Are all appeals corrupt? Quite a conundrum for Democrats to unwind. Only the usual suspects would see any equivalence. I can see why Biss won the straw poll. Even Democrats aren’t buying JB’s nonsense. - SSL - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 10:45 am: Comparing a condo association’s decision to appeal the assessment to JB’s actions of taking toilets out for the purpose of having the residence declared uninhabitable is laughable. Apples to oranges? More like apples to sledgehammers. I don’t think Rauner has been an effective governor, nor do I think he deserves a second term. But reporting such as this is ridiculous. - Arsenal - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 11:00 am: Not sure there’s very much to this story. If we want to dunk on Rauner for housing issues, let’s go back and talk about clouting his kid into Peyton Prep. - Arsenal - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 11:01 am: ==let’s go back and talk about clouting his kid into Peyton Prep= Although I guess Ives might not want to talk about that one much since the victims were Chicago public school kids. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 11:03 am: ===…let’s go back and talk about clouting his kid into Peyton Prep.=== If I recall correctly, the tax returns for Rauner listed the Winnetka address as the residence, wonder what the driver’s license had as the residence. I guess my question is… if there are any residences getting any tax breaks, which was the residence listed as the legal residence? - Anonymous - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 11:11 am: ==Searching for equivalency just highlights JB’s issue with this more.== OK, but it’s *Ives* who’s trying to drum this issue up. I mean, I’m sure JB ain’t shedding any tears that this story was published, but that just means that Rauner’s tax schemes are receiving bipartisan scrutiny. - Arsenal - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 11:11 am: Anon @ 11:11 was me. - Responsa - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 11:20 am: ==OK, but it’s *Ives* who’s trying to drum this issue up.== Oh. OK then. I didn’t realize CBS and Derrick Blakely are working for Ives now. - Jocko - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 11:27 am: Love the faux outrage by Bruce while “forgetting” his having taken out homestead exemptions on both Winnetka and Chicago…until he got caught. - Chris Widger - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 11:29 am: ==If we want to dunk on Rauner for housing issues, let’s go back and talk about clouting his kid into Peyton Prep.== That’s not how verbs work. Clout is a two-way street. It’s like saying that private investors ripped off the City by entering into a bad parking meter deal. Being angry at private citizen (at the time) Bruce Rauner due to the City allowing clout is absurd to the n-th degree. - Lucky Pierre Bot - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 11:34 am: Didn’t someone once say politicians will do anything for a campaign contribution? - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 11:36 am: ==Clout is a two-way street.=== So you admit Rauner did indeed clout his denied Winnetka-living daughter, as told by the Inspector General. That’s good to know. So, to these houses, condos, whatever… after clouding his daughter thru a Democrat who later served in Onama’s cabinet, what address was listed as the residence? Tax-wise, where was that homestead reduction taken while the denied, Winnetka-living (when applied) daughter attended Payton Prep. (Sigh) Derrick Blakely missed the lede, the story, the real intersect between property taxes, exemptions, and thd Payton Prep clouting. “How can the RaunerS take a homeowner exemption in Winnetka and have a daughter in a CPS school?” - Arsenal - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 11:38 am: ==I didn’t realize CBS and Derrick Blakely are working for Ives now.== They don’t work for JB, either. Point is, this post only shows one GOV candidate trying to blow this story up, and it ain’t JB. ==Being angry at private citizen (at the time) Bruce Rauner due to the City allowing clout is absurd to the n-th degree.== Well this is novel, though at least consistent with Rauner’s “I’m not in charge” attitude. But ultimately, unconvincing; just ’cause you can smell the meat a-cookin’ doesn’t mean you have to grab yourself a plate. - Arsenal - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 11:40 am: ==I didn’t realize CBS and Derrick Blakely are working for Ives now.== They don’t work for JB, either. - Arsenal - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 11:41 am: ==Being angry at private citizen (at the time) Bruce Rauner due to the City allowing clout is absurd to the n-th degree.== Well, that’s novel, though at least consistent with Rauner’s “I’m not in charge” passivity. But ultimately, not very convincing. Just ’cause you can smell the meat a-cookin’ doesn’t mean you have to grab yourself a plate. - Pritzker's Toilet - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 11:52 am: This is apples and toilets… Did Rauner’s condo association purposely do something to devalue the property, then appeal the taxes, or did they simply feel they were being assessed too high and asked for them to be lowered like millions of other people in our state? What JB did was basically fraud, or as Kennedy puts it, “tax cheating’ - Chris Widger - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 11:54 am: ==That’s good to know.== I don’ think you think that’s good to know - Cheryl44 - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 11:57 am: CPS didn’t kidnap the Rauner girl and force her to attend Payton. Bruce asked for a favor and got it. - Baggs McCoy - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 12:41 pm: Lets frame this in another light. Is an elected official not allowed due process in regard to their property taxes and the legal system in place to challenge erroneous property assessments? If that is the case then hang them all and tar and feather them. Rauner’s condo association went through the legal channels to appeal an erroneous assessment. Why shouldn’t he tax advantage of the legal review afforded him. Now it would be different if he went to Berrios and Berrios made what the Tribune calls a ‘Hand Check’ or in house assessment change. This is still not illegal but certainly lends credence to favoritism. As for JB he gamed the system to his advantage. Call him out on it. - cryptocurrency news youtube - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 12:45 pm: The blockchain isn’t only for Bitcoin transactions. http://www.cnjute.net/comment/html/?62679.html - Demoralized - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 12:46 pm: You really can’t beat the toilet story. Unless the Governor didn’t pay his at all there really isn’t anything that comes close - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 12:52 pm: ===You really can’t beat the toilet story. Unless the Governor didn’t pay his at all there really isn’t anything that comes close=== Hmm. I dunno. If Rauner claimed homeowner exemptions for the Winnetka house while claiming residence in Chicago so his daughter, who was denied admission then later clouted into Payton Prep, a CPS school… … where was the residence? If they claim a homeowner exemption in Winnetka, how can they’d child go to a CPS school, the homeowner resides in Winnetka. If they claim they lived in Chicago, how can they claim a homeowner exemption in Winnetka. That’s not their primary residence? Gaming two systems? CPS and Property Taxes? - sal-says - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 12:55 pm: == What’s that word for news that isn’t accurate…..? == Rauner? - Retired Educator - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 12:55 pm: Come on folks they used the system that is in place. If laws need to be changed then someone needs to deal with it. All of the folks on here who could save some money on their taxes by using the system would do so. I know these guys are rich, but that does not stop them from getting the benefits of existing laws. This is all much ado about nothing. If they did something worthy of prosecution, file the charged. If not lets move on to the next nonissue. - Baggs McCoy - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 12:58 pm: OW While I agree with you regarding the daughter and clouting and potential dual homestead exemptions, the Payton School issue is separate from the post at hand. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 1:07 pm: ===While I agree with you regarding the daughter and clouting and potential dual homestead exemptions, the Payton School issue is separate from the post at hand.=== Nope. Homeowner exemptions, tax breaks, claiming you live places, can’t live places (uninhabitable) See, if the discussion is on taxes and these breaks, it’s fair game to ask aloud… “Homeowner tax exemptions for the property you reside. How can you claim a homeowners’ exemption that you live in Winnetka, and have residence in Chicago, to qualify for CPS?” Isn’t the discussion about an uninhabitable mansion and toilets… Pritzker didn’t “live” there, so if we want to discuss tax breaks and timing and who got what… sounds like apples and apples… Did Rauner live in the Condo as the main residence? How did that work with the Winnetka mansion and filed property taxes? What was the main residence? - Baggs McCoy - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 1:14 pm: OW Point being that if he had taken two exemptions the public would have known about it. If that was the case then yes we can bring that into the discussion as he was not entitled to homestead exemptions on both properties. So absent a tie in to multiple exemptions your posts are about clouting only. Which I actually believe have merit. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 1:25 pm: ===Point being that if he had taken two exemptions the public would have known about it.=== “Point being”, they corrected the dual exemptions. “Point being” it wasn’t brought up again. ===If that was the case then yes we can bring that into the discussion as he was not entitled to homestead exemptions on both properties=== When you get your own blog, I’ll follow your rules. I commented as I did. I made a case. It was allowed to be seen. ===So absent a tie in to multiple exemptions your posts are about clouting only.=== Huh? The point of the second property and the tax break and the question to why have what House gets the exemption is… residency for CPS… and without the Payton Prep clouting, who cares where the property tax homeowner exemption is? It’s gaming two systems? The want for a homeowner exemption in Winnetka, but the residence according to CPS is Chicago? Hmm. - Baggs McCoy - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 1:46 pm: OW Just pointing out that this post was about gaming the system regarding property taxes. JB has his issue with the broken toilets. The second part of the post talks about whether Rauner is a hypocrite for calling out various candidates because his condo association won a reduction in his property taxes for him. The head line correctly asks if this is “Apples and Oranges”. You then want to bring up the clouting issue. I suggested while I believe the clouting issue is factual, it has nothing to do with property taxes. The clouting issue would be relevant if Rauner was claiming a property tax exemption in both spots. You are free to bring it up as I am free to call it “Apples and Banana’s” Respectfully - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 1:56 pm: ===Just pointing out that this post was about gaming the system regarding property taxes=== For another time… Rauner did claim multiple exemptions. Rauner corrected his “error” In correcting the error, is it gaming the system to claim a homeowners exemption outside the city, yet claim actual residence inside Chicago, only to get your denied daughter whom you clouted into Payton Prep a Chicago residence. Again, gaming the property tax system. Your residence is in Chicago, yet you claim a property exemption in Winnetka? You live in Winnetka, getting that homeowner exemption but have “residence” in Chicago to clout a child into CPS? Couple systems, one gaming? I’m done. I’ve explained it, you made your case. Good luck. - wordslinger - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 2:09 pm: I’ll gladly “passively” take a 38% reduction in my assessed valuation. Whatever that means. - cdog - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 2:18 pm: w, your comments towards my comments, daily, make me lol and feel like I have my own little stalker. Move on or say something interesting. /s - wordslinger - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 2:24 pm: –w, your comments towards my comments, daily, make me lol and feel like I have my own little stalker. —- Another victim heard from. There’s a lot of give and take here, if you’d care to read the comments. You’re nothing special. - cdog - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 2:33 pm: w, so do you have an opinion about a bs report like this that conflates what I, and others, think are two unrelated property tax events? - wordslinger - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 2:38 pm: –w, so do you have an opinion about a bs report like this that conflates what I, and others, think are two unrelated property tax events?– Yes. Read my previous comment. - Jocko - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 5:02 pm: My mistake, Rauner actually claimed THREE homeowner exemptions four consecutive years. Quite the oversight. http://bit.ly/2o0kKgt - Liliana - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 7:57 pm: The blockchain is not just for Bitcoin transactions. http://demo.bnsem.com/comment/html/?60503.html - Pritzker's Toilet - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 9:10 pm: –I’m done. I’ve explained it, you made your case.– the problem is that it had to be explained.. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 9:17 pm: ===the problem is that it had to be explained..=== No, I could get it in a :30 to :60 second spot. Wanting to hear the rationale, I can’t help when it’s not what someone wants to hear… ===Just pointing out that this post was about gaming the system regarding property taxes=== That’s what’s at play. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.