* Greg Hinz…

In a blockbuster report with huge political implications, an outside consultant concluded that Cook County’s residential property tax system is stacked against the little guy, with assessments far more variable and “much more regressive” than they should be, especially in the city of Chicago.

The problem starts with proposed assessments issued by Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios, and actually gets worse as some homeowners, generally those well-off enough to hire a lawyer, appeal to the Board of Review. And in the end, the owners of relatively low-priced homes, many of them African-American and Latino, end up paying more than they should, with a relative break given to owners of more expensive properties, many of them owned by whites. […]

If the report is accurate, it’s striking how far the system is from performing as it should. For instance, by the coefficient of dispersion (COD) measure used by assessors, most homes should be valued within 5 percent to 15 percent of their true market value. In the county as a whole, that standard barely has been met, the report found. But in Chicago, the average COD was 25—almost five times the low end of the recommended variability range. […]

In the South township of the city, the average COD found was 21. In Hyde Park Township, it was 30; in Lake Township on the West Side, 44; and in south suburban Calumet, almost 50. The population in all of those is predominantly black.

In comparison, the CODs in the north lakefront’s North and Lake View Township were 13 and 11, respectively. And in suburban Elk Grove, Palatine and Orland, the CODs all were 8 or less.

Man. Just… Man.

The full report is here.

* From Clem Balanoff, chairman of Our Revolution Illinois/Chicago…

“The Civic Consulting Alliance today released a scathing report confirming that Assessor Joe Berrios runs a regressive residential assessment process. The report, which Joe Berrios has been relying on to save his failed tenure as Assessor, reinforces what many have been saying for months: Berrios runs a corrupt, pay-to-play office that overtaxes working and middle-class families in order to reward his campaign donors.

It has been 254 days since the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica exposed Joe Berrios’s corrupt assessment process. Since then, another cycle of assessments has passed, forcing many residents to pay more than their fair share in property taxes, including costs passed on to renters, while billionaires like Donald Trump get millions in tax breaks.

Joe Berrios faces $41,000 in fines from the Board of Ethics for accepting illegal contributions from property tax lawyers doing business with his office. His actions have also led to a major lawsuit against Cook County by community organizations seeking to correct the unjust system.”

*** UPDATE 1 *** Tribune…

Democrat Andrea Raila’s bid to run for Cook County assessor suffered a serious blow Thursday, when county election officials kicked her off the March 20 primary ballot.

Raila, though, said she will appeal in court. If a judicial ruling doesn’t reverse Cook County Electoral Board’s decision, the Democratic primary will feature a one-on-one matchup between two-term incumbent Joe Berrios and asset manager Fritz Kaegi.

The Electoral Board signed off on a recommendation made last week by hearing officer Christopher Agrella, who found a “pattern of fraud” within the Raila campaign’s collection of petition signatures to run for office. That alleged fraud wiped out thousands of signatures, putting her below the threshold needed to get on the ballot.

*** UPDATE 2 *** Press release…

Following is a statement from Fritz Kaegi, the progressive Democrat running against incumbent Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios in the March 2018 primary election, in response to the newly released Civic Consulting Alliance (CCA) property tax assessment report commissioned by the Cook County Board.

“Today’s CCA report is the latest in a mountain of expert analysis that over the years all point to one indisputable conclusion: Assessor Berrios has failed the taxpayers of Cook County.

“Berrios campaigned on a promise to fix property tax regressivity in 2010–but during his tenure as Assessor, he has focused on filling his own campaign coffers and serving the interests of clouted property tax attorneys and wealthy property owners.

“Under Joe Berrios, wide swaths of the South Side, West Side and Southland have suffered greatly under a property tax assessment system that leads to tremendous inequity. It’s time to give Cook County taxpayers the property tax assessment system that they deserve and expect.

“As Assessor, I will bring integrity, fairness and transparency to the Assessor’s office and end the nepotism, corruption and pay-to-play politics that have come to define Berrios’s tenure.”

*** UPDATE 3 *** Chris Kennedy…

Today’s report proves that Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios knowingly gutted the economic future of so many homeowners, particularly in African-American and Latino communities, while our schools are underfunded, so that his wealthy and well-connected friends could save money. He’s been unapologetic and shameless throughout this investigation.

His tenure as assessor is a complete complete disgrace, and it’s exactly what’s wrong with the political establishment in Illinois. I called on Joe Berrios to resign months ago and today I renew that call. JB Pritzker took 48 hours to criticize the way Speaker Madigan handled a sexual harassment complaint and has been silent for months on Joe Berrios’ corrupt property tax system. With the evidence outlined in today’s study, he has no choice but to denounce Berrios and join my call for him to resign.

JB has spent $50 million in this campaign upping his profile but that money hasn’t bought any courage to stand up to the political insiders who are hurting the people of Illinois.

*** UPDATE 4 *** Andrea Raila…

In a much anticipated decision, the Cook County election board upheld the decision to remove Andrea Raila’s name from the March 20 primary ballot after thousands of military ballots with Andrea Raila for Cook County Assessor have already been mailed.

By refusing to drop his challenge, Frederick “Fritz” Kaegi continues his efforts to keep a qualified woman off the ballot because of technicalities, which have allowed other candidates on the ballot, but are called a pattern of fraud in Raila’s case.

“The inconsistencies of this board’s decisions is an embarrassment to the democratic process. 14,500 voters—supporters who signed Raila’s petitions lost today. Today was an example of the typical good ole boys sticking together,” said Raila.

Raila said, “The decision amplifies the disenfranchisement of women and minorities who are working so hard to gain access to the democratic process. It is unAmerican.”

In the year of the Woman, we are witnessing a man running for office under the banner of a Progressive, but using old school democratic tactics to knock the first Democratic woman to run for this office in 85 years off the ballot.

“My election attorney was not even allowed to present witnesses and affidavits that show Frederick “Fritz” Kaegi’s name on petitions that were circulated before the legal date allowed.” Raila added.

In the bowels of the board of elections, some twenty plus women clutching the special Newsweek edition SHE PERSISTED, gasped when the ruling announced and shouted. ‘SHAME ON YOU!” We will prevail!

*** UPDATE 5 *** Biss…

Today, Daniel Biss released the following statement in response to the release of an independent study reviewing Cook County’s property tax assessment process.

“Middle-class families like mine don’t need a study or high-priced consultant to tell us property taxes are stacked against us, and neither do wealthy homeowners like JB Pritzker and Chris Kennedy who have, for years, exploited the system for six figures in tax breaks. We all understand that the system is rigged, but that’s where the similarities end: I have a personal stake in fixing the system while my opponents benefit from its continuation. That’s why I’ve worked with ordinary homeowners, advocacy groups, and my colleagues in the legislature to find ways to root our corruption and hold wealthy homeowners accountable for paying their fair share. I was proud to introduce the HOME Act in June to bring transparency and fairness to our property tax system and will continue fighting for progressive reforms when I’m governor.”