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*** UPDATED x2 *** Pritzker mansion toilet removal deemed “scheme to defraud” by inspector general

Monday, Oct 1, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Tina Sfondeles with the big scoop…

Cook County’s chief watchdog has concluded that more than $330,000 in property tax breaks and refunds that Democratic gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker received on one of his Gold Coast mansions — in part by removing toilets — constituted a “scheme to defraud.”

Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard also recommends in the confidential report that Cook County should try to recover the money from the billionaire. […]

Blanchard writes in the report — obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times — that the Cook County Assessor’s office was “the victim of sworn affidavits containing false representations.” […]

“The evidence indicates that the use of these affidavits was part of a scheme for obtaining money by means of false representations and, in executing the scheme, the responsible parties caused checks to be issued by the Cook County Treasurer and delivered by U.S. Mail according to the direction thereon. […]

“As a result, the County ultimately fell victim to a scheme to defraud, executed in part through the use of affidavits, and which resulted in the property owner ultimately receiving property tax refunds totaling $132,747.18 for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014, as well as additional tax savings of $198,684.85 for the years 2015 and 2016,” the report states.

Uh-oh.

According to the story, one of the affidavits was signed by Pritzker’s brother-in-law. Another was signed by Mrs. Pritzker’s personal assistant.

…Adding… Oof…

Under a header “Evidence of a plan to Defraud Cook County” the report includes a work order email dated Oct. 5, 2015 from a project manager to a plumbing company vice president states M.K. Pritzker, J.B. Pritzker’s wife, wanted the toilets pulled.

“She is going to have the house re-assessed as an uninhabitable structure,” the email says. “To do this, she would like to have us pull all toilets and cap all toilet lines in the house. Then after the assessment, she would like us to put the 1st Floor toilet back in and have this as the one functioning bathroom in the place (she will then be finishing out the front room for JB’s [Jay Robert ‘J.B.’ Pritzker’s] hangout/meeting are].”

The full IG report is here.

*** UPDATE 1 *** The Rauner campaign got this one out quick…

“This Inspector General report proves what we knew all along - JB Pritzker is a fraud. From the very beginning, Pritzker was devising a corrupt scheme to defraud Illinois taxpayers by ripping toilets out of his mansion. This wasn’t a standard appeal as Pritzker claimed. Instead, he lied to voters. It’s clear from Pritzker’s repeated use of fraudulent tax dodging that he doesn’t have the character and integrity to be governor.” - Will Allison, Rauner campaign Communications Director

As I write this (4:46 pm), Pritzker is holding an event with Hillary Clinton and tons of reporters. Click here. Timing is everything.

…Adding… As I’m reading through the report, it appears that one of the problems is that Pritzker’s brother-in-law signed an affidavit claiming the property had “no functional bathrooms” from January 1, 2012 through October 15, 2015. However, the toilets were apparently only removed on October 5, 2015 - ten days prior to the affidavit signature.

…Adding… Reading further, however, it looks like there’s an overstatement on the part of the inspector general. “The property has been vacant and uninhabitable since January 1, 2012.” And then the next sentence is: “There are no functioning bathrooms or kitchen.” So, the Pritzkers didn’t actually claim that there had been no toilets since 2012.

*** UPDATE 2 *** Pritzker…

.@JBPritzker said the report was "leaked for political purposes in this last month of a campaign." When asked if he would return any of the $330,000 he received in property tax breaks and refunds, Pritzker said he would "abide by the law" and "follow the recommendations." pic.twitter.com/WzwB5qrUyg

— Ashlee Rezin (@Ashlee_Rezin) October 1, 2018

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Obama endorses Londrigan, Clinton campaigns for Pritzker

Monday, Oct 1, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Londrigan was the only Democrat in a contested Illinois congressional district to not receive the former president’s endorsement in the first round. That was perceived by some as a snub, or maybe that it would’ve done more harm than good. Either way, Obama has now put her on his list…

Today, I’m proud to endorse even more Democratic candidates who aren’t just running against something, but for something—to expand opportunity for all of us and to restore dignity, honor, and compassion to public service. They deserve your vote: pic.twitter.com/NO5jnhX3XD

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 1, 2018

…Adding… Whoa…

New in #IL13: @BetsyforIL reports raising $1.7M over the last three months, more than doubling what she raised in previous 11 months. *translation: prepare for more ads.

— Mark Maxwell (@WCIA3Mark) October 1, 2018

* Meanwhile…

Former Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton will campaign in Chicago on Monday for governor candidate J.B. Pritzker, a major supporter of her failed efforts to get to the White House.

Clinton, a 2008 Democratic candidate for the White House and the party’s 2016 nominee, formally endorsed Pritzker during a Chicago visit in April after he won in a crowded Democratic field for governor by a wide margin. […]

Clinton is scheduled to join Pritzker at a roundtable event highlighting social service issues, a frequent point of criticism by the Democrat over Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s record that included overseeing a historic state budget impasse of more than two years. She is not scheduled to speak to the media afterward.

In the 2016 election, Clinton defeated President Donald Trump in Illinois by 17 percentage points. She won all but McHenry of the state’s traditionally Republican-leaning collar counties, giving Democrats hope they can capture additional state legislative seats as well as flip GOP seats in Congress.

National politics always brings out the worst in people. Take a breath before you comment.

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*** UPDATED x2 *** Chuy Garcia won’t run for mayor

Monday, Oct 1, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

* There’s been lots of talk over the past couple of weeks that Chuy Garcia would definitely run for mayor of Chicago. Fran Spielman reports otherwise…

But on Monday, Garcia gathered his kitchen cabinet together to tell them that he had decided not to enter the mayor’s race in spite of the “Draft Chuy” movement launched by retiring U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Chicago).

At least part of Garcia’s reasoning has to do with money.

Last time, nearly all of the $6 million he raised came from progressive unions: the Chicago Teachers Union and SEIU Local 1.

This time, SEIU Local 1 was firmly in Preckwinkle’s corner. And the CTU was non-committal and expected to remain so.

“Without SEIU or CTU, where would his money have come from,” said a source familiar with Garcia’s decision-making.

“He would have been forced to forge a brown-white coalition with the business community. His old friends—the people who have been with him since the `70’s and `80’s—were not comfortable with that. That didn’t want to do that.”

Discuss.

*** UPDATE 1 *** Chuy…

I’ve seen the mustaches projected on the buildings — and I can’t thank you enough for your faith and confidence in urging me to run for mayor of the city we all love. A special thank you to the hundreds of volunteers circulating petitions for me to run. I am truly moved.

The last few weeks have been a time of internal reckoning. My preparation to go to Congress was, for a moment, halted at the news that the city would have a wide-open opportunity to elect a new mayor. I’ll admit I was tempted to make another run — the last run shook things up and I believe led to a major shift in recent city and state elections, namely Aaron Ortiz, Alma Anaya, Beatriz Frausto-Sandoval and Delia Ramirez. I couldn’t be more proud of them.

I love this city. I love its complexity, its diversity, energy and its ever-changing issues and opportunities. It’s also a city in deep crisis with savage inequality and broken relationships between communities and police and of course continuing fiscal problems.

But in the final analysis, I sincerely believe I can do more for my city now in Washington. This decision is not about ascendancy or political positioning; it is about integrity and what I feel I can do for my city in Congress.

Chicago desperately needs federal help to tackle our infrastructure and transportation issues. Our city’s immigration crisis can be solved only by Congress. Guaranteeing the rights of women and gay citizens and other minorities will be secured only through congressional action.

Chicago needs a mayor who is beholden to no one. We need mayors and congressional representatives who are persuaded by one thing: the best idea in the room. And we need lots of best ideas, whether in the form of a Marshall Plan or something better, we need bold ideas that will improve education, public safety, health care, infrastructure, transportation and whatever it takes to bring economic vitality into neighborhoods that are breeding grounds of hopelessness. We can no longer abide hearing a teenage boy say he doesn’t expect to live past 25.

I look forward to the election on November 6. To be in Washington at a time when I can oppose the direction the Trump administration is taking this country is a calling I am compelled and invigorated to take on. Dreamers are waiting for Congress to act; immigrants who have so much to offer our nation are waiting for Congress to act; citizens who have still not recovered from the recession are waiting for Congress to act. I’m ready to get to work.

To Chicago’s next mayor, I say this: you must make bold changes that will unsettle those comfortable with the status quo. Only through a transformational agenda with deep neighborhood investment will Chicago become a city that works for everyone.

*** UPDATE 2 *** Toni Preckwinkle…

“I am very grateful for the good work that Chuy Garcia has done on the County Board as my floor leader advocating for working families. He has been an ally helping enroll over 400,000 people to our County health system. I know that Chuy will continue advocating on behalf of our shared priorities for immigrants, women, and seniors in his new role as Congressman,” said mayoral candidate Toni Preckwinkle. “I continue to look forward to our work on behalf of all Chicagoans.”