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By Hannah Meisel
* In a highly unusual move, Rep. Sam Yingling (D-Grayslake) is launching a 10-day ad buy on CNN, MSNBC and FOX, urging viewers to call Gov. Rauner to pressure him to sign SB2544, Yingling’s bill that puts a referendum question on the Lake County ballot asking whether the Lake County Assessor should be elected.
The ad plays on last year’s revelations from a Tribune investigation that Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios had been unfairly assessing properties — either too high for low-income, minority neighborhoods or too low for whiter, higher-income areas. Berrios, of course, lost his primary in March.
* Transcript…
A corrupt Assessor. Pay to play politics.
Voters in Cook County took action to restore fairness.
But in Lake County where property taxes are the highest, we don’t have that power.
The Lake County Assessor is not popularly elected. Nor is the County Chairman who appoints them.
A bipartisan coalition of legislators voted to empower you, the voter, to elect our assessor.
But political insiders are pressuring the governor to veto your right to vote.
Call the governor and tell him to sign Senate Bill 2544.
* The $25,000 ad buy is paired with a $25,000 “patch-through” call campaign that I’m told is on pace to send over 3,000 calls to the Governor’s office before June 29, the same day the Senate is supposed to send the bill to Rauner.
Additionally, Yingling and interns will deliver a petition to Rauner on the same day the bill is released, which is expected to garner 1,000 signatures. He got 200 just yesterday, and I’m told that those who answered doors or encountered Yingling or petitioners said they had already gotten his letter or called the Governor’s office.
For those unfamiliar with the issue, Yingling has been pushing this for a while, as Lake County’s assessor is appointed by Lake County’s board chair, who is elected internally by the board and not by popular vote.
In November, local township assessors sued the Lake County assessor, but it was ultimately thrown out for lack of standing.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jun 21, 18 @ 3:26 pm
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Did he also promise not to run for the post, too? Guess we can start calling him Franks lite….
Comment by Fav human Thursday, Jun 21, 18 @ 4:13 pm
Unusual yes, but pretty solid ad. Going to get a lot more attention than just the ad buy. With property taxes on everyone’s mind, esp Lake County voters, and Yingling running in a swing-y district, Rauner needs to pay attention. Good move for Yingling.
Comment by Lakeview lawyer Thursday, Jun 21, 18 @ 4:15 pm
Seems like a common sense reform. The property tax status quo is totally untenable, especially in places like Lake County. Vetoing bills like this would be politics suicide for Rauner in the collar counties.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jun 21, 18 @ 4:21 pm
Those good old boys running the county don’t want us knowing where the money goes. It’s about time they’re held accountable.
Comment by Taxed to the Max Thursday, Jun 21, 18 @ 4:22 pm
Great ad. Really smart strategy. He’s campaigning sure but he’s talking to voters about an issue that they care about. People will respond positively to this. Smart thinking by Yingling
.
Comment by Siriusly Thursday, Jun 21, 18 @ 4:28 pm
Great to see Sam put his money where his mouth is. This bill is a political no-brainer; it would be crazy for the governor to pass-block for republicans in lake county who are just afraid of democracy.
Comment by vern Thursday, Jun 21, 18 @ 4:28 pm
His GOP opponent and Rauner should support this. The sooner the gov Rauner signs the bill the quicker he takes the issue away from Yingling. If he vetoes he plays into the message and looks like he is protecting the system
Comment by HowBoy Thursday, Jun 21, 18 @ 4:29 pm
Being responsive to the people? Wow, what a concept. Only people playing politics would be against this.
Comment by Lake County Res Thursday, Jun 21, 18 @ 4:32 pm
We need more accountability and fewer cronies in Illinois. This makes sense.
Comment by Anon Thursday, Jun 21, 18 @ 4:34 pm
Not sure how the ad buy will play out but clearly this is the right side of the issue politically and substantively. Should be interesting.
Comment by Overtaxed Thursday, Jun 21, 18 @ 4:35 pm
So glad to see some common sense. Every Democrat should get on this ASAP.
Comment by Enough Thursday, Jun 21, 18 @ 4:38 pm
Yingling is clearly onto something. The more direct input citizens have into choosing government bureaucrats, the more accountability to the people.
Comment by Thoughtful citizen Thursday, Jun 21, 18 @ 4:39 pm
Eh, I could go either way on this.
Comment by LC Moderate Thursday, Jun 21, 18 @ 4:40 pm
It is very disturbing that any elected official would not want the Lake County voters to determine if the Assessor was elected or appointed.
Comment by Lake County Voter Thursday, Jun 21, 18 @ 4:40 pm
I’m Confused. Why would anyone be against this?
Comment by LakeCountyTaxpayer Thursday, Jun 21, 18 @ 4:40 pm
Usually there’s a decent counter argument. Not seeing one here. Good for Yingling.
Comment by Enough Thursday, Jun 21, 18 @ 5:03 pm
The bill had strong bi-partisan support. Why be against elections for local offices?
Comment by Surak Thursday, Jun 21, 18 @ 5:17 pm
This is a good bill which will allow the over assessed property owners to hold the CCAO accountable. Right now the County Board Chairman protects the CCAO. Please urge the voters to contact the governor and urge him to sign this bill.
Comment by OverTaxed Thursday, Jun 21, 18 @ 5:33 pm
Someone is not taking the blue wave for granted. It’s good policy and good politics.
Comment by Svengoolies Goatee Thursday, Jun 21, 18 @ 5:56 pm
The CCAO should be an elected official and accounted for his actions just like the Assessors for our townships. Our elected township assessor can’t properly assess when the Chief CCAO does what he wants. He has raised our property assessment 24% in 3 years. That’s ridiculous. There is no justification. Elected Assessors can’t properly adjust our assessment to the proper 33.3% of market value. Yes we should elect the Chief Assessor of Lake County and hold him accountable for improper assessments.
Comment by 24% Increase in 3yrs-Unfair Thursday, Jun 21, 18 @ 8:30 pm
Did anyone look at the lawsuit the Township Assessors in Lake County filed against the County Assessor? They want to assess property every year. The county assessor told them that was against the law so they suit…and lost. So all you folks cheering this on support Yingling and his belief that assessors should assess every ear. Now that a winner of political platform.
Comment by Assess Me Often Thursday, Jun 21, 18 @ 8:35 pm
@Assess Me Often. The elected Assessors are trying to equalize assessments so everyone is paying their fair share, Lawlor’s appointed county Assessor is removing those causing unfair tax bills. If the next town has rising values and my town is stagnant, Why should I pay their portion of taxes when they can finally sell their homes and I’m still underwater?
Comment by Let Voters Decide Friday, Jun 22, 18 @ 12:18 am
Don’t understand the philosophy behind this. On one hand we have 18 elected township assessors in Lake County who march to 18 different drums and hold no special powers not already granted to the state or the CCAO. Then on here other hand, Yingling championed a bill that allows voters to remove the elected highway commissioner and bring the highway commission under the control of the township board.
Why on one hand is board oversight not good enough (County) and yet on the other hand when it comes to highway commissions, elected is not good enough.
If the Lake County CCAO is so bad (and suits against have failed), isn’t that an issue for the COunty Baord to take up. Not create ANOTHER elected position?
BTW, in Lake County when it comes time to elect a township assessor, typically 90% of the voters sit home.
Some say this is a “hook-up” for Yingling’s longtime ally and a township assessor.
I have yet to see a rational explaination other than partisan hyperbole.
Comment by DMAC57 Friday, Jun 22, 18 @ 4:29 am
-Let Voters Decide
The County Assessor is is following the law. Assessors may assess in quadrennial years. Which is every four years. He is following a court case. So either change the law to allow assessors to assess every year or potentially face lawsuits challenging assessments based on a previous court case. I would love to see Rep. Yingling debate that bill. “Yes ladies and gentleman I am here with a bill to allow assessors in this state to re-assess your property yearly as opposed to the current law of every four years.” That would kit end well.
Comment by Assess Me Often Friday, Jun 22, 18 @ 7:11 am
Republicans have held power in Lake County and don’t want to give it up. They don’t want to be accountable for the mess they created. All the commenters who rail against the mess in Cook County have nothing to say about the corruption Republican cronyism in Lake County. Hypocrites.
Comment by Anon Friday, Jun 22, 18 @ 9:43 am
@Assess Me Often There’s a difference between reassessment and equalization. They are not the same. Lake County plays games with switching words to confuse the issue.
The Assessor lawsuit was dismissed for lack of standing. The court never heard the merits of the case. You should read the lawsuit, there’s interesting items in there like Lake County giving out $1 Million dollar tax reductions (not assessment reduction, $1M lower tax bill!) to people who didn’t have to file an appeal, they just called the Lake County Assessor and got reduced. We all had to pick up that savings. I’m still not sure why Lawlor and the rest of the Lake County Board members are afraid to let the voters decide. This is still a democracy, People should have a right to vote on important issues. For some reason, they didn’t want voters to pick the Board Chairman either.
Comment by LetVoters Decide Friday, Jun 22, 18 @ 10:15 am