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* ILGOP…
Days ago, the Chicago Tribune published a bombshell three-part report exposing how bosses of the Chicago political machine - Mike Madigan, John Cullerton, Joe Berrios and others involved in the property tax appeals business – have manufactured a property tax system that targets the poor and puts millions in their own pockets.
Today, the Illinois Republican Party is releasing a social media infographic highlighting how Chicago Machine insiders game the system to benefit themselves at the expense of low- and middle-income homeowners in Cook County.
Links to ILGOP social media posts are HERE and HERE.
The insiders:
Mike Madigan - longtime House Speaker and Chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois, Madigan controls all legislation in the Illinois House, particularly legislation affecting Illinois’ property tax system. Madigan also moonlights as one of Chicago’s top property tax appeals attorney and makes “over a million dollars” from Cook County’s rigged property tax system “in a good year.”
John Cullerton - one of Madigan’s former top lieutenants in the Illinois House and now President of the Illinois Senate, Cullerton, like Madigan, also controls legislation in the Senate, including bills concerning property taxes, and moonlights as a property tax appeals attorney.
Joe Berrios - Cook County Assessor, Chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party and longtime Madigan ally, Berrios often mixes official business with politics, taking in over $2.5 million in campaign contributions since 2009 from property tax appeals attorneys whose appeals are at his mercy. Contributions from property tax appeals attorney amount to over half of Berrios’ total campaign cash.
Chris Kennedy - millionaire, inheritor of the Kennedy family fortune and now Democrat candidate for governor, Kennedy has hired Madigan & Getzendanner, Mike Madigan’s law firm, to appeal property taxes for the previously-Kennedy family-owned Chicago Merchandise Mart. Like Pritzker, Kennedy recently received a massive property tax break from an appeal on a downtown Chicago development spearheaded by Kennedy and his business associates.
J.B. Pritzker - billionaire, inheritor of the Hyatt family fortune and Mike Madigan’s preferred candidate for governor, Pritzker has been bankrolling and profiting from the Chicago Machine for decades. The Chicago Sun-Times recently revealed that Joe Berrios awarded J.B. Pritzker a $230,000 break on his property taxes for a multi-million dollar mansion Pritzker claimed was “uninhabitable.” The attorneys who oversaw Pritzker’s appeal have contributed over $100,000 to Berrios’ political organizations.
* The infographic…
#BossMadigan and the rest of his machine benefit from the property tax system while it takes advantage of #IL families #twill pic.twitter.com/aKJdxemUSM
— IL Republican Party (@ilgop) June 9, 2017
…Adding… Cullerton’s spokesman says his boss hasn’t done any property tax appeals work in “many years.”
…Adding More… Heh…
#twill rn pic.twitter.com/bmvXyRoJpR
— IL Working Together (@IllinoisWorking) June 9, 2017
…Adding Still More… Like Cullerton, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin works at a law firm that does property tax work. Click here.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 12:57 pm
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I’ve seen this movie…
“A Beautiful Mind”, starred Russel Crowe…
His character had all these conspiracy theories and pictures and articles on his office wall, connected with string and unreadable writing…
… of course, the Crowe character, who connected ALL those pictures, and ALL those articles, and had voices in his head was found to be mentally ill and lived with voices in his head the rest of his life, ignoring them to function, but…
…that infographic here… it reminds me of “A Beautiful Mind”…
… Dr. John Nash could probably see all the dots, so there’s that.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:05 pm
Did Glen Beck put this thing together for them? Looks like something that you would find in a house with aluminum foil on all the windows.
Comment by Saluki Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:07 pm
I have often wondered why so little has been made of Joe Berrios serving as Democratic Party Chairman and Assessor simultaneously. It is fairly unprecedented.
Comment by W Flag Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:08 pm
- W Flag -
Tom Lyons?
You’re welcome.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:10 pm
All I can picture is the guy at IL GOP screaming about Pepe Silvia and Carol from HR
Comment by Kitten mittons Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:12 pm
Rich….why use the word “tries?”. They did connect the dots. Geez.
Comment by gstritzel Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:14 pm
I am still waiting for Rauner and the GOP to claim that Madigan is the “SECOND COMING OF CHRIST”.
Oh wait, Christ never had the power of Madigan!
Comment by MOON Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:14 pm
I did it, I was wrong, I was being too snarky.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:15 pm
OW
Lyons was never assessor.
Comment by MOON Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:16 pm
Kitten Mittons… I see what you did there… Clearly, they drank the Fight Milk before they approved this message…
Comment by Echo The Bunnyman Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:18 pm
Here I thought property taxes were determined by local governments who set their levies and the historic and economic forces that set their tax bases. Turns out it’s Madigan. Shoulda known.
Not going to hold my breath for them to propose abolishing the election of all assessor positions in favor of appointed professionals and comprehensive reform of the appeals process.
Comment by In 630 Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:18 pm
Overkill.
“Have you ever wondered why you pay more in taxes than your neighbor with the comparable house?”
(Show example. Put up picture of Barrios and Madigan.)
“It only gets worse with the rich guys”
Next image: Pritzker and Kennedy (underneath with the tax breaks amounts).
You don’t need more.
Comment by lake county democrat Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:22 pm
Looks like the ILGOPies who developed this “web” took one too many shots in a Madigan drinking game. I’d like to see the original napkin that was used to chart this out.
Comment by Anon221 Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:25 pm
gstritzel, take a breath. Gonna be a long campaign. If you complain about little things like that you’re gonna give yourself a stroke by next fall.
lol
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:25 pm
Let’s not attract support with positive policy proposals.
Let’s not trumpet the accomplishments of their ONE AND ONLY state-wide elected official.
Let’s not present an ad of smiling young citizens wanting to fix Illinois.
No - that wouldn’t be possible for ILGOP.
Instead they send us a gassy, conspiratorial, embarrassing thing that looks like a small version of a 1930’s dance diagram for a Warner Brothers cartoon.
If this is all you got ILGOP - just quit now.
Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:28 pm
Maybe the ‘dot connectors’ can now come up with a balanced budget for Rauner to present
Comment by Illinois O'Malley Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:30 pm
Kennedy’s property tax hits on Pritzker may land and they may even land well but given the above it’s not necessarily clear that he would be the beneficiary.
Comment by The Captain Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:31 pm
What would the IL GOP do if Madigan was gone? The Madigan love/hate affair is similar to the national GOP and the Clintons. Even when she is gone, everything still ties back to her
Comment by Rauners Carhart Costume Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:31 pm
Illinois Working Together has an amazing social media person. Like, top notch. I don’t know how politically effective they are but man do I love Always Sunny and the frequent pop culture references
Comment by PJ Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:44 pm
Everyone knows that the amount of property taxs you pay are driven by local taxing body’s, look at your tax bill. Now if the state funded what it should for schools the schools should lower their rate, they won’t. This is just another “hey look at that shiney object over there” play.
Comment by Anon Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:46 pm
Love the response by IL working together, they should ask IL GOP why Pepe Silvia is not on the infographic
Comment by Epic Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:47 pm
To the updates,
Cullerton’s Shop is always direct and succinct when faced with ridiculousness aimed at the Boss. Great Comms Crew
As for the Illinois Working Together tweet…
I go out of my way to read their tweets.
“Why?!”
No matter your politics, they add, they add by their tweets, and they get the medium as well as anyone out there, most if the time better then anyone.
Man, their tweets, lol
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:51 pm
IL Working Together not only good material, pretty quick and educated on their responses as well.
BTW Dem GA you should have them be your team, instead of using your own folks.
Comment by DuPage Bard Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:55 pm
IL Working Together…a hat tip to you sir (or madame)
Comment by Under Influenced Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 2:05 pm
How can any rational person look at that graphic and think that any subset of those people could be the solution to Illinois financial problems? In any other state a good portion of these people would be in jail but the people who select the judges (and control the attorney general) are all in this graphic.
As one similar politician would say: SAD!
Comment by tberry Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 2:42 pm
== Like Cullerton, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin works at a law firm that does property tax work==
Except Durkin is in favor of a real property tax freeze and has voted for one twice. Cullerton has refused to bring them up in his chamber after the House has passed them.
Comment by Freo Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 2:51 pm
So the implication is you have to be paranoid schizophrenic to believe that Michael Madigan, who takes huge contributions from trial lawyers and moonlights as a property tax attorney has rigged the system to benefit trial lawyers at the expense of the poor and middle class.
Yep that will fly
Comment by Lucky Pierre Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 2:53 pm
===
So the implication is you have to be paranoid schizophrenic to believe that Michael Madigan, who takes huge contributions from trial lawyers and moonlights as a property tax attorney has rigged the system to benefit trial lawyers at the expense of the poor and middle class.
Yep that will fly===
I think the Illinois Working Together tweet frames that beautifully, LOL
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 2:56 pm
Defending the current property tax system which is the highest in America is a losing proposition OW.
Check any poll, Illinois residents have the least faith in their state government of any state in America for precisely reasons like this.
How many people will see the snarky tweet vs. read or hear about the Tribune article?
This is indefensible but the usual suspects still try.
Career, part time legislators, passing laws that favor their private sector side job at the expense of the poor and middle class they claim to represent.
Comment by Lucky Pierre Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 3:07 pm
===Defending the current property tax system which is the highest in America is a losing proposition===
Selling if like half-baked looms with Photoshop and a website is just comically ignorant.
The ILGOP isn’t very talented, they got mocked to the perfect trolling that was the Illinois Working Together Twitter.
Looking unhinged, like the ILGOP, never works.
===How many people will see the snarky tweet vs. read or hear about the Tribune article?===
When Rauner owns the Trubune Edit Board it helps, lol
Rauner polled at 58% disapproval, so there’s that too.
===Career, part time legislators, passing laws that favor their private sector side job at the expense of the poor and middle class they claim to represent.===
I’ll just point to the genius mocking tweet and laugh that city think looking unhinged works for a governor polling upside down statewide
Hey, by the by, the picture of Democrat Diana Rauner in that fundraising letter, that actually made me laugh out loud.
That Diana, such a Democrat, and Bruce’s “no social agenda”.., with the lunacy of that half-baked graph… yikes.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 3:14 pm
Rauner is 12 points more popular than Speaker Madigan
Speaker Madigan’s disapproval ratings also remain in negative territory with 61 percent somewhat disapproving or strongly disapproving and 26 percent somewhat approving or strongly approving. Madigan scored 63 percent disapproving overall last year with 26 percent approving.
Rauner fares worst with voters in the City of Chicago, where 64 percent disapprove of his performance while 31 percent approve. Rauner edges closer to positive territory in downstate Illinois, where 38 percent approve of the job he’s doing compared to 56 percent who disapprove. In the suburbs of Cook and the collar counties, he remains in negative territory with 58 percent disapproving and 37 approving.
Madigan’ popularity will not be helped especially in Cook County by a property tax story that is a bombshell.
Looking unhinged, like the ILGOP, never works.
the IL Working together tweet is not unhinged?
Comment by Lucky Pierre Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 3:27 pm
===Rauner is 12 points more popular than Speaker Madigan==
LOL!!!
Rauner is under water and while Madigan is 61% disapproval, Rauner was at 58%
Rauner has to face the statewide voters, possibly underwater.
===the IL Working together tweet is not unhinged?===
They are mocking the ILGOP, that the ILGOP is indeed unhinged. That’s why it works. You know that.
Rauner is also losing to an unnamed Dem.
“… ‘Nember… when you asked if they did a poll on that… and they did… and Rauner was losing… double digits… That was awesome”
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 3:32 pm
Only - Lucky Pierre - would cite a poll where Rauner is underwater… “Everywhere”… and think that helps.
Yikes.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 3:34 pm
OW are you really defending the property tax system in Cook County run by democratic politicians for the benefit of democratic special interest property tax lawyers at the expense of middle class property tax payers? The tweet solves everything?
From your perch as a “Republican” in Oswego that is an interesting take from someone who claims “to never defend Speaker Madigan”
I can see why you had to throw the kitchen sink word jumble to try to distract
Comment by Lucky Pierre Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 3:38 pm
===..,are you really defending the property tax system in Cook County run by democratic politicians for the benefit of democratic special interest property tax lawyers at the expense of middle class property tax payers? The tweet solves everything===
Leader Durkin’s law firm does property tax work.
Rauner took 3 homeowner exemptions, some might say scamming the system(?)
===From your perch as a “Republican” in Oswego that is an interesting take from someone who claims “to never defend Speaker Madigan”===
I’m mocking an embarrassing awful, unhinged, graphic that is so insane that a tweet mocks it perfectly without a single word.
Rauner is not a Republican. Diana Rauner in that fundraising letter and nary the word Republican, but “Team Rauner” kinda-sorta ruins your “Reoublican” thingy pretty good.
===I can see why you had to throw the kitchen sink word jumble to try to distract===
I didn’t, I mocked using “A Beautiful Mind” in painting a picture that the Illinois Working Together, with the aid of the visual, could without the words.
I could give you links to Russel Crowe in “A Beautiful Mind” if you’d like, lol.
The ILGOP graphic is a talentless attempt to seem sane but it looks incredibly unhinged.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 3:45 pm
Not sure what the downside is for Governor Rauner who is pushing for property tax relief vs. the Speaker who is resisting it is.
The snarky tweet will solve everything.
Nothing to see here folks move along, high property taxes are not a problem in Illinois because the super smart tweet says so
Comment by Lucky Pierre Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 3:47 pm
LP, I removed you from automatic comment moderation. Don’t make me put you back in the holding pen.
Move along.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 3:48 pm
Grasping at straws because of Six Degrees of Separation between Leader Durkin who votes for property tax relief and does not practice property tax law because there are some lawyers down the hall who practice property tax law?
Not stretch at all
Comment by Lucky Pierre Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 3:52 pm
===Not sure what the downside is for Governor Rauner who is pushing for property tax relief vs. the Speaker===
I hope they push that ridiculous graphic. It’s a prime example when the frat boys think a visual aid is too smart, by half.
It’s actually embarrassing. The lines, circles, can you even imagine the emails going back and forth… colors, pictures, how big the circles… I mean, the time spent to embarrass themselves for what could be a simple thought.
The mocking tweet is perfect just to reinforce Raunerism’s silliness.
If the ILGOP wants to look unhinged, the ILGOP bought and paid for by Rauner, Uihlein, Griffin… even Diana Rauner… those four love this… I’m all about more people seeing it, lol
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 3:53 pm
Only thing wrong with the graphic is Kennedy has a bigger picture than JB, who has a far more to answer for in the property tax department.
Comment by Lucky Pierre Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 4:02 pm
- Lucky Pierre -
Good question. No snark.
Last polling had Kennedy with 44% name ID and a Big lead over Pritzker… and Biss and Pawar.
I guess that might have been email #9. The subject?
“Kennedy picture size and circle”
I mean, I’d love to see this hatched.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 4:08 pm
What would Rauner do without Madigan?
Comment by Winnin' Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 4:33 pm