Latest news with #Kaegi
Axios
22-07-2025
- Business
- Axios
Election 2026: Why Cook County Democrats are ditching Assessor Kaegi
The Cook County Democratic Party declined to endorse incumbent Assessor Fritz Kaegi for reelection and is instead supporting one of his opponents. The big picture: The powerful county Democrats endorsed Lyons Township Assessor Patrick Hynes, nephew of former Cook County assessor and influential Democrat Tom Hynes. Patrick Hynes once worked in Kaegi's office. Between the lines: Kaegi won in 2018 as a progressive reformer against the Cook County Democratic Party's preferred candidate, Joe Berrios. That's the same political machine that Tom Hynes built. Flashback: In 2010, the Better Government Association wrote that the county assessor's office had traditionally been "one of the plummest of the plum political jobs — a bastion for patronage and big campaign donations." It was those stories, plus a scathing investigative report about Berrios by the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica, that led to Kaegi being elected. Yes, but: Kaegi's two terms have been rocky. He's fended off criticism that he is responsible for massive residential tax hikes while routinely butting heads with the other property tax offices that are more firmly entrenched with the party. Zoom in: The election will put the entire Cook County property tax system in the spotlight. Assessments, appeals and payments have been rife with problems since the pandemic. Since Kaegi started reassessing properties, taxpayers have complained of being blindsided by the increases. There have also been delays in bills, including the next one. Reality check: The delays have widely been blamed on hiccups after the county hired a technology partner to help digitize their antiquated systems.
Chicago Tribune
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Cook County Democrats hold off endorsement decision for county assessor, don't back Board of Review incumbent
Cook County Democrats punted Thursday on endorsing anyone for Cook County assessor, putting two-term incumbent Fritz Kaegi at risk of an open primary fight as he vies for a third term. The lack of an endorsement is the latest twist in the complex relationship between Kaegi and county Democrats. Eight years ago, Kaegi defeated incumbent Assessor and then-Cook County Democratic Party Chairman Joe Berrios in the Democratic primary race for assessor. Kaegi went on to win the 2018 general election and was subsequently endorsed by the party four years ago. But during a closed-door executive session of party higher-ups Thursday at the IBEW Local 134 meeting hall in Bronzeville, Black members of a party committee united to oppose a recommendation that the full county party organization endorse Kaegi when it convenes Friday. Caucus members were split on which of Kaegi's two primary challengers to support. Several other committee members voted 'present' on a Kaegi endorsement recommendation, bringing him short of the threshold needed to win the endorsement of the countywide slating committee. Instead, the full party will vote on that endorsement Friday. The Kaegi drama highlighted the first day of the party's slating sessions. The Democratic Party's endorsement carries less heft than in decades past, but still gives lesser-known candidates a leg up, providing help with petition signing, campaigning, and inclusion on countywide mailers heading into the March 17, 2026 primary. Candidates at slating make a brief presentation and take questions from fellow committee members from the city's wards and suburban townships. During the first session day, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle — who now chairs the party — avoided a direct faceoff with potential challengers 42nd Ward Ald. Brendan Reilly and former state Sen. Rickey 'Hollywood' Hendon. Reilly hasn't formally announced a run against Preckwinkle for County Board president as he is also considering a mayoral run. But Reilly attended the event as the party committeeman for his downtown ward. He planned to appeal to fellow Democrats for an open primary, but told the Tribune he was not allowed to speak during the early morning presentations or during a closed session because he was not a member of the countywide slating committee. Hendon said he was not allowed to present because he did not submit his resume early enough. That left Preckwinkle as the sole candidate and resulted in her winning the committee's endorsement. That decision must also be affirmed Friday. First elected board president in 2010, Preckwinkle, 78, sought to tamp down rumors she planned to end what would be her fifth term early and hand over the reins to a political ally. 'I look forward to being reelected and I will serve the entire term,' she pledged. During a brief presentation, she said she would defend the county's ordinance welcoming immigrants and fight for continued access to health care for county residents despite federal attacks on immigrant issues and health care funding. She won praise from allies such as state Sen. Rob Martwick, who credited Preckwinkle for her work in stabilizing the county's pensions and budget. 'All these issues we care about don't matter if we can't afford to pay for them,' he said. During his pitch to party leaders, Kaegi of Oak Park highlighted his advocacy for creating new incentives for affordable housing construction, his work to automatically renew a program that freezes property values for some seniors, and his 'circuit breaker' legislation designed to help low-income homeowners pay for big hikes in their property tax bills. 'When we work together, we can solve big problems,' he told committee members. 'Let's keep going.' Kaegi's personal wealth and ability to self-fund his candidacy represent a major challenge for his opponents, who are largely political unknowns. Kaegi ended the most recent quarter with $1.3 million in the bank. Since 2017, he has loaned himself roughly $5.4 million, including $750,000 earlier this year, according to the State Board of Elections. Any eventual challenger, however, is likely to attract contributions from the business community and commercial real estate interests, both of which have disagreed with Kaegi's methods in running the office. Two Democratic challengers who work at the Cook County Board of Review — which hears appeals to Kaegi's assessments — are so far trailing behind on fundraising and have yet to rally enough committeemen to win an endorsement, either. Timnetra Burruss, the Board of Review's main administrator, ended the quarter with $51,610 on hand, according to campaign records, $50,000 of which came from state Sen. Napoleon Harris, who represents voter-heavy Thornton Township. Dana Pointer, who serves as an outreach coordinator for Board of Review commissioner and constant Kaegi critic Larry Rogers, received a $50,000 loan from Rogers. Burruss, who previously worked for Rogers, told committee members she entered the race after becoming 'frustrated' by rising assessments that did not mirror market values, plus 'thousands upon thousands of errors and general disregard about impact on property owners.' She said she would support creating a new exemption for historically disinvested communities in federal opportunity zones and make it easier for property owners to sign up for other exemptions. Pointer blasted Kaegi's 'mismanagement and lack of transparency,' which she said contributed to this year's late property tax bills, as well as property assessment adjustments Kaegi's office made following the COVID-19 pandemic. The 'apartment loophole' Kaegi's office closed last year, which hiked assessments for certain business properties, wiped out 'some families' generational wealth,' she added. His 'continued use of propaganda to pit homeowners against business owners needs to stop,' Pointer said. Patrick Hynes, the current Lyons Township assessor, said he had 'fought tenaciously for fairness' in his corner of the suburbs after auditing current records and finding several properties missing from the property tax rolls. The Tribune and the Illinois Answers Project detailed some of those problems last year, finding the assessor's office had missed at least $444 million of assessed property value by misclassifying and undervaluing properties, primarily due to its failure to account for new construction and significant property improvements. 'I restored fairness and I will do the same for Cook County,' Hynes said, pledging to begin capturing more data to better reflect homes' true value. First-term Board of Review Commissioner Samantha Steele also failed to earn the party's endorsement as she runs for a second term. County Democrats opted not to back any candidates in her race for one of the seats on the three-member panel. County Democrats did endorse the other Board of Review commissioner running next year, George Cardenas. Steele, who until recently served on Lake County, Indiana's, property tax appeals board and runs a property valuation consulting business with government clients in Indiana, has been dogged by several controversies in recent months. On Monday, the county's inspector general cited an unnamed Board of Review commissioner for not properly disclosing outside work. The details of the case match Steele, whose annual economic reports did not disclose details about government contracts through her private business, the Leonor Group. Her annual economic interest statements mentioned she owned the firm but not which units of government she worked for, a failing the IG's office said equated to a breach of her fiduciary duty to the county. She's also been fined by the county's ethics board, and she's still fighting a DUI charge from last year. Steele has called the ethics fines 'unfair.' In a statement to the Tribune, she said she was 'singled out' for releasing confidential information about the valuation battle for the Arlington Heights property now owned by the Chicago Bears, arguing it was 'the public's right to know' about information that was already discussed aloud in a public hearing. Steele, who raised just $26,375 last quarter and has only $27,000 on hand in her campaign fund, had publicly considered running against Kaegi for assessor. But last week she dropped out of the race and said she wanted to focus on her board work. One of her opponents, Liz Nicholson, has a background in public relations, fundraising and advising nonprofits. Northfield Township Trustee Vincent Pace, who has worked in real estate investment and finance, also presented to the Democrats seeking the endorsement. Steele gave a brief presentation Thursday, but no committee members asked questions — a troubling sign given that the question period typically features supporters singing the praises of their candidates. No one presented to challenge incumbents Maria Pappas for another term as county treasurer, Monica Gordon for county clerk or Tom Dart for sheriff. All received the committee's recommendations for endorsement. Clad in a pink sweater that read 'All this and brains too,' Pappas highlighted successful efforts to sign up taxpayers for exemptions they were owed and her office's studies of major property tax issues. 'I don't think anybody's running against me, but if they are, I love a good fight,' she said. The party reconvenes Friday morning to hear from statewide candidates, including for U.S. Senate and comptroller, an opening that arose following incumbent Susana Mendoza's announcement that she would not run for reelection. A new name surfaced for the comptroller's post Thursday: State Sen. Karina Villa, a Latina who was born and raised in West Chicago. A former vice president of the local school board who has a master's degree in social work from Aurora University, Villa was elected to the Illinois House in 2018 and to the state Senate two years later. Villa is scheduled to present her credentials for comptroller to slatemakers Friday, along with state Rep. Margaret Croke of Chicago and Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tangled rivalries complicate campaigns for Cook County property tax offices
With slating starting for Democratic Party nominations in next year's elections, the top of the ticket remains uncertain, but the contests to run Cook County's vital property tax offices are already shaping up to be barnburners. Gov. JB Pritzker and U.S. Sen Dick Durbin have yet to announce whether they will run for re-election in the 2026 primaries, so many ambitious Illinois Dems are keeping their powder dry for the moment. Down-ticket, hopefuls were already staking their claims at the Cook County Democratic Party's pre-slating meeting Wednesday to vie for three major property tax offices on the ballot in 2026: county assessor and two seats on the county's Board of Review. This year's pre-slating, a gathering of city and suburban Democratic committeemen at the headquarters for IBEW Local 134, is a largely ceremonial opportunity for candidates to tout their credentials. But it also presents the first chance for hopefuls to lay out their lines of attack. Assessor Fritz Kaegi so far faces a four-candidate field in his third bid: a former employee-turned adversary, the nephew of a former assessor, and two candidates connected to one of his fiercest critics. Samantha Steele, who worked for Kaegi in his first term, now seeks to replace him. So does Patrick Hynes, another former employee and the nephew of former county assessor Tom Hynes. Two other people who worked for Larry Rogers, one of Kaegi's loudest detractors, also presented their credentials Wednesday. The party's endorsement, which won't land until later this summer, comes with campaign help — passing petitions, fundraising, and a mass-mailing to prospective voters ahead of the primary in March 2026. Democrats have typically sailed to relatively easy victories in the general election. Kaegi largely self-funded his previous bids for the Democratic nomination. In 2018 he defeated incumbent Assessor Joe Berrios. And in 2022 he beat water reclamation commissioner Kari Steele, who lost despite the backing of many powerful real estate interests. Kaegi loaned himself $500,000 last month. Party Chair and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle on Wednesday asked Kaegi's potential challengers how they would chart a path to victory that could overcome Kaegi's personal wealth. Some said they would seek campaign contributions from property tax attorneys, labor unions or business interests to compete. Assessor candidates sought to flex their property tax expertise while blasting Kaegi's tenure. Several highlighted last summer's Tribune and Illinois Answers investigation into hundreds of properties Kaegi missed, while others criticized his controversial COVID adjustment and general 'unpredictability' in assessments for home and business owners in recent years. Hynes, a longtime employee of the Assessor's Office who is now the assessor for Lyons Township, has been a consistent Kaegi critic since leaving the office in late 2021. During a five minute introduction, Hynes noted he provided information to reporters about many of the problematic properties that undergirded the Tribune and Illinois Answers investigation. He has also helped run a social media account, FritzedAgain, that continues to point out potential assessment errors. 'The current volatility and unpredictability' in the assessment system stresses business and homeowners alike, Hynes said. 'Our commercial investors cannot confidently estimate future property tax costs, which depresses investment, and our residential taxpayers have been subjected to wild swings in assessed values and property tax burdens divorced from the actions of the market.' It was a criticism most Kaegi challengers would repeat. Hynes said he 'has not made a decision' about whether he would accept donations from property tax interests, but 'campaigns cost money… it may be an impossible situation.' Kaegi did not attack any potential challengers at the pre-slating event, and faced only a few questions from fellow Democrats. He ticked off several victories during his tenure, including passage of a bill in Springfield designed to help spur affordable housing, current efforts to allow more seniors to qualify for the county's 'freeze' program, and continued efforts to reduce assessment disparities 'which fall too heavily on our average homeowner.' Kaegi described himself as 'an advocate for the homeowner' and has been pushing for statewide approval of a so-called 'circuit breaker' program to help people pay for large spikes in their property tax bills. Steele faced some more critical, though veiled, questioning, including about a lingering DUI charge dating back to November. Officers arrived at the scene of a crash, where Steele admitted to hitting two cars while driving a Honda that belonged to a friend. According to body camera footage and the police report, officers found an open but corked bottle of wine in the footwell of the front passenger seat. They reported her eyes were 'bloodshot and glassy' and that her breath smelled like alcohol. She repeatedly declined officers' requests, including to take a breathalyzer test, and told them she was an elected official. She eventually went to Weiss hospital after telling officers she hit her head during the crash. Steele kept her drivers license after the arrest because a judge agreed officers improperly filled out some of her arrest paperwork. Her next court date is May 1. Steele acknowledged 'personal challenges' on Wednesday and said she wished 'that no one in this room has to face the public scrutiny' she had, without referring directly to the incident. Still, she argued it 'has nothing to do with the job that I am running for, and nothing to do with the job that I currently hold.' 'I would promise to ensure that industry standards are adhered to,' Steele said, pointing to her 20-year career in the assessment industry. 'I can do this work in my sleep.' In addition to her work in Cook County, Steele separately served as an appointee on the Lake County Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals in Indiana from 2020 until stepping down in January. Her exit, the Post-Tribune reported, came at the same time Indiana legislators were moving to require state residency to serve on such boards across the state. She runs a property tax consulting firm called Leonor Group, which she says does not have local clients. Steele did not face direct questions about the case, but was asked by 50th Ward Committeeman Bruce Leon to provide 'more transparency about the situation that occurred… from my perspective, character does matter.' Steele told Leon she didn't know 'how much more transparent' she could be and pivoted to discuss increased assessments in Rogers Park. She told the Tribune in a separate Tuesday interview that a pituitary tumor, which has since been removed, impaired her peripheral vision and 'contributed to' the crash. She acknowledged she had a drink at around 3 pm that day, but noted it was more than five hours before the crash. Two of Steele's colleagues on the board — Dana Pointer and Timnetra Burrus — also introduced themselves to the party on Wednesday. Both have ties to the Board of Review's longest serving commissioner, Larry Rogers, who has been in a protracted political tussle with Kaegi and last year pledged to either run for assessor himself or help fund someone who could beat Kaegi. Pointer has worked as Rogers' outreach director and a senior condominium analyst that has defended property tax cases at the state's Property Tax Appeal Board on the board's behalf. Burrus worked for Rogers' for more than 15 years, according to her LinkedIn, before becoming the chief deputy commissioner — essentially the administrator for the board's 170-person staff. Rogers did not say Tuesday which candidate he planned to support. He and Steele have also frequently butted heads. Steele said she would not run for assessor if the party did not endorse her, and that she would instead run to keep her seat on the Board of Review. Two people are running for Steele's seat: Stephanie Mendoza and Liz Nicholson. Mendoza is Evanston's City Clerk. Nicholson is a longtime political consultant and fundraiser. George Cardenas, another Board of Review Commissioner, is also running for re-election. Others that presented at pre-slating were uncontested and well-known to their fellow Democrats. That list includes county board President Toni Preckwinkle, Sheriff Tom Dart, Treasurer Maria Pappas and Clerk Monica Gordon, who first won her appointment to the seat from the same group about a year ago. Democrats also heard from candidates for spots on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District and judicial seats.
Chicago Tribune
16-04-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Tangled rivalries complicate campaigns for Cook County property tax offices
With slating starting for Democratic Party nominations in next year's elections, the top of the ticket remains uncertain, but the contests to run Cook County's vital property tax offices are already shaping up to be barnburners. Gov. JB Pritzker and U.S. Sen Dick Durbin have yet to announce whether they will run for re-election in the 2026 primaries, so many ambitious Illinois Dems are keeping their powder dry for the moment. Down-ticket, hopefuls were already staking their claims at the Cook County Democratic Party's pre-slating meeting Wednesday to vie for three major property tax offices on the ballot in 2026: county assessor and two seats on the county's Board of Review. This year's pre-slating, a gathering of city and suburban Democratic committeemen at the headquarters for IBEW Local 134, is a largely ceremonial opportunity for candidates to tout their credentials. But it also presents the first chance for hopefuls to lay out their lines of attack. Assessor Fritz Kaegi so far faces a four-candidate field in his third bid: a former employee-turned adversary, the nephew of a former assessor, and two candidates connected to one of his fiercest critics. Samantha Steele, who worked for Kaegi in his first term, now seeks to replace him. So does Patrick Hynes, another former employee and the nephew of former county assessor Tom Hynes. Two other people who worked for Larry Rogers, one of Kaegi's loudest detractors, also presented their credentials Wednesday. The party's endorsement, which won't land until later this summer, comes with campaign help — passing petitions, fundraising, and a mass-mailing to prospective voters ahead of the primary in March 2026. Democrats have typically sailed to relatively easy victories in the general election. Kaegi largely self-funded his previous bids for the Democratic nomination. In 2018 he defeated incumbent Assessor Joe Berrios. And in 2022 he beat water reclamation commissioner Kari Steele, who lost despite the backing of many powerful real estate interests. Kaegi loaned himself $500,000 last month. Party Chair and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle on Wednesday asked Kaegi's potential challengers how they would chart a path to victory that could overcome Kaegi's personal wealth. Some said they would seek campaign contributions from property tax attorneys, labor unions or business interests to compete. Assessor candidates sought to flex their property tax expertise while blasting Kaegi's tenure. Several highlighted last summer's Tribune and Illinois Answers investigation into hundreds of properties Kaegi missed, while others criticized his controversial COVID adjustment and general 'unpredictability' in assessments for home and business owners in recent years. Hynes, a longtime employee of the Assessor's Office who is now the assessor for Lyons Township, has been a consistent Kaegi critic since leaving the office in late 2021. During a five minute introduction, Hynes noted he provided information to reporters about many of the problematic properties that undergirded the Tribune and Illinois Answers investigation. He has also helped run a social media account, FritzedAgain, that continues to point out potential assessment errors. 'The current volatility and unpredictability' in the assessment system stresses business and homeowners alike, Hynes said. 'Our commercial investors cannot confidently estimate future property tax costs, which depresses investment, and our residential taxpayers have been subjected to wild swings in assessed values and property tax burdens divorced from the actions of the market.' It was a criticism most Kaegi challengers would repeat. Hynes said he 'has not made a decision' about whether he would accept donations from property tax interests, but 'campaigns cost money… it may be an impossible situation.' Kaegi did not attack any potential challengers at the pre-slating event, and faced only a few questions from fellow Democrats. He ticked off several victories during his tenure, including passage of a bill in Springfield designed to help spur affordable housing, current efforts to allow more seniors to qualify for the county's 'freeze' program, and continued efforts to reduce assessment disparities 'which fall too heavily on our average homeowner.' Kaegi described himself as 'an advocate for the homeowner' and has been pushing for statewide approval of a so-called 'circuit breaker' program to help people pay for large spikes in their property tax bills. Steele faced some more critical, though veiled, questioning, including about a lingering DUI charge dating back to November. Officers arrived at the scene of a crash, where Steele admitted to hitting two cars while driving a Honda that belonged to a friend. According to body camera footage and the police report, officers found an open but corked bottle of wine in the footwell of the front passenger seat. They reported her eyes were 'bloodshot and glassy' and that her breath smelled like alcohol. She repeatedly declined officers' requests, including to take a breathalyzer test, and told them she was an elected official. She eventually went to Weiss hospital after telling officers she hit her head during the crash. Steele kept her drivers license after the arrest because a judge agreed officers improperly filled out some of her arrest paperwork. Her next court date is May 1. Steele acknowledged 'personal challenges' on Wednesday and said she wished 'that no one in this room has to face the public scrutiny' she had, without referring directly to the incident. Still, she argued it 'has nothing to do with the job that I am running for, and nothing to do with the job that I currently hold.' 'I would promise to ensure that industry standards are adhered to,' Steele said, pointing to her 20-year career in the assessment industry. 'I can do this work in my sleep.' In addition to her work in Cook County, Steele separately served as an appointee on the Lake County Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals in Indiana from 2020 until stepping down in January. Her exit, the Post-Tribune reported, came at the same time Indiana legislators were moving to require state residency to serve on such boards across the state. She runs a property tax consulting firm called Leonor Group, which she says does not have local clients. Steele did not face direct questions about the case, but was asked by 50th Ward Committeeman Bruce Leon to provide 'more transparency about the situation that occurred… from my perspective, character does matter.' Steele told Leon she didn't know 'how much more transparent' she could be and pivoted to discuss increased assessments in Rogers Park. She told the Tribune in a separate Tuesday interview that a pituitary tumor, which has since been removed, impaired her peripheral vision and 'contributed to' the crash. She acknowledged she had a drink at around 3 pm that day, but noted it was more than five hours before the crash. Two of Steele's colleagues on the board — Dana Pointer and Timnetra Burrus — also introduced themselves to the party on Wednesday. Both have ties to the Board of Review's longest serving commissioner, Larry Rogers, who has been in a protracted political tussle with Kaegi and last year pledged to either run for assessor himself or help fund someone who could beat Kaegi. Pointer has worked as Rogers' outreach director and a senior condominium analyst that has defended property tax cases at the state's Property Tax Appeal Board on the board's behalf. Burrus worked for Rogers' for more than 15 years, according to her LinkedIn, before becoming the chief deputy commissioner — essentially the administrator for the board's 170-person staff. Rogers did not say Tuesday which candidate he planned to support. He and Steele have also frequently butted heads. Steele said she would not run for assessor if the party did not endorse her, and that she would instead run to keep her seat on the Board of Review. Two people are running for Steele's seat: Stephanie Mendoza and Liz Nicholson. Mendoza is Evanston's City Clerk. Nicholson is a longtime political consultant and fundraiser. George Cardenas, another Board of Review Commissioner, is also running for re-election. Others that presented at pre-slating were uncontested and well-known to their fellow Democrats. That list includes county board President Toni Preckwinkle, Sheriff Tom Dart, Treasurer Maria Pappas and Clerk Monica Gordon, who first won her appointment to the seat from the same group about a year ago. Democrats also heard from candidates for spots on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District and judicial seats.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Cook County's Democratic incumbents plant flags for 2026 re-election bids
With a year to go until the 2026 primary election, Democratic Cook County officials are marking their territory. County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Sheriff Tom Dart, Treasurer Maria Pappas and Assessor Fritz Kaegi have all declared or signaled they plan to run again. Preckwinkle, who turned 78 Monday, announced her re-election bid to once again lead the board in an interview with Politico. Dart is hosting a re-election campaign kickoff and fundraiser next week. Kaegi sunk $500,000 into his campaign coffers earlier this month — filing a 'self-funding' notice for next year's primary — a reminder to any potential challengers of his deep pockets. Pappas didn't release a formal re-election announcement, but simply told the Tribune, 'I'm in.' Pappas, Dart, and Preckwinkle have been in their current roles since 1998, 2006 and 2010, respectively. Many believed Preckwinkle's current term would be her last, an assumption so baked in that preliminary jockeying among current members of the majority-Democratic board to succeed her had kicked off. But allies of Preckwinkle, who also chairs the county's Democratic Party, suggested she still had the energy and interest for another term. In a statement, she echoed another motivator allies have cited: maintaining a steady hand during the Trump presidency. 'With a new administration at the helm in the federal government causing chaos and uncertainty, now is not the time to step aside from this important work. Now is the time to lead the fight to protect all residents of Cook County,' she said in a written statement. Pre-slating, where countywide candidates introduce themselves to members of the party, will be held mid-April. Besides those countywide candidates, all 17 members of the Cook County board are up for re-election, as are judges, water reclamation district commissioners, and two of the members of the county's Board of Review. Petition passing doesn't begin until August 5, giving challengers plenty of time to bolster their bids. Board of Review Commissioner Samantha Steele is widely rumored to be considering a run for Assessor, but has not yet publicly declared her intentions. If she runs for assessor, she would have to give up her board seat, which is also up in 2026 along with fellow commissioner George Cardenas. So far, Liz Nicholson, a Democratic fundraiser, has filed paperwork to run in Steele's district. Fellow commissioner Larry Rogers, who defeated a Kaegi-backed challenger last year, said he might run to unseat Kaegi next year, or help fund a candidate to challenge him. Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon, who won a special election to replace the late Karen Yarbrough last year, is also expected to run. Though he has not made a formal declaration either, Kaegi has filed paperwork with the state board of elections to run for a third term. In recent months, he has reminded taxpayers of their eligibility for property tax exemptions and pushed 'circuit breaker' reforms in the General Assembly. Those reforms, in theory, would help low-income people pay fast-rising property tax bills, but Kaegi and allies don't have a way to pay for it yet. The $500,000 loan from Kaegi to his campaign brings his self-funding total to $5.6 million since he first ran for office in 2017, according to the Illinois Sunshine database. 'I love this work. I'm running for re-election because there's more work to be done. Making the Assessor's Office fairer is a crucial part of maintaining the public's trust in local government. We need that now more than ever,' Kaegi said in a written statement. In explain her decision to go again, Pappas said she wanted to see through the publication of more 'brilliant' studies from her property tax research team, and talked about her desire to create an artificial intelligence unit. The treasurer is pursuing her own changes to the tax sale process in Springfield. The 75-year-old has also started a side hustle as a model signed with Lily's Talent Agency. 'The only reason I'm successful is I've hired people much smarter than me, but I know how to run it,' Pappas said Monday. 'That's what a good executive does.'
