What to know in the Democratic primary race for Cook County assessor

The Democratic primary race for Cook County assessor comes at a fraught time, when residential property tax bills are rising fastest in predominantly Black neighborhoods on the South and West sides.

It’s because the county’s tax burden is being shifted away from the economic center of the city — as large businesses and wealthy land owners appeal at higher rates and more successfully, shifting more of the burden onto low income home owners — according to a Cook County treasurer’s office report last month and a Chicago Sun-Times analysis of five years of tax bills.

Other neighborhoods, such as Pilsen, have seen similar increases.

With that backdrop, the Cook County Democratic Party chose to endorse incumbent Fritz Kaegi’s challenger, Lyons Township Assessor Pat Hynes, though top Democrats are still split between them.

What does the Cook County Assessor do?

The Cook County assessor's office is in charge of appraising the county’s land parcels. It also handles tax incentives, exemptions and some appeals.

The office reassesses one third of the county every year as it plays its role in helping to establish each property’s tax burden.

Assessors serve for four year terms, and have no term limits.

Why is the Cook County Assessor a powerful position?

The office has a hefty influence in the property tax process.

Blunders on appraisals or exemptions can mean a difference of thousands of dollars on a tax bill — and in tax revenue — though several employees have also been charged with taking bribes in exchange for slashing bills under a variety of assessors through the years.

Who is the incumbent ?

Fritz Kaegi, of Oak Park, is running for this third term as assessor, first winning in 2018 and again in 2022.

He first ran as a reformist at a time when the office came under fire under former assessor Joe Berrios — whose assessment methods often favored wealthier property owners and allowed them to pay less in property taxes than those in low-income and minority communities. One of Kaegi's first moves was adopting a new code of ethics for the office.

Prior to his time in office, Kaegi was a mutual fund portfolio manager and analyst for 20 years.

Who is the opponent?

Pat Hynes, a Western Springs resident, is near the end of his first term as Lyons Township assessor after 23 years working in the Cook County Assessor’s office as a residential field inspector.

Hynes sits on the Cook County Assessors Association Board and is a firefighter/EMT with the Western Springs Fire Department. He is also the nephew of Thomas Hynes, a former five-term Cook County assessor and past Illinois Senate president.