by Princess Shaw
There’s an affordability crisis that has been identified on the West and South Side of Chicago, with too many families being priced out of their homes by rising property tax bills.
We can’t sit by and watch as our communities get pushed out of their homes by a broken system that would lower taxes for corporations that don’t need the help, rather than dump the hefty bills off on communities like ours.
In the upcoming race for Cook County Assessor, there’s only one candidate fighting for us, and that’s Assessor Fritz Kaegi.
Fritz is not only working to make the system fairer, but he’s also shown up for West and South Side families. He’s worked to expand property tax relief programs. His office has implemented a new community engagement department that attends community meetings when asked and walks alongside the very communities that need assistance. And he understands what it means to be a partner to the community, pledging to work with local organizations and community leaders to deliver fair assessments and property tax hike relief to keep people in their homes.
While our bills spiked, luxury towers in the Loop had their tax bills lowered. Big hotels, profitable data centers, and even Trump Tower all got sweetheart deals. These are all made possible by politicians who take donations from special interests like the property tax appeal lawyers who drive up our tax bills. Fritz Kaegi is fighting to make big corporations pay their fair share, so communities don’t have to.
Fritz also has a proven track record of expanding property tax relief programs. His efforts with the Tax Relief Program during COVID-19, the first time in recent memory that an Assessor has taken such a step, helped thousands of families. Fritz was the driver behind the following bills to help families stay in their homes:
- HB3790, which raises the income threshold above $65,000 — expanding the number of senior homeowners eligible to receive the Senior Freeze exemption.
- SB1750, which allows the Cook County Assessor’s Office to automatically renew the Senior Freeze exemption for those homeowners already enrolled. This would ease a burden for many low-income seniors who may have difficulty renewing the exemption annually.
In contrast, Fritz’s opponent, Pat Hynes, is bankrolled by the shady special interests who drive up our tax bills.
Pat Hynes comes from a long line of attorneys for the rich. He does not know one thing about the suffering of those who have to make a dollar out of 15 cents. He has been brought up with a silver spoon in his mouth and trained to save the rich a dollar, even if it means a person may not be able to keep food on the table. Knowing you have power and not doing right by people with the power you have is very similar to the dictatorship we see in the White House now — the same MAGA movement funding Pat Hynes.
In the primary election on March 17, I’m calling on all my neighbors to join me in supporting Fritz Kaegi, because he works for us — not the billionaires or big developers, and not the MAGA movement either.
