In a recent commentary (“We need to be honest with taxpayers about what’s driving their property taxes so high,” Nov. 12), Cook County Board of Review Commissioner George Cardenas fervently argues that there ought to be more transparency in local government. I agree with and applaud this sentiment, provided it is put in its proper context.
Cardenas writes: “As the Cook County assessor’s office finalizes the 2024 assessment, where are the public maps by city ward and city neighborhood that show taxpayers the new reality?”
As he knows, it is not possible to show taxpayers this information until we finish deciding appeals and certify our assessments. In early 2025, once that process has concluded, my office plans to release data showing how the property tax burden has shifted between homeowners and commercial property owners within the city. On our website, we share this information for every township and municipality in Cook County from 2019 onward.
Using our assessments to forecast tax bills, however, may not provide a very robust prediction. That’s because, in recent history, the Board of Review has disproportionately cut the value of commercial properties on appeal, shifting the tax burden onto homeowners. In the 2023 tax year, the Board of Review’s reductions meant the median south suburban homeowner saw a tax increase of 20%.
This is not news. In August, the Tribune Editorial Board pointed to this shift as a factor that could contribute to rising property tax bills for Chicago homeowners next year.
But I want to highlight a troubling, lesser-known fact: There is little transparency around why the Board of Review grants these large reductions.
My office publishes methodology worksheets in which we share the assumptions we use to derive values for commercial property. This allows property owners to highlight specific disagreements they may have when submitting an appeal. Ideally, it would allow outside parties — such as commercial lenders — to obtain a predictable sense of market value.
The Board of Review’s methods remain obscure. The public does not have access to the assumptions guiding its appeals decisions and so no way to call the board to account for its work.
If two bodies differ in opinions of value that affect taxpayers, taxpayers should be able to inquire into the reasons for this difference. Let’s establish shared, open and clear standards for commercial assessment.
I look forward to working with other officials in the property tax system, including Board of Review Commissioner Cardenas, to implement these reforms.
— Fritz Kaegi, Cook County assessor
Take domestic abuse seriously
My heart nearly broke listening to the news last week. One TV channel after another reported on recent cases of women being attacked or killed allegedly by the men in their lives. There likely was a build-up to this final act of violence. Where were the adult children, if any? Could friends or neighbors have helped?
Sad to say, even when law enforcement was notified, nothing helped. In one case, the man had to wear an ankle bracelet. He later stabbed his wife to death and then killed himself, police said. How on earth does an ankle bracelet deter anyone? With our weak laws and sometimes-indifferent judges, the victim is thrown right back into the lion’s den.
I pray that domestic abuse is always taken seriously and perpetrators are dealt with in swift and decisive ways by the courts. These horrors in the home must end.
— Kathleen Melia, Niles
Women’s safety on Capitol Hill
My response to U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, who wants to keep transgender women out of Capitol Hill ladies’ rooms out of alleged concern for women’s safety and security? She is barking up the wrong tree.
Personally, I would be way more afraid to be alone in a room with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose family babysitter reported he sexually assaulted her; Donald Trump, who was found liable for sexually abusing journalist E. Jean Carroll; Elon Musk, who was accused of exposing himself to a flight attendant and propositioning her; Peter Hegseth, who was accused of sexually assaulting a woman; or Matt Gaetz, whom congressional investigators were told had sex with a minor.
— Linda Falcao, North Wales, Pennsylvania
Emanuel should be DNC chair
In the Nov. 20 edition of the Tribune, columnist Laura Washington decries calls from accomplished political analyst David Axelrod and others for former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to become the chair of the Democratic National Committee (“Rahm Emanuel leading the Democrats is a nonstarter”) .
On the same page was an op-ed by retired Chicago journalist Andy Shaw with an opposing view (“Emanuel is the best choice to lead Dems out of the political wilderness”).
Emanuel is a polarizing figure, but that is exactly what the Democrats need. Love him or loathe him, he gets results. He is also a prolific fundraiser, backroom wheeler-dealer and arm twister. Exactly!
The voters just proved that many people hew to the center. Some are center-left, but more appear to be center-right.
The Democrats, for far too long, have attempted to be all things to all people, and that is an unsustainable position. The feeling among many in the electorate is that the Democrats are more concerned with pronouns than kitchen-table issues. By all means, give each special-interest group a seat at the table, but these groups cannot drive the conversation or the direction of the party. The progressives in Congress make the most demands and the most noise, and yet they are not the majority in their own caucus. That has to be the province of the center, until such a time that the progressives gain a clear majority, not only in the party but also throughout the nation as a whole.
So I agree with Shaw. Emanuel for DNC chair. And then turn the tiger loose.
— Len Levy, Glenview
Dueling opinions are excellent
It was nice to read the op-ed by Andy Shaw and the column by Laura Washington about whether Rahm Emanuel should be chosen as the next DNC chairperson.
They clearly state their divergent opinions with easy-to-follow pros and cons. It was nice that the paper printed them on the same page so that the reader could read both pieces. It reminded me of the final minutes of the old “60 Minutes” in which it had two reporters discussing the same issue, as well as the “Saturday Night Live” skit with Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin.
It would be nice if the paper could make this a weekly contribution by different people that covers a wide range of issues from politics, world events and sports.
— Cary Riske, Grayslake
Kenyans exploited for AI work
I am not on Facebook. I have zero interest. Anyone see “60 Minutes” recently? Meta, Facebook’s parent company, and OpenAI employed people in Kenya making $2 an hour to work on artificial intelligence programming. There’s not much workers can do about it. Kenya has little in the way of worker protections. Workers are afraid of losing their jobs in a country where unemployment is 67% among young people.
Kenya is not fighting it. The work would simply move elsewhere. The work is outsourced to a developing nation, where it is obviously a lot cheaper than it would be in the U.S.
Do people still want to use Facebook? I’ll be interested to see how the protesters and politicians in this country, who care about outsourcing and how workers are treated, react.
— Laurence Siegel, Manteno, Illinois
Ensure delivery, prevent theft
With the Christmas season quickly approaching, a delivery person should ring the doorbell or buzzer for packages. It takes only a second to push the button.
I recently had a package sit on the doorstep of my building for two days because I had no reason to leave the building. It wasn’t stolen, but it could have been.
— Fred Rybicki, Lansing
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