A trio of Cook County holders swept the Democratic primary for Tuesday’s race, including first-time evaluator Fritz Kaegi, who survived a heated and costly battle against a new contender who failed to prove the current administration is driving out the business.
Democratic voters also won landslide victories for Cook County Chairman Tony Prequinkle and Sheriff Tom Darth, both of whom declared victory ahead of schedule after election nights without drama. But other members of the Democrats from the Council of Commissioners and the Review Board seemed on the verge of being removed on Tuesday, an early return showed.
The appraiser’s contest pitted incumbent Kaegi against Carrie Steele, president of the Metropolitan Board of Water Reclamation in Chicago, in a primary election that turned into a battle for ethics and a referendum on Kaegi’s revision of office valuation practices.
Cook County Appraiser Fritz Kaegi speaks to supporters at the Jarvis Square Tavern in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood during his main party on election night on June 28, 2022 (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
In a statement, Kaegi said: “Cook County voters have spoken out. The reform was on the ballot and voters made it clear that they wanted to move forward in repairing our property tax system. “
“I am humbled that my voters have trusted me to continue my work to make our property tax system fair and just,” Kaegi continued. “We have a lot of work to do. I am grateful and eager to continue serving the Cook County taxpayers. ”
Steele stepped back in a voice message to Kaegi on Tuesday night. In a statement, she greeted the incumbent and said she “failed tonight.”
“I respect the decision of the Democratic Party’s primary voters,” she wrote, thanking supporters “for believing in me and my vision of a more balanced, stable and fair property tax assessment system in the county.” A cook who doesn’t play favorites. “
Kaegi was swept into the county building on a reform platform. His predecessor, Joe Berios, ran an office that tended to overestimate the value of single-family homes in lower-income neighborhoods, while underestimating the value of residential properties and large commercial buildings in wealthier areas. This put a disproportionate share of the county’s tax burden on less affluent homeowners and businesses and gave tax breaks to larger properties.
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Promising to ensure that “very rich and large corporations pay their fair share,” Kaegi shifted most of the county’s property tax burden to merchants. This irritated many large landlords, investors and appeals lawyers, who said it harmed the investment and unnecessarily denigrated them.
Many of these interests lined up behind Steele, who said Kaegi had confused his office administration, including problems with technological upgrades, which led to dust on the county’s inspection board and possibly a monthly delay in delivering the next property tax bill. . Steele’s campaign donors included groups such as the Chicago Building Owners and Managers Association and unions representing construction workers, including the powerful International Union of Operations Engineers Local 150.
Democratic County Appraiser Candidate Carrie Steele appears on May 11, 2022 (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Kaegi’s team tried to highlight the fact that Steele’s husband, Maze Jackson, lobbied for the Onni Group, one of Chicago’s most active real estate developers over the past decade. Steele said that Jackson would not lobby in the appraiser’s office and that she would withdraw from “anything that appears to be a conflict of interest” related to his job.
Kaegi eventually won the party’s support, along with approval from a group of progressives in the area, and will face libertarian candidate Nico Tsatsoulis in November.
In a statement, Prequincle, who pulls 75 percent of the vote late Tuesday, said he was looking forward to a new term in November: “I am grateful that Cook County voters have entrusted me with running the country’s second-largest county in twelve years and looking forward to all the good work ahead. ”
Darth also declared victory after appearing to win, leading his opponent by more than 86% of the vote, with nearly half of the sections reporting.
Cook County Chairman Tony Prequinkle interviewed Alexi Gianulias, Illinois’s candidate for Secretary of State, at the Shellon Grand Chicago Hotel on June 28, 2022, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Preckwinkle had no Republican candidate in the November general election, and as leader of the Cook County Democratic Party, she said Tuesday she would focus on supporting the rest of the list. Her failed contender, Richard Boykin, acknowledged in a text message that “voters have spoken out and I stand behind their decision,” but also promised “to fight for safer streets and lower taxes.”
Prewinkle has chaired Cook County’s 17-member council since 2010. There she oversaw the county’s budget now – $ 8 billion, reforms to the criminal justice system and its network of hospitals and clinics. Prior to that, she was a longtime alderman in the 4th Division of Chicago.
Boykin, an Oak Park lawyer, tried to get Preckwinkle on a public safety platform, saying the county was in “crisis” by vowing to tackle gun violence, car theft, retail theft and other crimes such as impose harsher penalties on those who carry weapons illegally. He promised to suspend the county’s gas tax and tried to remind voters of Preckwinkle’s short-lived tax on sweetened beverages, which he helped repeal.
Cook County President-designate Richard Boykin spoke on May 10, 2022 (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Preckwinkle defended the public safety reforms she helped monitor, citing investment in violence prevention efforts and that bail reform is a matter of fairness that prevents low-level, harmless offenders from being held in prison simply because they cannot afford it.
Preckwinkle will face libertarian candidate Thea Tsatsos in November.
Darth said in a statement that he was “honored that Cook County voters continue to entrust me with tackling today’s and tomorrow’s challenges with them.”
“I look forward to continuing our critical work to combat violent crime, restore public confidence in government and protect victims of crime,” Darth said.
He sought his fifth term and defeated the Chicago police sergeant. Noland Rivera in the primary. Darth will continue to face the Libertarian candidate and a sergeant in the sheriff’s office. Brad Sandefour in November.
County Sheriff Tom Darth spoke during a press conference at the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Department on December 9, 2021 in Maywood. (Stacy Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Allegations that Darth was lenient with regard to crime amid a local jump in shootings and other crimes have been dropped as he successfully removed several contenders from the ballot, lowering the primary field from five to two. Among those whose candidacies have ended in recent weeks has been a former Darts chief associate who now works in the office of the district court’s secretary, Carmen Navarro Gercone.
Cook County Sheriff’s Candidate Noland Rivera participated in a forum at the Union League Club in Chicago on June 2, 2022 (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
The prison was not only considered a one-time national hotspot for the virus, but the rise in violent crime during the pandemic sparked heated conversations with city, county and government officials about the appropriate use of electronic monitoring.
Dart was also on Dart’s side: he has been a sheriff since 2006 and had the approval of the Cook County Democratic Party and a huge military basket of the campaign compared to the contenders.
Chicago Ald. George Cardenas has declared victory in his Democratic primary to nominate Cook County Commissioner Tammy Wend. She did not respond to a request for comment. Cardenas of the 12th Division will not run in the November general election to become one of the three leaders of the tax appeals agency.
Another board member, Michael Cabonargi, was locked in a Democratic primary race against Samantha Steele on Tuesday, while a third board member, Larry Rodgers Jr., opposed the re-election bid.
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