Attack ads launched in heated Cook County Assessor’s Office race ahead of 2026 primary election

COOK COUNTY, Ill. (WLS) — Tax lawyer donations, skyrocketing property taxes, incompetence and corruption are themes used by Fritz Kaegi and his opponent Pat Hynes as they attack each other in the race for Cook County assessor. From homes and apartments to commercial properties and vacant lots, there are 1. 9 million parcels across Cook County. It is the job of the assessor to determine the value of each. Property tax bills are based on that value. It is a system that historically has been wrought with politics. ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch “The same lawyers and developers who got rich off of the old corrupt system, they’re spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to take this office back,” assessor Kaegi said. Eight years ago, Kaegi was elected Cook County assessor with the promise to clean up a system he called rigged, where connected property tax appeals lawyers would successfully get bills knocked down for wealthier people at the expense of lower-income property owners. Kaegi claims his Democratic primary opponent Pat Hynes will do the same. “Pat Hynes has taken more than 120 donations for property tax appeals lawyers. They see something in him, and they know exactly what they’re buying,” Kaegi said. Hynes calls Kaegi’s accusations hypocritical. “The Real Deal just did an article that exposed that he’s taken $400,000 in real estate interests to my $200,000, but what this really is is an attempt by Kaegi to distract voters from his record of incompetency that has led to driving up property taxes by triple digits for people all across Chicago,” Hynes said. In what has become a tough and at times nasty race, Kaegi has spent much of his time defending a year during which property tax bills skyrocketed in some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods. He blames it on the Board of Review for giving commercial properties, like Trump Tower, relief, while shifting the burden to Latino and Black neighborhoods. Hynes calls it incompetence. “The voters have a choice of electing an assessor who knows what they’re doing, who has the requisite experience to get the assessment right the first time and to keep people in their homes,” Hynes said. Hynes is the current Lyons Township assessor. He spent 20 years as an appraiser in the Cook County Assessor’s Office. He has been endorsed by the Cook County Democratic Party and others. Kaegi also has his fair share of endorsements, including many progressive politicians. Both candidates have released attack ads. With less than a month to go, the assessor race will continue to heat up. The timing may not be great for Kaegi, as first-installment property tax bills will be mailed by March 2. They are due April 1.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/cook-county-assessors-office-dem-candidates-fritz-kaegi-pat-hynes-launch-attack-ads-residents-lament-property-tax-hikes/18641234/