Cook County Assessor: Kaegi Captures Primary; Berrios Concedes

Incumbent Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios conceded Tuesday night, making opponent Fritz Kaegi the projected Democratic nominee for the position. After calling to congratulate Kaegi, Berrios made his concession at a restaurant on the Northwest Side.

"The results are the results," he told supporters, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Kaegi's projected victory not only shakes up the assessor's office, but also the Democratic Party. Berrios leads the party in Cook County, and the support he lost in the race could have repercussions going forward.

“The old Machine style is no match for a campaign powered by the people of Cook County,” Kaegi told the Tribune following Berrios' concession.

Normally, a primary race for Cook County assessor wouldn't normally garner much attention, especially during an election year that also sees a highly volatile run for the governor's office. But this year's Democratic contest had seen heated criticism for incumbent Berrios' time in office, shifting party support for first-time candidate and Oak Park asset manager Kaegi and the on-again, off-again candidacy of property tax analyst Andrea Raila.

Besides the heated campaign rhetoric — Berrios and Kaegi spent months of back-and-forth sniping, while Railia criticized both as political insiders — the assessor race has generated drama for the impact it could have on the future of the county's property tax assessment system.

With nearly all of the 3,668 precincts reporting, Kaegi captured more than 45 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results. Berrios had about 34 percent, and Raila had around 20 percent.

But Raila is demanding to hold another election, as well as a federal investigation. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, she filed a lawsuit Tuesday that claims election officials passed information to voters that said votes for her wouldn't count, reflecting an earlier court decision that disqualified her candidacy. That ruling, however, was overturned last week.

"The entire election day, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., has been tainted with bad information" she told the Sun-Times.

While admitting a text had been sent out that said votes for Raila wouldn't count, election officials said that they were ignored, and there were numerous follow-up messages saying Raila was a valid candidate.

RESULTS

• Joseph Berrios (incumbent): 234,248 (33.9%)
• Fritz Kaegi: 314,043 (45.5%)
• Andrea Raila: 142,014 (20.6%)

3,613 of 3,668 precincts reporting. Bold indicates projected nominee.

Here's a look at some of the twists and turns of this primary:

Berrios Controversies

As he's sought his third term as assessor, a post he's held since 2010, Berrios has faced harsh criticism for not fixing a property tax assessment that punishes poorer homeowners to benefit the wealthiest ones. An independent study released in February by the nonpartisan Civic Consulting Alliance determined that Berrios' office has continued to operate a system that undervalues more expensive homes and overvalues the less valuable residences.

Much of that unfairness stems from the county's high number of property tax appeals, many filed by politically connected attorneys, the report found. Cook County's appeal rate is 20 times higher than similar markets, with as many as 30 percent of homeowners appealing their assessments from 2014 to 2016, according to the study.

More Patch Election Coverage:

• Roundup of Results for Cook County Races
  
• Roundup of Results for Governor, Attorney General and Other Races
• Cook County Board President Results
  
• 6th District Cook County Commissioner Results

More Cook County Assessor Coverage:

• Electoral Board Sets Stage For 2-Way Cook County Assessor's Race
• Gov. Rauner Calls Cook County Tax System 'Immoral'
• Cook County Assessments Favor Wealthy At Poor's Expense: Study
• Candidate Remains On Cook County Ballot, But Her Votes Won't Count
• Berrios Fights Ethics Rules Restricting Cash From Tax Lawyers
• Court Orders Votes For Andrea Raila To Be Counted

Berrios defended the findings to the Daily Herald by saying that they simply show residents exercising their rights.

"State of Illinois law says that every taxpayer has a right to appeal," Berrios said during a Herald editorial board interview in February. "Not only at the assessor's office, but at the Board of Review … or in court."

But since the report has been released, he has vowed to make changes to the system, which he says has been broken for much longer than he's been assessor, according to the Chicago Tribune. The race's other contenders, however, have both pledged to turn around the process immediately if they are elected to the office.

"We think this office has really been troubled by ethical problems for a long time and we deserve an ethical assessor," Kaegi told the Herald.

Berrios also was fined $41,000 last month by the county's ethics board for accepting and not paying back campaign contributions in excess of the legal limit from property tax lawyers. The board also accused him of hiring relatives.

Kaegi Party Support

The controversies and criticism dogging Berrios, who also leads Cook County Democrats, have weakened his power base in his own party. State party leaders, such as Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan and Secretary of State Jesse White, still back him, but he's loss support elsewhere.

Democratic stalwarts, like U.S. Reps. Bobby Rush and Robin Kelly, have endorsed Kaegi. And he's also received the backing from a handful of aldermen, ward committeemen and other local party officials, the Tribune reports.

But even that support has made Kaegi's run and uphill battle in a three-candidate race. In fact, Kaegi's campaign claimed last month that Berrios and Raila had been working together in an effort to split protest votes against the incumbent, according to the Herald. Berrios' and Raila's camps have both denied any such cooperation.

Raila's Candidacy

The validity of Raila's primary run has been a matter that the courts have been asked to rule on. And those rulings have changed throughout the campaign.

Initially, a Cook County judge upheld a decision by the county electoral board to disqualify Raila as primary candidate but still leave her name on the ballot. The board cited a "pattern of fraud" in her nominating petitions as the reason for the disqualification.

But late last week, the three-judge 1st District Illinois Appellate Court overruled the earlier decision, allowing votes for Raila to count. Cook County officials were ordered to remove notices at polling places saying Raila's candidacy was invalid.

Kaegi's camp still maintains Raila's campaign committed ballot petition signature fraud, and the candidate is weighing whehter or not to appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court.

Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios (left), Andrea Raila and Fritz Kaegi (Photos via campaigns)