Board of review opponents clash over attorney contributions

The two candidates for the lone suburban post on the Cook County Board of Review sparred over accepting campaign contributions from property-tax attorneys who argue assessment appeals before the board, but during a Daily Herald endorsement interview both admitted to accepting such funding.

Democratic Commissioner Brendan Houlihan, of Palos Heights, said he had led the way in limiting such contributions to $1,500 per election cycle, bringing them in line with restrictions on county vendors even before the Cook County Board recently voted to extend them to property-tax attorneys and the Board of Review.

Yet his Republican opponent, Wheeling Township Assessor Dan Patlak, accused Houlihan of accepting "hundreds of thousands of dollars" in such contributions. Patlak also pointed to recent figures from the county assessor's office showing that commercial properties received an average 17 percent assessment reduction in appeals to the board, while residential properties received a 2 percent reduction.

Houlihan countered that there was a significant difference in degree between his policy and that of former Commissioner Maureen Murphy, whom he defeated in 2006, who he said accepted contributions from tax attorneys with no limits. "You're talking about unlimited campaign contributions," Houlihan said. "Mine are limited." He also pointed out that Patlak served as her spokesman before now running for the same position.

Patlak admitted to accepting contributions from property-tax attorneys, but said they were a "very, very small fraction of what I've raised," adding the system benefited the incumbent more capable to draw on such funding.

Houlihan said ideally he supports public financing of campaigns and an "even playing field." He said the appeal process tended to favor businesses who file "as part of the business plan," in effect writing the cost off as an operating expense, while homeowners tend to appeal on their own or through the help of attorneys who specialize in it. He said he was attempting to give homeowners a balanced form of relief by pushing for the recent extension of the so-called 7 percent homeowners exemption in Cook County and other proposed homeowners exemptions.

Houlihan also said he's pushed to put the entire Board of Review appeals process online for transparency, but that thus far he'd been thwarted by Chicago Democratic Commissioners Joseph Berrios and Larry Rogers Jr., who also objected to his arbitrary limits on campaign contributions. "They thought it was going to cut into the money they were going to get from these attorneys," he said. He added that he was hopeful he would win one of their pivotal votes over to his side and push through the online system in his next term.

"Commissioner Houlihan has been in office four years," Patlak said, "but apparently he has been unable to either secure another vote or secure the money or both. I can only say I will attempt to do that, and hopefully I'll be more successful." He said it was important to have at least one Republican on the three-man board for "political balance," adding that Democratic dominance "creates an atmosphere where there's an opportunity for corruption. I think it's better to have someone there who's from the minority party to keep an eye on things."

Both said they supported the new 10-25 ordinance simplifying and streamlining the assessment process to 10 percent of assessed value for homeowners and 25 percent for commercial property. Yet both said there were problems in implementation and suggested they were receptive to arguments that the new system, while lowering assessments across the county for homeowners, actually produced a higher assessed market value for some properties in the midst of a down market. Houlihan said the transition made for a tough year, but should produce smoother results starting next year.

Houlihan boasted he had cut a position and had the smallest staff of the three commissioners, yet Patlak attacked that for contributing to this year's record-late second-installment tax bills, which are not likely to go out until Thanksgiving.

Both agreed they oppose the new requirement calling for seniors to reapply for their exemption every year passed in the General Assembly as part of the 7 percent homeowners exemption earlier this year and vowed to fight to repeal that requirement.