Cook Co. board scolds Springfield over seniors' tax break

Cook County Assessor James Houlihan and Commissioner Forrest Claypool, an independent candidate to succeed him, clashed with a downstate legislator Wednesday over a new requirement for Cook seniors to apply annually for a property-tax exemption.

Passed earlier this year by the General Assembly in extending the county's 7 percent homeowners exemption, it was labeled an "ill-conceived law" by Claypool. "We should be honoring our seniors, making their lives easier, not harder," he said.

Houlihan called it "a tremendous burden, an unnecessary burden on seniors" and lambasted state Rep. John Bradley, chairman of the House Revenue and Finance Committee, who represented the General Assembly at a county board meeting where the debate took place.

"It would have been more appropriate to have this conversation before the bill was passed at the eleventh hour," Houlihan said. "You have little if any understanding of this process." He went on to call the new law "irresponsible" and "a gross dereliction of your legislative duties."

Bradley, a Marion Democrat, had said the plan was intended to make sure the tax exemption was going solely to seniors. He lashed back at Houlihan, calling him "smug" and adding, "You need to rescind the comments you made about me."

Cooler heads prevailed, as Finance Committee Chairman John Daley and Evanston Commissioner Larry Suffredin, both Democrats, emphasized they would need Bradley's support in rescinding that part of the law, scheduled to take effect next year. The board voted by acclimation, however, to approve a resolution calling on the General Assembly to do just that.

Both Houlihan and Claypool pointed out the county has its own safeguards to make sure the exemption goes only to seniors, and Houlihan added that the benefit to seniors in convenience "far outweighs" the negligible risk of fraud.

Bradley said the debate was ongoing and he would work to correct the law.

The board also voted to halt and reconsider a contract given to a firm to provide uniforms at the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center at a higher cost than proposed by an Arizona firm banned under the county's boycott of the state over its controversial new immigration law. The contract was awarded to Progressive Industries for about $839,000, after a bid for $814,000 from Arizona-based Uniforms Manufacturing Inc. was ruled out.

Bartlett Republican Commissioner Timothy Schneider pointed to language in the boycott stating that it should be enforced "at no significant additional cost to the county."

Chicago Democratic Commissioner Edwin Reyes, who sponsored the boycott ordinance, agreed that "almost $25,000 is significant" and that the contract should go to the low bidder. Chicago Democratic Commissioner Joseph Mario Moreno, a co-sponsor, however, decried the move to "sell out the Mexicans for 24,000 bucks." Even so, he joined a unanimous vote to have a county purchasing agent review the contract and present it to the low bidder for approval at the board's next meeting in October.

The board also formally passed campaign and lobbying reforms that cleared the Finance Committee earlier this week. Claypool said they specifically closed loopholes exploited by Board of Review Commissioner Joseph Berrios, the Democratic nominee in the assessor's race with Houlihan retiring. Claypool said they subject property-tax attorneys who have given large sums to Berrios to the same contribution limits as other county vendors - $1,500 per election cycle. It also extends a ban on county employees using their offices for outside work to elected officials like Berios as well.

A spokeswoman for County Board President Todd Stroger said he planned to sign the reform legislation and was not considering a veto.