Maria Pappas: 2022 candidate for Cook County treasurer
Bio
Party: Democrat
Office sought: Cook County treasurer
City: Chicago
Age: 72
Occupation: Cook County treasurer
Previous offices held: Cook County commissioner
Q&A
Q: Why are you running for this office and is there a particular issue or experience that motivates you?
A: I am running because I love public service, which means serving the people of Cook County efficiently through the use of automation and technology. For example, my website, cookcountytreasurer.com, can be translated in 108 different languages and provides a comprehensive, virtual office experience that recorded two million hits a single month.
In addition, I am continually looking at ways to improve the property tax system in Cook County and bring about constructive change. I created a property tax think tank to research and draft studies that foster policy proposals. The recommendations by this group seek to improve the property tax system, make it less costly, more equitable, and transparent.
I am very proud of my community outreach programs that visit Chicago and suburban areas to educate property owners of potential overpayment refunds and missed money saving exemptions. Other outreach is done through televised phone banks with ABC 7 and a weekly radio program on WVON.
Q: If you're the incumbent, what successes have you had in office that makes you deserving of another term? If you're the challenger, what experiences and successes in your background make you qualified for this position?
A: When I became Treasurer in 1998, the office had 250 employees. Today, there are 58. If we still had 250 employees, the budget would be $55.5 million. Instead, the office budget is $12.7 million. Currently, 94 percent of my budget is funded through commercial use fees, not from taxes.
• I have reduced my corporate budget for 21 consecutive years.
• My website, cookcountytreasurer.com, provides a virtual office experience for visitors and can be translated in 108 languages. Visitors are able to:
• pay property tax bills
• see their payment status
• view their 20-year property tax history
• learn about refunds and exemptions
• download property tax bills
• I am especially proud of my Debt Disclosure Ordinance that requires local governments to upload their financial statements to my website. I provide taxpayers direct access to view the data on both my website and their tax bill to see how much they are taxed by every government and how much debt those governments have incurred.
Q: How do you assess the ease of which the public can access records and other information maintained by the treasurer's office and what, if anything, do you suggest to improve it?
A: My website contains a comprehensive digest of data for all 1.7 million properties in Cook County. Taxpayers can easily access:
• Current tax balance and status
• Downloadable tax bill containing breakdown of taxing agencies and amounts • Mailing name and address
• 20-Year Property Tax History
• Available overpayments
• Exemption history
• Lists of seniors with possible missing exemptions
• Properties with delinquent taxes
• Uncashed check search
• Local government debt and financial reports
• Downloadable log of all Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests
In-depth studies - and the corresponding sets of data:
• 20 Year Property Tax History
• Top 50 Largest Property Tax Increases
• Debt Study and Debt Disclosure Data
• Scavenger Sale Study
• Voter Turnout 2011-2020
• Tax Year 2020 Tax Bill Analysis and Statistics
• Maps of Inequality: From Redlining to Urban Decay and the Black Exodus
Q: What is the role of the treasurer's office in making residents aware of their rights and the benefits to which they're entitled, and how do you assess the current administration's success in that regard?
A: I have devoted countless hours working in Chicago neighborhoods and suburban areas with community leaders and ethnic groups to help preserve homeownership, identify vulnerable delinquent homeowners unaware of an upcoming tax sale, and create opportunities for building generational wealth.
• Introduced the Black and Latino Houses Matter program that has returned more than $225 million to taxpayers in minority communities since March 2020.
• Held six televised phone banks that identified $26.4 million in overpayments and exemptions. o Created a weekly radio show on WVON assisting callers on property tax matters. o Appointed racial and ethnic community leaders as Honorary Deputy Treasurers to disseminate important tax information, coordinate community outreach events, and help taxpayers apply for refunds and missed exemptions.
• Added functionality to cookcountytreasurer.com enabling it to be translated in 108 languages and placed informational brochures in 27 languages for download.
Q: How do you assess the office's use of technology to be more transparent and accessible to the public, and what, if anything, more can be done?
A: My office has become a model of efficiency that continues to be studied by other governments. Numerous groups seek to learn how my technology initiatives have transformed property tax collection efforts and data transparency. I hosted 13 Latin American countries in May 2022, highlighting the technology we have developed to automate the office and deliver data to the public.
I will continue to use technology in the Treasurer's Office to:
• streamline operations
• provide data to increase transparency
• release additional in-depth studies