Maria Pappas: Candidate Profile

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Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioQA Bio City: ChicagoWebsite: MariaPappas.netTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Cook County Treasurer Age: 68Family: Peter Kamberos, HusbandOccupation: Cook County TreasurerEducation: 1982 - Juris Doctor, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Chicago, Illinois 1976 - Ph.D., Counseling and Psychology, Loyola University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 1972 - M.A., Guidance and Counseling, West Virginia University, Morgantown, W. Virginia 1972 - Certification, International Adlerian Summer School, West Liberty, West Virginia 1970 - B.A., Sociology, West Liberty State College, West Liberty, West VirginiaCivic involvement: Government Finance Officers Association Illinois County Treasurers' Association National Association of County Collectors, Treasurers and Finance Officers The Economics Club of Chicago Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce Museum in the Park Chicago Council on Global Affairs The Polish Museum of America The Chicago NetworkElected offices held: Cook County Treasurer Cook County CommissionerQuestions Answers Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election for the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you? If so, what?I run to improve what I have made better. When I first became Treasurer, there were: $30 million in uncashed checks on the floor 250 employees in the office Only six Ãâ#128;ť386' personal computers No Third Party Agent (TPA) wire payment system No lockbox No bank branches accepting payments No financial audit No Information Technology (IT) department No website No email system No phone system One mail opening machine Immediately upon taking office, automation efforts to transform the office were introduced. Efficiencies of operation were developed. Today's employee count is 88.5, well down from 250 employees when I took office. If I had 250 employees today, the budget would be approximately $42 million. Today's budget is $12.9 million, only $900,000 of which comes from tax money. Banks and mortgage companies pay the rest. 2018 is the 17th straight year I reduced my corporate budget. 450,000 taxpayers per month visit my website at cookcountytreasurer.com. Although there are many accomplishments, they are merely a foundation for my vision of the future for the office.If you are an incumbent, describe your main contributions. Tell us of any important initiatives you've led. If you are a challenger, what would you bring to the board and what would your priority be?In addition to my budgetary efficiencies and headcount reductions, some of my major contributions and accomplishments are listed below. Debt Disclosure Ordinance (DDO): I drafted the Debt Disclosure Ordinance and the County Board passed it at my urging to require 549 primary local governments provide their financial data and reports annually to provide transparency to taxpayers. Electronic Tax Billing: 92,889 taxpayers have downloaded their PDF tax bill from my website. 33,572 bills are sent via email instead of a physical hard copy bill. Payments: In 1998, there were two payment options. Now, there are nine payment options. 460,000 online payments are made annually. Website: 54 million visitors to cookcountytreasurer.com since 2004 have paid taxes or sought information about the office. Informational brochures have been downloaded 480,339 times since 2006 with foreign language brochures downloaded 402,503 times. Automated Phone System: In English, Polish and Spanish, 323,903 inquiries were received from January 1, 2016 to March 1, 2017, providing information on payments and refunds. Email System: Received and answered some 137,000 emails since 2003. War on Paper: Incorporated 4,765,458 individual paper pages from 12,011 worn and crumbling Warrant Books into an electronic system. The office implemented the first phase of a Paperless Customer Service System in 2016. Stopping Overpayments: Designed a program that has "stopped" and returned more than 65,000 overpayments (about $272 million) since 2010. Please see my State of the Office report on cookcountytreasurer.com for additional information and details.You would take over a fairly unknown office. Do you see any potential for collaboration with other local governments to get people more in tune with what the treasurer does and resources available?When the State Legislature shortened the time between the tax year's last due date and the next Annual Tax Sale, I began a massive outreach program. The office sent multiple delinquent notices and continues to partner with various elected officials throughout the city and suburbs. Due to this outreach, there were only 11,031 PINs sold last year, the fewest number sold in the last ten years. Our efforts continue with Aldermen, County Commissioners, State Representatives, State Senators and Municipalities as the next annual sale will be held in May, 2018. The office has reduced processing time for Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB) refunds by importing an electronic file from PTAB and eliminating paper applications. For court-ordered refunds, the office created a web-based interface that attorneys utilize during the court proceedings and refund process. The office receives a daily file from the Illinois Department of Revenue that contains updated owners' names and addresses and automatically changes where tax bills are sent to ensure the new owner gets their bill. Please see my State of the Office report on cookcountytreasurer.com for additional information and details.How do you assess the success of the treasurer's office on what you see as its chief duties? Do you see areas of the operation in need of improvement?Cook County (the nation's second most populous) collects almost $13 billion in property taxes in two installments yearly, then distributes that revenue to more than 2,000 local governments. Local taxing districts have benefited from over $1.5 billion in interest and penalties distributed to them by my office since 1999. Currently, my office has just 88.5 positions, well down from 250 employees when I took office. If I had 250 employees today, the budget would be approximately $42 million. My office budget for 2018 is $12.9 million, and this is the 17th straight year I reduced my corporate budget. Only $900,000 comes from general tax revenues. The majority of my budget comes from revenue generated from the enhanced services provided to commercial users of the office, including banks and mortgage companies. Another major duty is the Annual Tax Sale, formerly an open-outcry auction that tied up much of the Office for a month. Today's Tax Sale is automated and takes just four days. The Treasurer's Office is required to issue approximately 1,500 refunds annually to tax buyers based upon a judge's order that there has been a county Ãâ#128;™error.Ãâ#128;œ The tax buyer is entitled to a refund of the taxes paid Ãcirc;#144; and additional interest. I am seeking legislation to limit what is judicially recognized as a county Ãâ#128;™errorÃâ#128;œ given the historical interpretation of the law. This legislative change can save the County money. Please see my State of the Office report on cookcountytreasurer.com for additional information and initiatives.Describe your position on transparency in the office and the ease of access to records by the public. How effective is the office's website and other outreach efforts in helping the public interact with the office and understand their government? If you believe improvements are needed, what are they and how would you go about achieving them?Our website at cookcountytreasurer.com has developed into a veritable encyclopedia of information about the property tax system, both in specific information about a single Property Index Number and in general information about taxes and government. 450,000 visitors a month access my website to: Pay electronically Check payment status Search for refunds Check four-year exemption history Download forms, applications and brochures View local taxing government financial data Access their electronic PDF tax bill. The site can be translated into 103 different languages with a simple push of a button. From my site, informational brochures have been downloaded 480,339 times since 2006 with foreign language brochures downloaded 402,503 times. I drafted the DDO and the County Board passed it at my urging to require 549 primary local governments provide their financial data and reports annually so that my office can display that information on tax bills and my website. The Debt Disclosure Ordinance has provided never-before-seen transparency in local government. Taxpayers now possess the data for governments to be held accountable for how and why taxpayers' dollars are spent. My collaboration efforts continue with Aldermen, County Commissioners, State Representatives, State Senators and Municipalities to increase awareness to the most vulnerable property owners who could lose their home if delinquent taxes remain unpaid. Please see my State of the Office report on cookcountytreasurer.com for additional information and details on my transparency and access to data.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Automation is the key to continue ongoing improvements to the office. I remain steadfast in continuing to reduce headcount, develop a totally paperless office, and reduce the remaining reliance on taxpayer dollars to fund the office. Please see my State of the Office report on cookcountytreasurer.com for additional information and details on my budgetary reduction history and future projects.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Cook County Commissioner John Daley.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Never forget where you started.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have become a professional athlete.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Psychology. It has application to everything we do.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Grow Up.