Andrea Raila: 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: www.andreaforassessor.comTwitter:Facebook: AndreaRailaforCookCountyAssessorOffice sought: Cook County Assessor Age: Family: Husband + three childrenOccupation: Andrea Raila, 35 year professional tax assessment educator and taxpayer advocateEducation:Civic involvement: Appointed to Cook County Commission on Women's Issues: Served 2009-Present (Appointed by Forrest Claypool and John Fritchey); Initiated and passed three (3) property tax laws strengthening homeowner rights; Executive Committee Chicago Legal Advocates for Incarcerated Mothers; Lead organizer - 2008 Constitutional Convention Vote Yes; Place consumer, health and financial advisory referendums on state and countywide ballots;8 year Deputy Member of the Cook County Board of Review;25 year active member - International Association of Assessing Officers;Institute of Tax Professionals and Member;Illinois Women In Property TaxationElected offices held: No elected officesQuestions Answers Are properties assessed accurately in Cook County? Does the system benefit some property owners over others? If you believe the system has errors, how would you improve it or change it?Taxpayers face unprecedented historical increases in tax rates. Application of a unique state multiplier on Cook County alone, coupled with the County's extreme variation between the lowest tax rate and the highest tax rate is arbitrary and unjustified. Filing tax appeals pro se through hundreds of outreach programs sponsored by township assessors, the board of review, alderman, state representative and county commissioners is a practice rarely seen in the public tax assessment profession outside Cook County and Illinois. The most important projects crucial to advancing the Assessor's Office into the 21st century are the implementation of the more accurate MacArthur assessment formula, empowering our 38 township assessors and the Board of Review with valuation and equalization authority, and the implementation of a Digital Appeals Processing System (DAPS).A DAPS system was implemented by the Cook County Board of Review in 2015. After three years the system streamlined the appeal process, demonstrating its value and efficiency, curbing favoritism and errors. Rather than over reliance on a regressive tax, the Assessor's office should be a platform to advocate for significant Illinois property tax changes.As a former Cook County and city of Chicago employee I saw first-hand how government can work for the better but only if there is transparency, accountability, and best business practices at play---instead of the pay-to-play arena that too many elected officials and public policy makers have ignored. I will place limits on triennial reassessment increases. Perhaps we should consider an appointed Cook County Assessor in the future.Is there favoritism in the way the assessor's office does business today. If so, please explain how you would change that. If not, please explain how the office operates objectively.Outside contracts should be prioritized to Cook County vendors through open and competitive best practices. Doing business with Cook County should be under the chief procurement officer in order to implement best practices, transparent procurement methods, maximum participation at the lowest cost for vendors. Vendor enrollment should be easy and electronically accessible with an emphasis on minority and women enterprises contingent on ranges of $25,000 to over $150,000. Abide by strong ethical requirements that balances quality and price for the best value and that focus on vendor qualification. If no Cook County vendor meets this criteria we would look outside the county to acquire such a vendor. All bids must be authorized by a member of applying company or firm. Vendors must be required to carry insurance, be a company in good standing and follow county ordinances which forbid sweat shops, discriminatory practices against the disabled and minorities. Must have clear statement prohibiting sexual harassment in workplace. Employment policy must comply with current state statute which no longer requires an applicant to disclose non-felony arrests. I do not support the advertisements posted on the Assessor's website in the past, as a majority of them were from tax practitioners and possibly family members, which is a clear practice of favoritism. In addition, information regarding the destination of those resources was not transparent. If advertising is permitted, I would require all advertisers to include a disclosure notice displayed on the advertisement declaring they have no contracts with the Cook County Assessor's office.What skills, experiences and abilities do you possess that make you the best qualified candidate to run an assessor's office.35year professional tax assessment educator and taxpayer advocate - hundreds of free self-help education workshops to landlords, homeowners.Former civil servant decision maker-Cook County Board of Review, Analyzed real estate tax data determined tax appeal outcomes, research, established neighborhood vacancy rates, capitalization rates for better multi-family and commercial valuation standards. Member: Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce Tax Policy Committee, Illinois Women's Property Tax Association, Institute for Professionals in Taxation, appointee--Washington Administration's first Taxpayer Advocate Office.25yr member-International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO), Author-Professional journals and magazines. Lead organizer-first successful repeal of a Special Service District (SSA 46) tax.Leader-Vote Yes for Con Con 1988 2008, circulated hundreds of petitions collected thousands of signatures-advisory and binding referendums, candidates.Co-wrote study The Illinois Property Tax System: Taxation without Representation for Illinois Taxpayer Federation in 199425year business owner-property tax public policy and tax reduction firm. Initiated numerous property tax reform laws not supported by past 3 county assessors. Requires Assessor to cancel homestead exemptions following a sale of the home so taxpayers will not get an erroneous exemption penalty.Allows homeowners to notify the Assessor they no longer occupy their unsold home to avoid erroneous exemption back tax billAllows taxpayers 5 months to pay instead of 30 days to pay omitted back tax billsReduced number of back tax years from 10 to 3-4 years and grants right to tax appeals for back taxes.Requires taxing agents of Special Service Districts (SSA) to give businesses proper notice and better hearing rights to oppose tax levy increasesDo you think there are too many, not enough or just enough incentives that lower property taxes for commercial property owners in Cook County? Please explain your answer.Some property tax classifications are intended as development incentives. However, these incentives are not appropriately granted. Many seniors and veterans are not aware of their incentives. I am introducing current legislation so that seniors will no longer have to apply for their senior exemption every year. Veterans deserve a break once they reach a certain age. Perhaps they should not have to continue to pay property taxes at all. I am also working on a program to recapture these incentives from companies that fail to meet the goals of the incentives. Commercial properties like the Willis Tower and the John Hancock are grossly under assessed. Incentives for high end developers and undervaluing these properties rob much need revenue for our public schools. I look forward to creating a Task Force that will include property owners from every level to review issues facing property tax payers and propose solutions.Taxpayers' confidence in tax assessment fairness is best achieved through tax information sessions and online systems that disclose the data and methodology used to create market values the volume of tax appeals are unnaturally excessive because tax assessments are poorly understood, are unfair and practitioner's contributions are infinite.I was appointed to the very first taxpayer advocate office that ensured property tax fairness created by the Harold Washington administration and support the creation of a citizens' ombudsman position in your office to ensure fairness in tax policy and the disclosure on tax bills of the amount of taxes diverted to TIF districts.What should the assessor's office be doing to make information, data and decisions about assessments more transparent?Full disclosure of internal Assessor audits, answering all public FOIA requests especially assessor field inspector reports, providing online property record cards and detailed assessment data and the removal of the requirement for tax practitioners to pay $5,000 annual fees to obtain public information are needed. Homeowners should be able to go online to see the property records card, and sales.Currently there are 38 townships in cook County. None of the Townships actually create market values. Thirty Townships elect their township assessors, which are all underutilized. I would require them to act as decision makers in property tax appeals before the Cook County Assessor, assist in setting market values on special properties within their townships and have them serve as a formal assessment committee to discuss issues such as allowing for township created equalizers. Township equalizers allow for greater assessment accuracy. I would activate the eight Chicago townships with appointed assessors or elected assessors and give them the same assessment authority and tax appeal decision making powers so that each township has a township assessor that clearly understands their communities.The role between the Cook County Assessor's office and the Cook County Board of Review at one time served as a check and balance. This is not true today. The Assessor's office wields tremendous influence over the Cook County Board of Review Commissioners, who no longer have a unified independent voice. Assessor recommendations to the Cook County Board of Review are no longer recommendations, but political demands.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Full disclosure of internal assessor audits that are used to increase property assessments in non reassessment years. Answer all public FOIA requests within seven days. Provide online property record cards to all property owners and detailed assessment data which at this time can only be granted through a FOIA process. Remove the requirement for tax practitioners to pay $5,000 in annual fess to to obtain this information. The public should be able to go online to see the property records card and print out assessment and sales data instead of having to go directly to Assessors office in person.The increased volume of tax appeals takes a heavy toll on the public administration whose internal and political environment cannot make just and fair property tax assessments for many. County assessors and tax appeal boards face fewer resources and struggle with faster deadlines. Appeal boards are overwhelmed with weak or frivolous appeals.The Assessor's Office should be a platform to advocate for significant Illinois property tax changes for such a regressive tax we are far too over reliant on. As a former Cook County and city of Chicago employee I saw first-hand how government can work for the better but only if there is transparency, accountability, and best business practices at play---instead of the pay-to-play arena that too many elected officials and public policy makers ignored. Perhaps we should be considering an appointed Cook County Assessor in the future.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Michelle ObamaWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Mentor and have faith in others and learn to forgive life is about addition not subtractionIf life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Have courage to have my dream to have started a family through adoption without being pressured to first be married.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Economics it was through this that I learned about public finance and the need to safe guard a precious resourceIf you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?If you leave world without hearing unfair criticism, felt unjust actions, visited those in jail there for righteous cause you have not lived full life