Ald. Michelle Harris, 8th, speaks with Ald. William Hall, 6th, right, during the first day of the 2025 budget hearing at City Hall on Nov. 6, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune) By George Cardenas PUBLISHED: November 12, 2024 at 5:00 AM CST As a current commissioner for the Cook County Board of Review and a former Chicago … Read more
Mayor Brandon Johnson at City Hall on June 11, 2025. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) By George Cardenas PUBLISHED: July 1, 2025 at 5:00 AM CDT Once again, Chicago finds itself debating yet another tax — this time on groceries, a primary component of our lives. Let’s put the facts on the “counter” for all to see. Putting a … Read more
An American Airlines plane flies over Chicago on March 9, 2025. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) By George Cardenas PUBLISHED: May 9, 2025 at 5:00 AM CDT The recent report issued by Treasurer Maria Pappas presents just one part of the property tax assessment system in Cook County — the appeals process. While raising important points about regressivity, the report makes … Read more
Sunlight hits Chicago City Hall on Jan. 29, 2025. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) By George Cardenas PUBLISHED: February 18, 2025 at 1:45 PM CST Chicago taxpayers are once again being asked to shoulder the burden of an increase in debt and hasty decision-making. Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration is pushing forward an $830 million general obligation bond issuance. Simply … Read more
The Chicago skyline just before sunrise at Montrose Harbor on Dec. 12, 2024. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune) By George Cardenas PUBLISHED: January 9, 2025 at 5:00 AM CST As we enter the new year, the teachers contract negotiations and Chicago’s weakly cobbled 2025 budget remain in the headlines. Simply, the current contract talks between Chicago Public Schools and … Read more
City stakeholders must prove efficiency before demanding sacrifice from taxpayers. Also, energy storage legislation, a reminder to Americans at a time when anti-immigration sentiment is high, and a chuckle over a Malort reference. By Letters to the Editor Oct 6, 2025, 6:00am CST The city must look within its own departments to reduce waste before asking … Read more
By George Cardenas July 29, 2025 11:51 AM While families battle July’s heat and prep their kids for school, a deeper pressure is boiling beneath the surface: property taxes. City Hall’s latest flirtation with tax hikes, brought to light in Crain’s July 25 editorial, is more than just political posturing — it’s a red flag for every … Read more
By George Cardenas Credit: Eric Allix Rogers/Flickr Crain’s Chicago Business May 27, 2025 03:38 PM Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi’s May 20 press release attacking the Cook County Board of Review (BOR) and referenced in a Crain’s report significantly misrepresents the BOR’s role in valuations and the property tax system. The press release asserts that the BOR shifts the property tax … Read more