Democrat Fritz Kaegi heads into Election Day with clear momentum. He has campaigned as a complete outsider since May of 2017 on a platform of fairness, ethics, overhaul and transparency to the Cook County Assessor’s office. Kaegi defeated Joseph Berrios in the Democratic primary and will appear on today’s Cook County ballot opposite Republican candidate, Joseph Paglia.
In a speech given at the City Club of Chicago, Kaegi stated: “Tuesday paves the way for reform at a government agency that has operated for decades with little oversight or transparency, even though it has significant influence over the pocketbooks of millions of people.”
According to an article by ProPublica, the County’s commissioned report last February found that the “regressive property tax assessment system under Joe Berrios continues to marginalize black and brown communities while creating tremendous economic benefits for the wealthy and politically connected”
Kaegi, an asset manager residing in Oak Park, has put up more than $1.5 million to fund his campaign. He has also refused to accept donations from property tax appeals lawyers doing business with the County.
Find your polling place and view your ballot here. Residents of Cook County are eligible to register to vote the day of the election at their home precinct only. Any voter who is not registered and needs to know where to go to register and vote on Election Day can utilize the Clerk’s online Your Voter Information Tool to find their proper polling place by address or birthday. Voters planning on registering to vote or updating their address on Election Day must bring two pieces of identification to register, one with a current address.
