Prairie State Wire

Federal prosecutors have requested 5 months' worth of files from the Cook County assessor’s office involving a $330,000 property tax break for two N. Astor Street mansions owned by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, according to a July 17 Chicago Sun-Times story.

As widely reported, the tax break was provided to Pritzker under former Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios due partly to disconnected commodes that stunted a remodeling job that then gubernatorial candidate Pritzker reportedly reimbursed Cook County $330,000 two years ago.

Ted Dabrowski, a political activist in Cook County, issued the following statement:

“I think it's appropriate in Illinois that all these cases of potential corruption and fraud be investigated. We know that fraud and corruption are prevalent in Illinois and the potential case against House Speaker Michael Madigan and the potential case against Pritzker are what’s needed to bring transparency to Illinois. We're living in a corrupt state." 

The inquiry into Gov. Pritzker’s properties is part of a larger federal investigation into a years-long bribery plot involving Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) in which Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, head of the Illinois Democratic Party, has been implicated. 

The U.S. Attorney’s office has since asked current assessor, Fritz Kaegi, to release all forms of communication between Pritzker and Berrios’ staff dating back to 2012, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

But Dabrowski is uncertain whether Gov. Pritzker will face consequences.

“It's hard to know how this will play out with Pritzker," he said. "It's been a known fact for some time but I think it's important we show that no politicians are above the law in Illinois and yet they continue to try to be. His removal of the toilets and avoiding paying those property taxes is a perfect example of how the system works. The political elite tries to get away with everything and the little guy, the ordinary Illinoisians, has to pay for everything. That's been going on for decades."

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that ComEd allegedly paid approximately $1.3 million to individuals associated with Madigan, and records disclose that the utility company agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors. Madigan is not identified by name in the charging documents, released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, but "Public Official A" is believed to be Madigan who has been in office since 1971. 

Dabrowski noted that if Gov. Pritzker’s involvement with Madigan is further explored and exposed, the case will become even more interesting.

"What makes the allegations against Pritzker interesting is that Pritzker has hired many workers that were on Speaker Madigan's list of potential hires," Dabrowski told the Prairie State Wire. "It becomes very difficult to separate what goes on in Illinois politics between all of them. So, it's good that they're investigating all the links. There needs to be a lot of sunshine on what goes on in Springfield."