Assessor candidate Pat Hynes has taken $300,000 from the real estate industry, including 115 donations from property tax attorneys who profit from corporate tax cuts

CHICAGO — Today, Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi stood alongside community leaders and seniors to highlight how his primary opponent, Pat Hynes, is being bankrolled by property tax attorneys responsible for driving up homeowners’ tax bills — including property tax lawyers from the firm that helped cut Trump Tower’s tax bill last year. 

"The race for Assessor is about who pays: big corporations and commercial properties like Trump Tower, or you, the homeowner. Pat Hynes has made his choice," said Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi. “He's being bankrolled by the same special interests who profit when homeowners' tax bills go up. I've never taken a dime from property tax lawyers and never will. The Assessor's office should work for working people, not developers, not corporations, and certainly political insiders like Trump."

Trump Tower, represented by property tax appeal attorneys at Mayer Brown, saw its value slashed by $48 million, a whopping 39 percent. Reductions in commercial assessments shifted $450 million in taxes onto homeowners last year. The average Chicago homeowner is now paying $700 more on their property tax bill than they should be. Speakers at the press conference noted that Pat Hynes, who is running in the Democratic primary, has also taken $40,000 in donations from MAGA-Republican donors. 

"Don’t forget that for decades, the Assessor's Office was notoriously corrupt. Mansions and big developers paid less than they should while working class, Black, and Latino neighborhoods got stuck paying more. Fritz cleaned that up, and now the same property tax lawyers who worked that corrupt system are trying to buy it back with Pat Hynes,” said Ray Sanders of Northside Democracy for America.

Pat Hynes has taken $300,000 from the real estate industry, according to a review of his campaign finance records. This includes 115 donations from property tax attorneys and law firms who make their money helping commercial property owners appeal their assessments and shift their tax burden onto homeowners. 

"I help families on the West Side navigate systems that don't work for us. Property taxes went up $700 this year because Trump Tower and big corporations get tax cuts while my neighbors foot the bill. Pat Hynes is bankrolled by the people responsible for that,” said Princess Shaw, a community activist on the West Side. 

Assessor Kaegi stood alongside community leaders and seniors who are sick and tired of corporations getting tax cuts at their expense. 

"My taxes spiked this year, so now I have to stretch my budget to pay for these tax cuts,” said Dorothy Rosenthal, a Cook County senior. “Seniors on fixed incomes can't afford higher property taxes to subsidize Trump Tower. We need an Assessor who fights for us, not the special interests."

Two-thirds of Black and Latino neighborhoods in Chicago would have seen their taxes go down or remain the same if not for these tax cuts for commercial properties.

A 2024 third-party study by national experts found that valuable commercial properties are under-assessed by 20%-30% after their assessments are cut.

Background Information on Pat Hynes’ Donors:

Assessor candidate Pat Hynes is bankrolled by tax appeal attorneys, including tax appeal lawyers at the firm that helped lower Trump Tower’s taxes.

• Pat Hynes received donations from property tax attorneys from Mayer Brown, the firm that helped Trump Tower lower its assessed value by $48 million (39%).

• In just a few months of campaigning, Pat Hynes has taken 115 donations from property tax appeal attorneys and law firms, representing the single largest share of his campaign donors.

• Pat Hynes has received roughly $300,000 from the real estate industry, including over 100 donations from dozens of real estate developers, landlords, and other firms.
  

Pat Hynes takes money from MAGA Republican donors

• $25,000 from Robert Loquercio of Loquercio Auto Group, a major GOP donor who’s given at least $372,000 to Republican candidates including Donald Trump, Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell, Marco Rubio, Tommy Tuberville, and Bruce Rauner.

• $10,000 from Lakeview Partners, the business of mega-landlord Robert Buford. Buford has given more than $95,000 to Republican politicians. He is also on the Board of the Heartland Institute.

• $5,000 from Patrick Nash, who was given roughly $25,000 to Republicans, including Bruce Rauner and Josh Mandel.