On Wednesday, October 12th, 2016, the Chicago Tribune endorsed Commissioner Dan Patlak for Cook County Board of (Tax) Review:
Incumbent Dan Patlak is the sole Republican on this three-member board that hears property tax appeals — 476,000 of them in 2015. We write often that this is where politically clouted lawyers long have won big assessment reductions for big commercial clients — board decisions that shifted tax burdens to homeowners. Other county politicians (yes, Democrats) tell us Patlak is smart and diligent, and that he tries to keep the system fair. On his watch the board has done its part to get tax bills issued on time, a change that saves money for other governments. A digital appeals system saves enormous amounts of paper. And the board's annual reports, dry but useful, give taxpayers a basic overview of the tax appeals system. Patlak is endorsed over Democrat Marty Stack, an attorney.