From the Daily Herald:
Commisioner Patlak and his opponent attended an endorsement interview by the Daily Herald on Wednesday. Here is the first story about that interview.
Dan Patlak and Sean Morrison agree on one thing — that it’s vital a Republican retain the District 1 seat on the Cook County Board of Review.
They differ, however, on who that Republican should be.
Patlak and Morrison will square off in the March 20 Republican primary for the District 1 seat. It will be a rematch of the February 2010 primary, which Patlak won with 53 percent of the vote. The three-member Board of Review is the agency that reviews complaints about property tax assessments.
Both candidates recently met with the Daily Herald to discuss their qualifications and experience.
Fighting corruption
Now the incumbent District 1 commissioner, Patlak said he’s running for re-election so that he can build on initiatives he helped bring about during his first years on the board — the introduction of online appeals and the publication of the board’s first-ever annual report among them. He also wants to act as a “check-and-balance” figure in a county dominated by Democrats.
“It’s not healthy that nearly every office in Cook County is filled by Democrats,” Patlak said. “Complete control by one party is an invitation to corruption.”
Experience & record
Patlak, a Wheeling resident, said his experience makes him a clear choice in the upcoming primary. Before being elected to the Board of Review, Patlak served as the Wheeling Township assessor and, before that, he worked as an analyst for former District 1 Commissioner Maureen Murphy. He is a certified Illinois assessing officer.
Patlak also touted his record, including working to get a Freedom of Information Act page on the board’s website. “I’ve worked hard to make the board work more efficiently and transparently,” he said.
Looking ahead
One of Patlak’s key goals for the future is to build on the technological changes he helped introduce during his first term on the board.
“I think we need to do more with digitalizing our system,” he said. “I’d like to get it to where residential appellants can actually submit evidence through their computers. And I think we have to work toward digitalizing all our records. It makes things easier for taxpayers, and it saves the county money.”