2028 Democrat Presidential Hopefuls and The Great Pritzker Toilet Caper

An old buddy of mine who has, for family reasons, been consigned to living in Cook County, Illinois, for much of his life, is fond of reminding me that Illinois governors frequently serve two terms: one in Springfield, and one in the state penitentiary. While this hasn't always proven true, Illinois and Chicago have long been known for political shenanigans. Chicago has been, for some time, the most corrupt city in the United States, and Illinois ranks high among the most corrupt states.

Take, for example, the current Governor J.B. Pritzker and the Great Toilet Caper. This story is a bit dated now, having broken in 2018, but it's worth a look back, for several reasons - Pritzker's playing fast and loose with tax law only being one of them. This story first broke when he was a candidate.

In the final weeks of the Illinois governor's race, one unusual topic has been stealing headlines: J.B. Pritzker's toilets.
Pritzker is the Democratic nominee, a venture capitalist, and a very wealthy man — an heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, he's worth $3.2 billion.
In 2007, Pritzker and his wife bought a second mansion next to the one they live in on Chicago's Astor Street, for $3.7 million. As The Chicago Sun-Times reported, that mansion remained vacant and was allowed to fall into disrepair.
And then in October 2015, according to a report by Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard, the Pritzkers had five toilets removed from the second house so that it would be classified as "uninhabitable" in a property tax appeal filed by the Pritzkers. Cook County assesses vacant properties at 10 percent of the market value.

Note that this story comes from NPR; hardly a flaming right-wing outlet. If they are calling out a Democrat, you know there's some fire behind all the smoke.

Or, in this case, a reduced tax bill behind all the toilets.

The toilets were removed shortly before the affidavits in the property tax appeal were submitted. The county assessor's office "lowered the 6,378-square-foot mansion's assessed value from $6.3 million to about $1.1 million," The Chicago Tribune reports.
As a result, the inspector general writes, "the County ultimately fell victim to a scheme to defraud ... which resulted in the property owner ultimately receiving property tax refunds totaling $132,747.18 for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014, as well as additional tax savings of $198,684.85 for the years 2015 and 2016."
Pritzker said Tuesday he would pay the Cook County treasurer's office $330,000 by the end of the week. The day before, he had defended the deduction, saying he had "followed the rules."

So, he paid $330,000 for a spurious "tax savings" of almost $200 million? That's a heck of a deal. Sadly, I'm guessing the statute of limitations is up on this one.

Why is this relevant now, other than this being the day after tax day? Because J.B. Pritzker is already being mentioned as a possible 2028 Presidential candidate, as my colleague Chase Jennings has already informed us.

Chase writes:

Imagine being the Democratic Vice President and presidential nominee of your party and not even being mentioned as a political option moving forward? That’s where Kamala Harris has found herself. During a recent episode of the “Morning Meeting,” Turrentine, along with Mark Halperin and Sean Spicer, were debating the 2028 leading contenders on the Democratic side of the aisle. Turrentine, a former chief of staff on the Hill and lobbyist for Democrats, stated:

And, quoting the panelists:

“I’m gonna put JB Pritzker in the progressive lane. He’s a white male with a couple billion dollars, I think he’ll put money behind it. He is unafraid to say things. I don’t agree with some of what he says, but I will put him over like Cory Booker, and I don’t think AOC makes the jump yet... Polis, I’m going to put in the libertarian wing by himself.”

Note that J.B. Pritzker isn't indicating any willingness to run, although it's certain he would throw his weight (hah) behind anyone the Democrats nominate.

But wait! There's more! The contractor J.B. Pritzker used to remove those toilets may be up to some shenanigans as well.

U.S. Department of Defense records show Bulley & Andrews was award nearly $9 million through a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contract to convert the old Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park into a COVID-19 care facility. The Corps last worked with the firm in 1944.
Bulley & Andrews also worked as subcontractors on a separate Corps project to reopen Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin. Both jobs were to increase the state’s hospital capacity for COVID-19 cases expected to overwhelm the health care system, but neither hospital site has been needed and the Corps has been criticized for the lack of transparency in awarding $1.7 billion in contracts nationally.

But remember, it's only cheating when Republicans do it.

It's funny how the Democrats are always the party lecturing the rest of us about "paying our fair share," and then even fabulously well-to-do Democrats pull every wire they can to minimize their tax burden. I'm not criticizing them for that, mind you. Most of us do the same thing. I've been self-employed for over twenty years. Between my various business ventures and my wife's small publishing company, our taxes are complicated, and my wife spares no effort to make sure we pay every penny we are legally required to pay - and not one penny more. I blame no one for doing likewise, left, right, or wherever.

But I do blame Democrats for hypocrisy. In this, Governor Pritzker is not alone - remember John Kerry's tax-avoiding Rhode Island yacht slip.

Of course, there's the other problem, that our tax laws are so convoluted, so expansive, so riddled with deductions, exemptions, and conditions, that no one person likely understands it all. And the people with the most resources, the people who can hire a small army of accountants and tax attorneys, can always find a way around - and then some of them wag their fingers at the rest of us for trying to save a few bucks. Some of them are people like J.B. Pritzker.

You know - Democrats.

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