Friday Afternoon Diversion: Cute Campaign Commercials

One of the more contentious races in Tuesday's election is at the Cook County Board of Review, where incumbent Joe Berrios is facing a stiff challenge in trial lawyer Jay Paul Deratany. For many homeowners throughout Cook County, the Board of Review is their best chance at finding relief from both the monster property tax increases proposed by Mayor Daley and the County Board and the skyrocketing assessments of County Assessor Jim Houlihan.

The main boogeyman in this race for Berrios' seat is Todd Stroger. One would be hard pressed to find anyone outside of the Toddler's immediate family (or Bill Beavers) who doesn't regret supporting the party line in his ascension. Deratany, a lawyer who's best known for representing MIchael Axelrod, the fan who sued former Bull Antonio Davis when Davis - as a Knick - went into the stands to "protect" his wife (who probably could have handled Axelrod herself), is playing the Stroger card for all its worth, with the unabashed backing of Houlihan. He's also bashing Berrios for perceived conflicts of interest involving state House Speaker Michael Madigan. Wee have to ask if Deratany will act independent of Assessor Houlihan's agenda if he's elected, or act as a rubber stamp to keep the inflated assessments high.

19-year incumbent Berrios has fired back, touting the 1.1 million assessment reductions under his tenure and his over thirty years of public service. The state Democratic elite have also come out in support, with noteworthy endorsements from Senator Dick Durbin and Lt. Governor Pat Quinn. We're leaning toward Berrios in this election, but that doesn't mean we don't find this ad from Deratany hilarious.