Berrios Refuses to Return Campaign Contributions Deemed Excessive Under County Rule

By Chuck Sudo in News on Mar 3, 2011 8:00PM

County Assessor Joe Berrios is facing more criticism, but not over nepotism this time. El Jefe del Partido Demócrata del Condado de Cook refuses to return thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from tax attorneys, citing that state law trumps a county rule that limits campaign contributions.

The county rule was an amendment to the existing ethics ordinance and states that elected county officials must return donations exceeding $1,500 in an election cycle from attorneys appealing real estate tax assessments in the county or face a fine and was drafted with Berrios in mind. In response, a Berrios ally created a political action committee called the Hispanic Political Action Committee of Illinois. Tax attorneys then began pumping its coffers with donations. That didn't stop some tax attorneys from writing checks exceeding the $1,500 limit directly to Berrios, anyway.

In a Feb. 8 memo, Deputy State's Attorney Patrick Driscoll said the amendment to the ethics ordinance is likely unconstitutional, since it applies mainly to Berrios and other candidates for Assessor. Given that ammunition, Berrios and his attorney, Burt Odelson, sent a cease and desist letter to county ethics board director MaryNic Foster, who's been investigating the donations of 15 tax attorneys to Berrios's campaign. Odelson said Berrios has no intention of obeying a county rule that was ruled unconstitutional, a position echoed by tax attorney Herbert Rosenberg, who donated $1,000 to Berrios's campaign in the weeks leading up to last November's general election.

It never gets boring with Berrios, does it?