Berrios Refuses To Accept Subpoena From County IG

By Chuck Sudo in News on Oct 16, 2012 3:45PM

The Sun-Times has the details on Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios’ latest “fuck you, the rules don’t apply to me” move on Cook County government. Berrios refused to accept a subpoena from Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard seeking documents about an illegal tax break received by an Assessor’s Office employee.

Blanchard was looking for records related to homeowners exemptions for Lewis Towers, a manager in Berrios’ office. Towers owns homes in Chicago and Sauk Village (where he’s also mayor) and allegedly claimed homeowners exemptions on both. Cook County homeowners may only claim a homeowners exemption on their primary residence.

Blanchard requested Towers’ personnel file from Berrios’ office Aug. 15. On Aug. 21 Khang P. Trinh, Berrios’ legal counsel, replied that Blanchard’s office should file a Freedom of Information Act request for the documents.

Blanchard responded Aug. 23 with the subpoena. Trinh responded again, claiming Blanchard “does not have the authority to issue a subpoena against separately elected officials pursuant to the (county ethics) ordinance” and again recommended Blanchard file a FOIA request. Trinh thanked Blanchard for bringing the matter of Towers’ homeowners exemptions to Berrios’ attention, that the matter was being handled internally “as it does with all ‘squeal appeals’ it receives.” (A “squeal appeal” is what the Assessor’s Office calls complaints filed against employees who receive more than one homeowners exemption.)

Blanchard said Towers’ personnel file doesn’t fall under the purview of a FOIA request. A letter sent from the County IG’s office in September laid out their options against Berrios: enforce it in court or find a resolution. The letter read that, under the ethics ordinance, the County IGO has the authority to investigate corruption, fraud, waste and mismanagement in any county office.

Berrios, who’s been under fire since he was elected Assessor for putting relatives on his office’s payroll, has long claimed the ethics ordinance doesn’t apply to him. Last week County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said she supported legal means to enforce fines assessed against Berrios for having his son and sister working for him.

But never mind Towers claiming two homeowners exemptions. Why is the mayor of a town in Cook County also holding down a job working for the County Assessor?