Lake County Gazette

Federal prosecutors have requested 5 months’ worth of files from the Cook County assessor’s office related to a $330,000 property tax break related to two mansions that Gov. J.B. Pritzker owns on N. Astor Street, according to a July 17 Chicago Sun-Times story.

The tax break was provided to Gov. Pritzker under former Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios due partly to disconnected commodes that stunted a remodeling job. Pritzker repaid the funds in 2018

As widely reported, the U.S. Attorney’s office has asked the current assessor, Fritz Kaegi, to release all forms of communication between Pritzker and Berrios’ staff dating back to 2012.

Glenn Garamoni, chairman of the Fremont Township Republican committee and chairman of the Republican Assembly of Lake County, issued the following statement in response:

“This happened several years ago, way before he got elected governor, so it's been put off for a long time. Of course, Trump’s justice department is bringing it up now. But if it would have been publicized back then, what Pritzker was up to, maybe he wouldn’t have been elected.”

The inquiry into Gov. Pritzker’s properties is part of a larger federal investigation into a years-long bribery plot involving Commonwealth Edison (ComEd), in which Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, head of the Illinois Democratic Party, has been implicated.

“I don't approve of Gov. Pritzker and I don't approve of Michael Madigan,” Garamoni told the Lake County Gazette. “They're running our state into the ground.” 

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that $1.3 million was allegedly paid to individuals associated with Madigan, and court records disclose that ComEd agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors. Madigan is not identified by name in the charging documents, released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, but "Public Official A" is believed to be Madigan who has been in office since 1971.

Garamoni asserts that Pritzker would not have been elected if House Speaker Madigan did not make him the governor.

“Michael Madigan is completely in charge of the state of Illinois and has been for many years and no matter who you are, you do not get elected as a Democrat If you don't have the support of Michael Madigan,” said Garamoni in an interview. “Everything he does, he doesn't do himself. He's got flunkies that make these deal. He insulates himself.”

While Garamoni says the allegations implied against Madigan will be tough to prove, he has done his part by asking his state representative and senator to repudiate Madigan.

“My state Senator is a Republican but my state rep is a Democrat and she owes her election to Michael Madigan so she probably isn’t going to say ‘boo’ and then, of course, the Democrats have a supermajority in the House," Garamoni said. "So, you know, most of those people aren’t going to say anything. They are going to frame it as a partisan issue because the Republicans are going to say ‘he’s a crook’ and the Democrats are going to say, ‘he didn't do anything wrong.’”