About the Candidate
Name: Maria Pappas
DOB: June 6, 1949
Occupation: Illinois State Treasurer
Political Experience: Treasurer
Website: mariapappas.com
Candidate Statement
I am Maria Pappas, the Cook County Treasurer. I have held this post for many, many years.
And I'm really happy to tell you that what we've been able to do is drive on a monthly basis as many as 2 million people to our website. So what we want you to do, so that you can learn the most about your property, anything that you've owned of the last 20 years, get to CookCountyTreasurer.com. There's six boxes there. We make this really easy. You don't have to get on a train, you don't have to get on a bus, you don't have to come from the house. All you need to do is get to the little purple box, punch that box, put in your address, and you're going to get a wealth of information about anything that you've ever owned. So you're going to know that you're in the right place as soon as you put in your address, because you're going to see a picture of your house, the commercial building, or the lot. As soon as you finish with that, you're going to scroll down and I'm sitting on 79 million in double payments. So you're going to be able to see over the last 20 years on any piece of property that you've owned, whether or not you've overpaid, click on the little red box. We'll get you your money back in six to eight weeks.
Same thing goes with another section as you scroll down. Exemptions, we are sitting on another 40 million in homeowners, senior and senior freezes that people have not applied for. We have a little box and it shows you and it says, Yes, you got it. If it says no you didn't, it says, No you didn't. You're going to get another $500. You can apply online and again, get this money within four to six weeks.
Additionally, on the website, there is a section called the Pappas Studies. It is on your left as you open up CookCountyTreasurer.com, and you are going to find a redlining study, a 20 year history study, a voting study, and a debt study. All studies done by this office helping you to further understand your property tax bill.
Don't forget to vote!
Candidate Q&A
Why are you running?
I am running because I love public service, which means serving the people of Cook County efficiently through the use of automation and technology. For example, my website, cookcountytreasurer.com, can be translated in 108 different languages and provides a comprehensive, virtual office experience that recorded two million hits a single month.
In addition, I am continually looking at ways to improve the property tax system in Cook County and bring about constructive change. I created a property tax think tank to research and draft studies that foster policy proposals. The recommendations by this group seek to improve the property tax system, make it less costly, more equitable, and transparent.
I am very proud of my community outreach programs that visit Chicago and suburban areas to educate property owners of potential overpayment refunds and missed money saving exemptions. Other outreach is done through televised phone banks with ABC 7 and a weekly radio program on WVON.
What does this office do well, and what needs fixing?
When I became Treasurer in 1998, the office had 250 employees. Today, there are 58. If we still had 250 employees, the budget would be $55.5 million. Instead, the office budget is $12.7 million. Currently, 94 percent of my budget is funded through commercial use fees, not from taxes.
I have reduced my corporate budget for 21 consecutive years.
My website, cookcountytreasurer.com, provides a virtual office experience for visitors and can be translated in 108 languages. Visitors are able to:
— pay property tax bills
— see their payment status
— view their 20-year property tax history
— learn about refunds and exemptions
— download property tax bills
I am especially proud of my Debt Disclosure Ordinance that requires local governments to upload their financial statements to my website. I provide taxpayers direct access to view the data on both my website and their tax bill to see how much they are taxed by every government and how much debt those governments have incurred.
My work is not done. With my research team, I am continually looking at ways to change the property tax system in Cook County and bring about improvements to all aspects.
What is the most pressing issue facing your constituents and how do you plan on addressing it?
I am tackling inequities in the property tax system head-on. I devote countless hours working in Chicago neighborhoods and suburban areas with community leaders and ethnic groups to help preserve homeownership, identify vulnerable delinquent homeowners unaware of an upcoming tax sale, and create opportunities for building generational wealth.
I created a property tax think tank to produce deep-dive studies that foster policy proposals.
The recommendations by this group seek to improve the property tax system, make it less costly, more equitable and transparent.
My studies:
— Maps of Inequality: From Redlining to Urban Decay and the Black Exodus
—Tax Year 2020 Tax Bill Analysis and Statistics
— Scavenger Sale Study
— 20 Year Property Tax History
— Top 50 Largest Property Tax Increases
— Voter Turnout 2011-2020
— Debt Study and Debt Disclosure Data
What specific steps would you take to ensure your office is accessible and responsive to your constituents?
I am proud of the accessibility of the Treasurer’s office by citizens of Chicago and suburban communities.
My efforts include:
— Programmed a virtual online experience at cookcountytreasurer.com, which eliminates the need for anyone to physically visit my office. Anything a taxpayer can do in-person can be done from home.
— Added functionality to cookcountytreasurer.com enabling it to be translated in 108 languages and placed informational brochures in 27 languages for download.
— Installed a phone system that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in English, Spanish and Polish.
— Crafted an Email Management System by partnering with Salesforce that quickly responds to all inquiries from taxpayers.
— Introduced the Black and Latino Houses Matter program that has returned more than $225 million to taxpayers in minority communities since March 2020.
— Held six televised phone banks that identified $26.4 million in overpayments and exemptions.
— Created a weekly radio show on WVON assisting callers on property tax matters.
— Appointed racial and ethnic community leaders as Honorary Deputy Treasurers to disseminate important tax information, coordinate community outreach events, and help taxpayers apply for refunds and missed exemptions.