 |
| operates at a level of incompetence rarely seen |
The Chicago Sun-Times reported on the insider deal involving the Cook County Land Bank Authority and a building that Ald. Carrie Austin’s chief of staff owned.
By Rachel Hinton Nov 6, 2019, 6:08pm CST
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle on Wednesday requested an independent review of a county agency tasked with helping get vacant homes back on the market after the head of the agency
admitted a sale involving a building owned by a top aide to 34th Ward Ald. Carrie Austin never should have been allowed.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported on the insider deal involving the Cook County Land Bank Authority and a building that Austin’s chief of staff Chester Wilson Jr. owned at 103rd Street and Corliss Avenue.
“Public trust in the Land Bank’s transactions and mission is critical to its continued success,” Preckwinkle said in a statement. “Consequentially, Commissioner Bridget Gainer and I have requested an independent review to be conducted of the Land Bank’s processes and procedures to evaluate its handling of the Corliss Ave. property and to provide recommendations to ensure future transactions are not in question.”
Since the land bank is an independent county agency, Preckwinkle can only make the request. But Gainer serves as the land bank’s chairwoman, essentially green-lighting the review.
Preckwinkle’s office will cover the costs, her spokesman said.
Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, who has raised her own questions about the land bank, applauded Preckwinkle’s move.
“She’s no dummy,” Pappas said of the board president. “She smells a rat, and she’s going to deal with it. She’ll figure it out.”
The Sun-Times reported Monday that Austin’s chief of staff owned the Corliss Avenue building, devastated by fire and mired in housing court for building code violations.
Wilson stopped paying property taxes on the building in 2008 and racked up a debt of more than $200,000 in taxes and interest — a debt any potential buyer would have to pay.
Wilson made a deal with the Cook County Land Bank Authority, a program formed in 2013 that wipes out delinquent property taxes on vacant or abandoned properties and works with developers to get the properties back on the market and the tax rolls.
In July of 2017, Wilson hired the county agency to change the locks on the building and then agreed to surrender the property to them. The county wiped out all of the taxes he didn’t pay and agreed to turn over the property to Lisa Livingston, a daycare operator who’d been a Wilson business partner — a fact they failed to mention to the land bank.
That deal should never have been allowed to happen because of Livingston and Wilson’s relationship, Robert Rose, the executive director of the land bank has told the Sun-Times.
Rose had called the sale “an absolute aberration” for the land bank.
On Wednesday, he welcomed the call for scrutiny.
”We look forward to the review and the ability to show the potential of all neighborhoods for redevelopment,” Rose said in a statement.
The building at 10300-02 S. Corliss Ave. as seen from 103rd Street.
The building at 10300-02 S. Corliss Ave. as seen from 103rd Street. Lauren FitzPatrick / Sun-Times
The decision for a review is just the latest domino to fall involving the land bank.
Pappas penned a letter Monday to Rose taking him to task for the “erratic acquisition” of properties up for grabs for the 2019 scavenger sale.
The county treasurer called for the Board of Commissioners to audit the group’s activities.
“This is a turd that is starting to stink,” Pappas said. “The buying and selling of this stuff — it stinks.”
RELATED
Cook County OK’d insider deal for Ald. Carrie Austin’s top aide
Ald. Austin got federally backed loan to buy home in development subsidized by taxpayers
Over the past three scavenger sales, where property taxes on properties with three or more delinquent tax years are put up for sale, the land bank has acquired 27,120 out of 96,284 properties for nothing since they have a no-cash bid power.
In her letter, Pappas says her office’s recent scavenger sale, was “made a shambles of” by the land bank for its “erratic acquisitions” of properties on the sale list and use of its no-cash bid power to hold properties in limbo.
And they don’t always keep the properties they get, sometimes returning them to the county, creating a headache for Pappas’ office.
Rose said the land bank has nothing but “praise and respect” for Pappas and her staff.
Robert Rose, executive director of the Cook County Land Bank Authority.
Robert Rose, executive director of the Cook County Land Bank Authority. Cook County
The 2015 scavenger sale was the first for the land bank, which was established in 2013, so it went through a bit of a learning curve, Rose said. But return rates should be lower and the land bank is in the process of getting the deeds for the other properties, so it can eventually put them up for developers to claim.
“We’re all looking at the same mission, which is how we can get families and businesses back into vacant homes and businesses,” Rose said.
“We were established to solve this proble, and we’re working hard to repair the harm done during the foreclosure crisis, and the scavenger sale is a big part of that effort.”
For Pappas, enough is enough.
“We all understand the Land Bank’s mission of turning distressed homes into livable ones. But hollowing out the scavenger sale with minimal returns is not the way to do it,” Pappas’ letter reads in part.
NEXT UP IN POLITICS
Ald. Austin has faith feds wont find anything in probe, but doesn’t want to talk about it
Who might be next to lead the Chicago Police Department?
Hate crime reports increase by 60 percent in Chicago; political vitriol blamed
Former Madigan consultant whose allegations rocked political landscape forms #MeToo support group
Congress passes bill expanding animal cruelty law
Judge rejects Trump administration’s religious objection rule that would have protected health care providers who refuse to perform abortions
MOST READ
Chicago teachers’ abuse of sick days should leave us all feeling ill
Man, woman, shot in Lawndale
Tired of Bears being criticized, Mitch Trubisky trying to get TVs turned off at Halas Hall
Dear Abby: Size matters to 19-year-old virgin anxious about sex
Searching for the perfect strain of weed? It just got a lot easier
Sign up for the newsletter Breaking News
Know about breaking news as it happens. We follow the stories and update you as they develop.
Email (required)
By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and European users agree to the data transfer policy.
SUBSCRIBE
Woooohuuuu we are finally hearing from Commissioner Gainer, way to go commissioner. Hope your efforts in this works out better than the pension fund issues. Keep digging Murph these people are corrupt.
ReplyDeleteToni is very smart, competent, honest and ethical.
ReplyDeleteNO
DeleteYES
DeleteToo late, a federal crime of some sort has been committed and the feds know about it. Nothing can stop them in cleaning Cook County up.
ReplyDeleteHow much do all of the reviews that never go anywhere anyway cost us taxpayers? Just like the faux "independent" inspector generals,yep they have all of these findings and all of these suggestions that just fall on deaf ears anyway.All of these clean-up efforts are just another scam to lighten the local citizenry's pockets
ReplyDeleteNothing will happen to her.....
ReplyDeleteDemographics and district boundaries have changed. Suburbanites will rebel against the Chicago Democratic Machine. Marie could win this time.
ReplyDelete