CHICAGO – It's possible that downstate Illinois Review readers may not have heard about the ruckus over Democrat gubernatorial wannabe J.B. Pritzker's property tax scam, saving the Hyatt Hotel billionaire heir $265,000 in property taxes. But it's not likely.
It's been a big story in the Chicago area that the Pritzker's bought up the million dollar property next door, disconnected the toilets and had the residence declared "uninhabitable," saving him loads on his annual tax bill.
Pritzker, who served as the national co-chairman for Hillary Clinton in 2008, announced his intention to run in 2018 for Illinois governor last month. He's steadily accumulated labor union endorsements since that announcement, making him right now the Democrats' leading primary candidate.
So it didn't take long for the Illinois Republican Party to jump on the issue, and they released an ad Wednesday focused on tying Pritzker to Democrat Party Chairman and longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan – whose law firm specializes in appealing property tax bills.
