One recent morning Brendan Houlihan, candidate for the Cook County Board of Review, was looking over the shoulder of an election board hearing officer, squinting to make out the signature on a voter registration card being flashed on the computer screen before him. They’d been staring at names, addresses, and registration cards on the computer screen for hours as he tried to beat back a challenge to his nominating petitions that could get him knocked off the ballot in the March 21 primary.
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And it’s not just any office. The three-person Board of Review oversees property tax appeals in Cook County. Each year thousands of petitioners come before the board, pleading for a reduction. Forget about the potential to redress the inequities of our property tax system–and by teaming up with independent-minded commissioner Larry Rogers, Houlihan could give fits to the well-connected tax-appeal lawyers used to having their way with the board. You’d think Democrats would want to win the seat if only because it’s a bonanza for fund-raising. Over the years board commissioners have raised boatloads of money in campaign contributions from lawyers with cases before them. Commissioner Joseph Berrios, a Democrat, has a campaign fund of more than a million dollars, according to disclosure statements filed with the state. Murphy has about $300,000 in hers.
Houlihan comes from a family of politicians. His late father, John Houlihan, was a state rep from the far south suburbs. His brother William works for Senator Dick Durbin. His brother-in-law, Lloyd Betourney, runs a political consulting firm. But Houlihan has never run for office, and he makes no claims to proficiency in property tax issues. A resident of Palos Heights, he works as an investment counselor for a downtown brokerage house. His passion is Irish folk dancing–he teaches and dances all over the southwest side.
But it’s not like Madigan to give Republican incumbents a pass. Generally he’s been willing to back long-shot Democrats in Republican districts, if only to keep incumbents too busy to help out in other races. If Murphy runs unopposed again, she’s free to dispatch her campaign workers to help Republicans in nearby state rep races Madigan cares about.
It was a large room, and there were several other hearings going on. The clerks spoke softly. One of them stifled a yawn. At one point Houlihan got mixed-up–instead of saying “objection” he said “overruled.”
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Jon Randolph.
