Patrick Hynes is a democratic candidate for Cook County Assessor. He has thirty years of experience in Cook County property taxes. He is currently the Assessor for Lyons Township. He has been a firefighter for the Western Springs Fire Department. In 2025, he was awarded the Outstanding Achievement in Property Assessment Award by the Illinois Property Assessment Institute.
Hynes is challenging incumbent Fritz Kaegi for Cook County Assessor in the 2026 Democratic primary election. He has been endorsed by the Cook County Democratic Party.
N’DIGO: What inspired you to run for Cook County Assessor?
Patrick Hynes: After 30 years of working on property taxes, it means something to me. I am watching people paying more than they should. The only relief for taxpayers is to get a new assessor.
What’s your vision for the Assessor’s Office, and how does it differ from your predecessor’s?
Follow the law. Follow best practices and follow the best appraisal principles.
Property taxes are always a hot topic. What’s your philosophy on fairness and transparency in assessments?
Your assessment should match the property value that you owned. If you are not suffering from large spikes in the appreciation of your property, you should not suffer a spike in your taxes. That is not what we are getting right now.
What can we expect differently from you as Cook County Assessor?
We are going to follow the market. The taxes don’t match the market value. For example, someone purchases a home and it has not appreciated in value, but the taxes soar. That’s not okay.
For years, communities of color have complained about inequitable property assessment. How could you fix that?
Fair and just assessment that matches their market value is the answer.
Do you believe that the system is tilted in favor of large commercial property owners?
No, not if you do the assessment correctly. Commercial property should pay more than residential without a doubt. The proper assessment will allow that to happen.
Could your office assist the Mayor with the City budget?
No.
Could your office help with school funding?
No, not directly. The only thing the office could do was to advocate for more funding from Springfield. Article 10 of the Constitution demands that the State should bear responsibility for K to 12 for the State. I would encourage the state to meet that obligation.
We have seen significant surges of the tax bill in the Southland. What would you do about that?
You need someone with the experience to follow the market. We have had wild swings because the current assessor is not matching the market. The tax bill today is not following the law or following the market
How would you use technology to provide proper taxes?
There is abundance information at our finger tips. In this era of technology.
Right now, there is failure. The current administration does not have all of the taxable properties on the tax roll. Consequently, we are missing thousands of properties that are not being billed. We are missing billions of dollars. And those missing tax dollars get shifted to the poorest communities.
