The Assessor’s FOIA department does not respect the letter or spirit of the FOIA law. By far, the Cook County Assessors FOIA office is the most lax, error prone and ineffective FOIA department I have ever dealt with. And due to ineffective action by Attorney General’s office, the Assessor has little to fear.

The secrecy, deception, and total lack of due diligence in the determination of this blight expansion is an outrage.

Since the building was actually vacant for less than one year before the purchase on January 4, 2007, this building is not eligible for the 7B tax break.

It is unlikely that the Career Education Corporation 7B redevelopment to meet the requirement being “reasonably expected to ultimately result in an increase in real property tax revenue and employment opportunities within the area”.

Career Education says they cannot relocate their headquarters to the vacant building at 231 N Martingale without a 60% property tax break for 10 years. This claim is weak and unsubstantiated.

Due diligence by the Village is so perfunctory and meager that the Village Board and staff were not aware of what buildings were in their own Commercial Blight Area Resolution!