IT’S NOT BROKE, SO DON’T FIXIT: RE- ELECT TREASURER PAPPAS

In December, Republicans in Congress passed a tax bill that, starting this year, will cap state and local tax deductions at $ 10,000 annually. This is expected to put a big hurt on homeowners who exceed $ 10,000 in property tax payments, and there are many such homeowners in Cook County.

Within days of the bill’s passage, the office of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas set up an online system so people could prepay their 2018 property tax bills. It was quick and easy— two words we don’t often use when talking about government.

The county collected more than $ 750 million in pre- payments; many of the 126,000 homeowners who prepaid will get a bigger federal tax break for 2017. It was a credit to Pappas, who has made the treasurer’s office a leaner and far more efficient office in the 20 years she has been treasurer.

Pappas shows no signs of slowing down, and we endorse her for another term.

Her opponent, accountant Peter Gariepy, says Pappas should have done more to call out unfair property tax assessments by county Assessor Joe Berrios. Until recently, the 17 County Board commissioners, Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Pappas were silent about a shabby, unjust practice that basically penalized homeowners in working- class communities.

All county officials, especially Preckwinkle, should wield their influence against Berrios, a Democratic Party boss.

Overall, Pappas is doing a lot of things right. When other county leaders warned of layoffs once a repeal of the soda tax was certain, Pappas said her office was on firm ground. She said she could cut 12 percent of her budget without layoffs. She was also against that regressive soda tax, by the way, from the get- go.

We agree with Gariepy on one point: Pappas has a dress code for her employees that requires female employees to wear smocks over their clothes while men get by wearing white shirts and ties. That isn’t right. Keep it the same for men and women.