I'm opposed to Illinois House Bill 1356, which would require anyone who runs for the Board of Review to be a lawyer.

Our property tax system needs ongoing reform. But this bill would discourage reformers and real estate professionals from running for public office.

Right now, all three Cook County Board of Review commissioners are lawyers. We don't need a law to make this possible. This bill would not apply to any other counties in Illinois. We should ask ourselves why this bill needs to be passed and who will benefit from it.

No other office in Cook County's property tax system has a law like this.

Appeals from the Board of Review go to the Property Tax Appeals Board. There is no requirement to have a law degree to serve on the Property Tax Appeals Board.

This bill is also not the standard elsewhere in the country. In other large jurisdictions around the country, including New York City, Dallas, Seattle, Miami, D.C. and Los Angeles, there is no requirement that board members must be attorneys.

In many other property tax jurisdictions, real estate professionals outnumber lawyers on the boards that hear assessment appeals.

Finally, in the suburbs of Cook County, Township Assessors serve as ex-officio deputies of our office. This bill would prevent many of them from putting their knowledge to work at the Board of Review in service of taxpayers.

Township Assessors are some of the most knowledgeable people in the county when it comes to property assessments and appeals thanks to decades of skills and training. It's a mistake to block them from running for this office if they aren't a lawyer.

It's a step backward if we don't continue to allow real estate professionals and others from the private sector to serve in this capacity merely because they are not lawyers.