Meet Cook County Assessor
Fritz Kaegi

A lifelong Democrat, Fritz Kaegi came into the Assessor’s Office following his 2018 election determined to bring change to a broken property tax system that was stacked against middle class residents. In less than four years, he has expanded protections for seniors, veterans, and disabled residents and stopped a twenty-year trend of rising tax bills for residential properties in middle class and struggling neighborhoods.

Since Fritz was elected Cook County Assessor in 2018, he has brought equity, fairness, transparency, and professionalism to the office, eliminating the favoritism and corruption of the previous administration. Thanks to Fritz’s reforms, Cook County residents can trust that they won’t be forced to pay more than their fair share of property taxes.

Fritz has been a major supporter of grassroots causes and campaigns, including fighting for greater diversity on corporate boards and increasing Title 1 federal funding for schools, which would decrease tax rates. He also supports organizations such as Planned Parenthood, the ACLU and Reconciling Ministries.

Fritz is a highly qualified expert in property assessments, holding the Chartered Financial Analyst and Certified Illinois Assessment Officer designations. He is a member of the IAAO, the International Association of Assessing Officers. Under Fritz’s leadership, the Cook County Assessor’s Office has won awards for accuracy and transparency for the first time.

Before serving as Assessor, Fritz spent his career valuing assets as a financial manager at Columbia Wanger Asset Management. In 13 years at Columbia Wanger, Fritz served as a financial steward, helping average families save for retirement as well as focusing on global small companies.

Fritz was born and raised in the Hyde Park neighborhood in Chicago, where his parents lived for 40 years. He attended Kenwood Academy, received his BA from Haverford College, and his MBA from Stanford University.

Fritz lives in Oak Park with his wife Rebecca and their three kids. They belong to First United Methodist Church of Oak Park. In 2020, Fritz received the A. Philip Randolph Change Agent Award from the National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum and in 2021 he received the Adlai Stevenson Award for Public Service from the Chicago chapter of the American Society for Public Administration.