The race for Cook County Assessor, Fritz Kaegi, saw a significant increase in property taxes in areas of the county hardest hit by rising property taxes. Many wards where tax bills rose the most supported incumbent Pat Hynes, who won 4,717 more votes than KaEGi across the five wards that saw median property tax bills increase the most. This comes as Chicago's median residential tax bill rose 16.7%, the highest in at least 30 years, and taxpayers were asked to pay $872 million more in taxes. The gap was significant in the suburbs, where property tax increases were even more pronounced. Kaegici's office has been criticized for reducing overassessments for lower-value homes and underassessingments on higher-value properties. A University of Chicago study of assessments during his tenure found that the county’s tax burden was shifting away from the city’�s economic center amid anemic commercial value.