Cook County contractor: Pappas abused, bullied executives in profane ‘tirades’

The chief executive of a major Cook County contractor alleged longtime county Treasurer Maria Pappas repeatedly subjected company executives to bullying, threats and “obscenity-filled tirades,” according to a copy of a letter obtained by WBEZ.

For months, Pappas has blamed Texas-based Tyler Technologies for technological problems that delayed property tax revenue payments to school districts, local governments and other taxing bodies across the county.

But in a letter Monday to Pappas, Tyler CEO H. Lynn Moore Jr. bemoaned what he called the “scapegoating” of the company, which has been working for years to upgrade the county’s property tax system. Moore alleged that the treasurer has shown a “lack of accountability” for mistakes by her own office in her efforts to “deflect blame and divert attention to us.”

The focus of much of the letter, though, was on Pappas’ behavior toward Tyler team members, who Moore said had faced “attacks” from the treasurer in the past year. Moore said the situation finally prompted him to conclude that Tyler executives would stop taking calls from Pappas and would not meet with her in-person again.

Moore said Tyler had reported on their interactions with Pappas to other county officials, including an aide to County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, only to hear “other county leaders minimize your conduct as 'that’s just Maria being Maria.’”

Moore told Pappas, “You have berated and bullied my earnest and hardworking team members without repercussions or reproach, and you have tried to sabotage this project, for the last time. Others at Cook County may have grown accustomed to your approach and consider this business as usual, but I most certainly do not.”

Moore sent copies of the nine-page letter to Preckwinkle’s office and to the County Board.

On Tuesday, Pappas offered no apologies, saying she was angered that tens of thousands of taxpayers across the county are owed refunds that have been delayed.

“Of course, I went crazy, because if you were Maria Pappas and you had $189 million worth of checks that you could not get out, you would be upset too,” she said in an interview with WBEZ. “The whole world knows that Maria Pappas is an attack dog.

“I’m not Little Miss Muffet sitting in a corner. I’m not going to do it.”

In a statement earlier, Pappas suggested she was facing criticism for being an outspoken woman.

“It almost feels like I’m not allowed to swear because I’m a woman,” she said. “I wonder if I’d be getting this kind of heat if I were a man or if they’d be trumpeting my strength as a passionate leader?”

But Preckwinkle said in a statement she took the accusations seriously and would forward the letter to internal watchdogs for the county.

“The alleged language and conduct directed at Tyler Technologies by the treasurer are troubling and unacceptable,” Preckwinkle said. “Public officials are expected to lead with integrity, demonstrate respect and uphold the highest ethical standards, fostering public confidence in government.”

Preckinkle also said, “This matter will be formally referred to the Department of Ethics and Human Rights for a thorough review and any investigation deemed necessary.”

On Tuesday, Moore also did not respond to requests for comment, but the company sent WBEZ a brief written statement: “We believe the letter fully and clearly communicates our position.”

In his letter to Pappas, Moore detailed what he said were a series of threats, insults and other verbal abuse by the treasurer directed at Tyler’s project manager in Cook County, another employee on the project and one of the company’s “most senior executives.”

In May 2025, Moore wrote, Pappas told the unnamed project manager for Cook County that another Tyler executive was “the biggest f- - -k-up I’ve ever seen” and she “screamed” that she would “make sure he never gets another motherf- - - - - -g contract in the world ever again.”

Moore alleged that at a meeting last spring, Pappas, in front of “multiple witnesses,” berated Tyler employee Mark Hawkins: “You stood over him, thrust your finger in his face, and unleashed a torrent of insults and threats.”

Moore wrote that Pappas more recently directed her “vitriol” at another Tyler executive, Abby Diaz. During a phone call around Christmas, Moore alleged, Pappas “insulted in colorful and sometimes racial language President Preckwinkle, the Bureau of Technology and its leaders, and the County Clerk.”

Preckwinkle and Clerk Monica Gordon are Black. Pappas is Greek American.

Moore also accused Pappas of calling Diaz a “token Hispanic.”

“You characterized her perceived lack of pushback with local media as 'a 13-year-old getting raped who just says thank you,’” Moore wrote to Pappas.

Moore said Pappas called Diaz last week and told her: “You’re a f- - - - -g idiot. Can you speak English? Learn to speak English. I’m going to ruin you.”

Moore told Pappas her “mistreatment” of Diaz “exceeds the bounds of human decency,” and had led him to take action.

“County leadership has not been able to insulate Tyler team members from your mistreatment or misinformation,” Moore wrote. “They say they do not control you, and insinuate that this type of abuse is almost a rite of passage. I do not control you either, but I am taking steps to protect my team.”

He said any communication from Pappas would be forwarded to him and that only he and company lawyers would respond. Moore also said Tyler’s entire team on the Cook County project would be working from home this week “as I do not feel comfortable having them on site in the days following your receipt of this letter.”

Moore also alleged that Pappas “claimed to have been ‘feeding’ information to President Preckwinkle’s primary opponent, Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd), about the Tyler contract.”

Reilly is running to unseat Preckwinkle in the March 17 Democratic primary, and he has criticized the incumbent over the county’s problems with the computer upgrade project. Reilly has said he would consider terminating the county’s contract with Tyler if he is elected.

Reilly spokesman Phil Swibinski said Tuesday everything Reilly has said about the topic has been drawn from media reports and the campaign’s own review of the Tyler contract.

“There’s nothing that came from Maria Pappas whatsoever, ” Swibinski said.

He added that the letter from Moore “was just an attempt to deflect blame from Toni Preckwinkle. She’s the one who failed here.”

Pappas has been the Democratic treasurer since 1998. She is running unopposed in the primary for what would be her eighth term but has said she intends to run for mayor next year.

The delays in property tax payments have proven costly to all kinds of public units of government, especially Chicago Public Schools and suburban school districts. The technological problems were costing CPS about $250,000 a day, and Pappas said in December her office had taken “emergency steps” to distribute some of the unpaid revenue, which was several months behind schedule and totaled $8 billion at one point.

“That’s simply unacceptable,” Pappas said in a statement at that time. “Local governments shouldn’t have to worry about their cash flow because a vendor after more than a decade of work has failed to deliver a working system.”

Injustice Watch and the Chicago Tribune reported last year that three Cook County and state of Illinois agencies have paid Tyler a total of about $250 million for technology upgrade efforts that have suffered from lengthy delays and big cost overruns.

Dan Mihalopoulos is a reporter for WBEZ.