The Lilac PostOpinion · Our view
Meet our candidates
We sent many of the candidates The Lilac Post recommends in our 2026 voter guide a short questionnaire written for the office each is seeking. Their answers appear here in their own words, unedited except that we cut anything past 150 words. This page is part of our opinion section, and the recommendations are the paper’s own. We will add more candidates’ answers here as they arrive.
Chair of the County Board
Preferred
Courtesy of the campaign - Why you’re running. Why are you running for Chair of the DuPage County Board, and what is the first thing you would work on if elected?
I'm running because DuPage taxpayers deserve a Chair who puts their money first. As Mayor of Burr Ridge, former Chair of the DuPage County 9-1-1 Emergency Board, former member of the DuPage County Board of Health and an attorney, I am more qualified, experienced and tested than my opponent.
The first thing I'll do is audit and cut spending. The County budget has grown by $127 million since my opponent took office, from $584 million in 2023 to a proposed $710.7 million.
I will also reject and roll back the Chair's 40% raise, including the automatic increases built into it. I'll ask voters to cut the County Board from 18 members to 9, saving more than $480,000 a year. Finally, I'll abate the County's share of your property taxes. Even 2% to 3% shows taxes can come down, as we've done in Burr Ridge and Willowbrook has now done.
- Taxes and spending. Property taxes and the cost of living weigh heavily on Lombard families. As chair, where would you cut the county budget, where would you hold the line, and are there any tax or fee increases you would support?
I would start by asking the Board to rescind its decision to build an $84 million public works facility on the County Fairgrounds, a cost that could reach $95 million. Instead, I'd work with our nine townships on personnel, equipment and fair funding so they can maintain the County roads within their borders. Townships already do this well.
I would phase out the County zoning department through attrition and match zoning in unincorporated areas, only 12% of the County, to the neighboring municipality.
I would also cut the size of the Board, roll back the Chair's raise and abate the County's portion of your property taxes, as we've done in Burr Ridge and Willowbrook has now done.
I would not support any additional taxes or fees, and I will work with the Board to stop the automatic increases in the County gas tax.
- Families and health. The county funds public health and mental-health services. What role should the county play in supporting families, including expectant mothers, young children and people facing a mental-health crisis, and how would you judge whether that money is doing real good?
Public health is one of the County's core jobs, and I know it from the inside. I served 12 years on the DuPage County Board of Health, from 1999 to 2010, and chaired the 9-1-1 Emergency Board from 2014 to 2018.
The Health Department already does real good for families. WIC and Family Case Management help expectant mothers and young children, and Healthy Families DuPage visits new parents at home, with services right here at the Lombard health center. Mental health care was a priority when I served, and it still is. I will protect what works.
Every program should be reviewed for quality and results each year, especially the new crisis center. We should measure “saves” and “assists” against cost, but compassion has to weigh heavily, and the needs of the people we serve come before hard costs. Balance is key: keep what works and fix what doesn't.
- Leading the board. The chair runs County Board meetings and makes appointments to many county boards and commissions. How would you lead the board and handle those appointments so that residents can trust the process?
When it comes to running meetings, I have chaired village and 9-1-1 board meetings, and I am a consensus builder. In 14 years as Mayor of Burr Ridge, I have never had to vote on a substantive project, because I listen and make sure trustees and committee members have the information they need to make informed decisions. I respect every member regardless of party, and I'm running in part to end divisiveness in government.
For appointments, I will require written applications for open and renewing positions, post openings on the County website, and encourage residents, especially young adults, to get involved in County government. Applicants will be discussed publicly, and appointments will be announced publicly. Transparency will be the expectation.
- Lombard. What is one county issue facing Lombard or our part of DuPage County that you would work on, and how would you go about it?
For unincorporated areas next to Lombard, I will propose adopting Lombard's zoning so the rules stay consistent with the village.
Lake Michigan water will also be an issue of profound importance to all of DuPage. Lombard gets its Lake Michigan water from the DuPage Water Commission, which buys it from Chicago. I will work with the Commission to define and develop a direct source of Lake Michigan water that doesn't depend on Chicago. We need to control our own water destiny in DuPage.