With the polls now closed, the two candidates vying to be the next DuPage County Board chairman, Republican Greg Hart and Democrat Deb Conroy, were locked in a race to see who will succeed longtime DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin, an Elmhurst Republican.
At stake is who will be the chair of the 19-person board, which also is entirely up for reelection due to redistricting. Cronin, 63, chose not to seek reelection and is retiring in December after 12 years as board chairman.
Advertisement
Hart, a Hinsdale resident, was appointed by Cronin to the County Board in 2017 and won election to a full term the following year. A DuPage native who co-owns a management consulting firm, Hart has identified public safety as the top issue that the board faces, followed by keeping the budget balanced and continuing to attack the opioid crisis.
A longtime Illinois state representative and a former Elmhurst Community Unit District 205 school board member who lives in Elmhurst, Conroy since 2013 has represented the 46th House District, which consists of all or parts of Addison, Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Elmhurst, Glendale Heights, Oakbrook Terrace, Lombard, Glen Ellyn and Villa Park. She chose not to seek reelection in order to run for County Board chairman. Conroy has cited public safety, mental health education and preserving abortion rights as the issues that she believes DuPage residents care about the most.
Advertisement
Bob Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.