With incumbent stepping down, two candidates seek GOP nomination in DuPage County Board chairman race

Republican voters went to the polls in DuPage County on Tuesday to cast their ballots in the GOP primary for DuPage County Board chairman.

With longtime chairman Dan Cronin, R-Elmhurst, deciding not to run again and stepping down in December, GOP voters were encountering an open race for chairman. Facing off to replace Cronin are two current board members, Pete DiCianni of Elmhurst and Greg Hart of Hinsdale, both of whom are giving up their seats to run for chairman.

The primary winner will run in the November general election against Democrat Deb Conroy, who ran unopposed on Tuesday in her party’s primary.

[ [Live results] 2022 primary election in Illinois ]

A former Elmhurst mayor and a small-business owner, DiCianni has been on the County Board for the past 10 years. In his campaign, he pointed to a record of bipartisanship, including working with Democrats in Springfield and taking aim at times at Cronin, and he has cited his votes against budget and head count cuts in the county sheriff’s office, as well as his efforts in helping to write eight state laws related to health care and specifically to individuals with special needs, including autism.

Hart, who co-owns a management consulting firm, was appointed by Cronin to the board in 2017, and won election to a full term the following year. A DuPage native, Hart said during his campaign that public safety is the top issue that the board faces, followed by keeping the budget balanced and continuing to attack the opioid crisis.

Hart also has been endorsed by Cronin, by three previous County Board chairmen and by numerous municipal officials, while DiCianni has been endorsed by numerous DuPage mayors and officials.

Hart has touted his vote to add five full-time employees to the state’s attorney’s office to help handle rising criminal case loads, and he has pointed to his work chairing the advisory DuPage County Health Department’s Heroin/Opioid Prevention and Education task force.

DiCianni has cited his experience as Elmhurst mayor and his decade on the County Board.

“This is not an entry-level position. This is a county of 1 million people, making it larger than seven states,” he said. “I like Greg, but it’s important to have somebody with experience and a steady hand.”

Hart called himself the most bipartisan Republican on the County Board, and pointed to bipartisan solutions he has helped to craft on the board, including saving the county $1 million a year by shifting the psychiatric services department from the county administration to the county’s health department, thus allowing for more federal funding.

Bob Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.