Letter to the Editor

Letter: Never Forget that DuPage County Officials Have Set Their Sights on Our Open Land

Forest District commissioners must fight to keep DuPage Forest District separate from the County Board or risk huge step backwards to 1988.

I am reading about this Deb Conroy (D-46th Elmhurst) legislation to eliminate the DuPage County Forest Preserve District commissioners' pay and the bill to move over their responsibilities to the DuPage County Board members. This does seem like a huge step backwards in time, to 23 years ago.   In 1988, the County Board commissioners and committees eagerly thought that an incinerator on Forest Preserve district property would solve their revenue problems. I became a Board Member of CHASE, the citizens group that fought this county plan, and then the "Landfill Beyond our Lifetime" plan. The idea 21 years ago then was to fully separate the County Board from the interests of the Forest Preserve District lands so that the county could not make …

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Robert Kolb

1:22 pm on Thursday, March 21, 2013

Jim- I couldn't agree more! Term limitations, would largely eliminate complacency, the possibility of fraud, and backroom (good ole boy) dealings. I think adequate compensation should be paid for these positions, so that they are meaningful. Unopposed political races in our city are sad, and disease the good government process. Robert K Kolb, Candidate for 5 th Ward Alderman   more ›

DuPage County Board Approves 2013 Budget

DuPage County Board approves budget for fiscal year 2013 that is $7.3 million less than the previous year. The budget includes cutting seven staff positions and $16.9 million in appropriations for campus and county-wide improvements.

The DuPage County Board Tuesday approved a Fiscal Year 2013 budget that is $7.3 million less than the previous year, according to a press release from DuPage County. DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin said in a statement the $432.6 million budget represents his commitment to reduce the financial burden of government on taxpayers. Since taking office, Cronin has reduced the County’s budget by more than $13 million, according to the release.  “It is important that we demonstrate to taxpayers that government can make the sacrifices necessary to meet the bottom line. The Fiscal Year 2013 budget is a testament to that pledge," Cronin said. Finance Chairman Paul Fichtner said this is the fifth consecutive year that the County has not raised…

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Should DuPage Reps Hold Multiple Offices? Voters Say No, but Mayor Says He Will

The Burr Ridge mayor who had a narrow unofficial victory Tuesday night in his District 3 DuPage County Board race said he still wants to hold both offices simultaneously.

Gary Grasso said he does not plan on stepping down as Burr Ridge's mayor if his DuPage County Board victory Tuesday night becomes official, even after DuPage voters overwhelmingly supported an advisory referendum on the ballot discouraging politicians from holding multiple elected offices at the same time. "If the results hold, I intend to hold both offices," Grasso said Wednesday morning. At the end of the night Tuesday, Grasso held an 11-vote lead over Sharon E. Bryant (33,286 votes to 33,275) for the last of three District 3 spots on the DuPage County Board. The father of six, according to the Daily Herald's candidate profile, said he's been told it might be two weeks before all provisional ballots are counted and a result is official…

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Election Results: DuPage County Board, Forest Preserve

DuPage County voters elected eight newcomers to the county board, along with the the first Democratic forest preserve commissioner in a decade.

DuPage County voters rejected a proposition Tuesday that asked whether elected officials should be able to hold more than one office at a time. With all 748 precincts reporting, unofficial results show that a resounding 90 percent (332,657) of DuPage County voters rejected the proposal. Only 36,571 voted "yes." The question was placed on the general election ballot after Elmhurst Mayor Peter DiCianni and Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso announced their plans to run for DuPage County Board seats in Districts 2 and 3, respectively. Both DiCianni and Grasso were declared winners Tuesday. DiCianni plans to resign his current position to serve the county board. Grasso has said he wants to hold both offices. Winner: Chris Kachiroubas (R) Republican …

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2012 Election Results: How Darien, Downers Grove and Woodridge Voted

The results are in. Find out who won the races for county, state and congressional seats and other elections in Darien, Downers Grove and Woodridge.

When the votes are tallied tonight, check back to Patch for all of the results impacting your neighborhood.  Throughout the night, we'll be posting updates on the vote counts and talking about the presidential election and more in our live blog. Tonight: Join Patch's Live Blog As Election Results Roll In Read our election guide for information about local races and candidates.  Want to keep talking about the election? Like us on Facebook and get the latest local news sent free to your email:

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DuPage Chairman Presents FY 2013 Budget

DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin presents budget for fiscal year 2013.

DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin this week presented a budget for fiscal year 2013, with a spending plan of about $431.8 million. The proposed budget is an $8.1 million reduction from FY 2012, and includes cuts in full-time personnel and $16.9 million appropriated for campus and county-wide improvements, including the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Cronin said county savings from the Enterprise Resource Planning system (ERP) are around $800,000, and the budget reflects significant cost savings as a result of evaluating operations of the 24 independent agencies in the county. According to a press release, one of the largest challenges for the county is the cost of employee pensions, accounting for $30 million in the …

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County Referendum on Dual Elected Duty will be on November Ballot

Referendum is advisory; DuPage Chairman Dan Cronin says County Board duties require "undivided focus."

Editor's Note: The following information was provided by DuPage County officials. DuPage County voters will be asked this November whether one elected official should be permitted to hold more than one elected office at the same time. The DuPage County Board Tuesday approved an advisory referendum question that will appear on the November general election ballot asking voters: “Should Illinois law permit an individual to hold two or more public elected offices simultaneously?” DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin sought the referendum question in order to gauge the public’s sentiment on the issue. Two sitting DuPage mayors are running for election to the DuPage County Board this fall, Elmhurst Mayor Pete DiCianni and Burr Ridge Mayor …

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DuPage Election Commission Chairman Resigns

J.P. “Rick” Carney of Wheaton resigned following a report criticizing the agency.

The chairman of the DuPage Election Commission has resigned, according to the Chicago Tribune.  J.P. “Rick” Carney of Wheaton submitted his resignation Friday. Carney has served on the three-person board since 2005.  Carney resigned the same day DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin and 11 other board members sent him a letter urging him to step aside, according to the Trib.  His resignation follows a report criticizing the agency's disclosure, ethics and procurement policies, among other things, and the replacement of two commissioners who had been serving long after their terms had expired, according to the Trib.  Read more at the Chicago Tribune here. 

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Letter to the Editor

Letter: DiCianni Responds to Sandack Robo-call About His Endorsement

DiCianni is proud of his endorsements and record of accomplishment.

Sen. Ron Sandack had pledged his support for me back in November of last year. He was noted on my mail piece, along with nine other state legislators, endorsing my candidacy for early voting back in late March.  Last week, I was disappointed when the senator called me to say he was pulling his endorsement. While I questioned his timing, I told him I would remove him from any future campaign material, which I did.  My endorsement mailer includes former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan, Republican leadership in both the House and Senate, with endorsements from Leaders Cross and Radogno, Reps. Patti Bellock and Jim Durkin, 17 DuPage Mayors, six DuPage County officials, inlcuding DuPage Forest Preserve District President Dewey Perotti, and …

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Darlene Heslop

8:09 pm on Sunday, March 25, 2012

they shouldn't "need the job"...it's part time...and is considered public service. they cling to the job because where else can you get paid $50k for 20 hours or less per week, have health insurance, and get a guaranteed retirement benefit at 80% of your final salary after 8 years of service? the only full time board member is the chairman.   more ›