Endorsement: Reboletti for state Senate Dist. 24, GOP

With Kirk Dillard seeking the governor's office, two well-known names are looking to take his spot in the state Senate from District 24. State Rep. Dennis Reboletti of Elmhurst has served seven years in the state House and is a member of the GOP leadership team. He is opposed by Chris Nybo of Elmhurst, a former state representative. During his one term (Nybo ran unsuccessfully against Dillard two years ago), Nybo set himself apart as someone who was willing to take votes not deemed safe politically. Chief among those was his vote, the only Republican to do so, to approve workers' compensation reforms. We like that kind of independence. However, Reboletti has a more distinguished record in his House tenure. As a former prosecutor in Will County, he has been an advocate of law-and-order issues, most recently taking the lead in a series of bills dealing with the heroin epidemic in DuPage County and beyond. He approved the pension reform package, which Nybo also supports. He is in favor of major gambling expansion in the state, which we think goes too far. But we also take issue with Nybo's premise that casinos in Aurora, Elgin or Joliet should be shut down in favor of a Chicago casino. For his experience, Reboletti gets the nod for the GOP nomination.