Endorsement: Eckhoff DuPage County Board District 4, GOP

Three Republicans are seeking their party's nomination for the District 4 seat on the DuPage County Board in the March 18 primary election. The field features incumbent Grant Eckhoff, who has represented the district since 2002, and challengers Ronald Almiron of Wheaton and Paula McGowen of Glen Ellyn. The winner advances to the November election to face the winner of the Democrat primary, either Jeremy Custer or Moon Khan. Almiron is running as a conservative with fresh ideas who will fight to lower taxes and help broaden the GOP's base of support among minorities. McGowen has been an activist for at least a dozen years and rightly points out she began warning county officials in 2002 about the spread of heroin in DuPage. But neither challenger presents a compelling argument as to why GOP voters should abandon Eckhoff, who served as a Wheaton city councilman before joining the county board. Eckhoff has been part of a county board that has made significant strides in holding the line on taxes and was a proponent of consolidation even before Chairman Dan Cronin began successfully pushing for eliminating some of DuPage's many taxing bodies. Eckhoff is well versed on county issues, as he should be after a dozen years serving the county. He is a solid and responsive board member who deserves his party's nod for another four years.