DuPage County Board primary shaping up

As summer eases into fall, the political season already is shaping up for the DuPage County Board.

New races emerged this week in Districts 3 and 4.

Wheaton attorney Mary Dickson will face incumbent District 4 board members Debra Olson and Grant Eckhoff in the Feb. 5 GOP primary.

Another newcomer is Woodridge Trustee John Curran. He'll square off against incumbents Michael McMahon and Tom Bennington in the District 3 GOP primary.

Dickson's law firm represents a number of local governments and the DuPage Election Commission. In the 1980s, she worked for the county's public information office, which first interested her in DuPage government.

"This is a decades-long dream, and now I've got an opportunity to make it come true," she said.

Issues in the 1980s such as affordable housing remain problematic, Dickson said. "We're still trying to respond to these needs with fewer dollars," she explained.

Eckhoff is an attorney and chairman of the county's intergovernmental committee. He served on the Wheaton City Council before moving to the county board.

"I've tried to make DuPage County and Wheaton a better place to live," he said.

Eckhoff acknowledges DuPage needs to find more revenue but thinks waiting for Illinois lawmakers to approve a cigarette tax is impractical.

"I don't think we should have our wagon hitched to their star," he said.

Olson is the chairwoman of the county's cost-efficiency committee, which recently issued a list of options for reducing expenses in the light of projected deficits.

Olson, of Wheaton, also chaired the county's strategic plan committee and is a precinct committeewoman and former DuPage Regional Board of Schools trustee.

Glen Ellyn Democrat Richard Dunn, a real estate consultant, also announced he's running for District 4 in 2008.

In the District 3 race, Curran is a prosecutor and supervisor in the Cook County State's Attorney's office. He wants the county to prioritize funding for law enforcement.

Asked about political divides on the board, Curran said "I see myself as a bridge builder."

Hinsdale resident McMahon is a former DuPage County prosecutor, now Judicial and Public Safety Committee chairman.

It's crucial for the county to work to eliminate a projected shortfall in revenues, he said.

"Obviously, we're hurting," McMahon said. "We need to find a new revenue source."

Bennington, an attorney from Downers Grove and chairman of the county's public works committee, said he's proud of his volunteer record, which includes the United Way and Boy Scouts.

He and McMahon have brought $29 million in storm-water, transportation and drainage projects to District 3, Bennington said.