Dist. 211 board member Dombrowski running as write-in for state senate seat

Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 board member Pete Dombrowski of Schaumburg is running as a write-in candidate in the otherwise vacant Republican primary for the 28th District Illinois Senate seat.

If he either receives 1,000 write-in votes on March 17 or is later slated by the Republican Party, his name would appear on the Nov. 3 general election ballot to challenge Democratic incumbent Sen. Laura Murphy of Des Plaines.

Dombrowski said he decided to run because he thinks Democratic state Rep. Michelle Mussman of Schaumburg has done a good job serving the Schaumburg-area's 56th House District, and that he sees more room for improvement at the senate level.

The 28th District includes portions of Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village, Park Ridge, Roselle, Rosemont and Schaumburg.

He said he first intended to run as an independent this year, but discovered the signature requirement on a candidacy petition would be four to five times as great than for a member of a registered party.

Dombrowski, a structural engineer, described himself as a fiscal conservative. While he's also a social conservative personally, he said he feels less certain those beliefs have a role in public policy. He said his platform for state office is based on policy and ethics reform.

Though the number of registered voters in the senate district is less than that of the school district he already serves, Dombrowski said he is an unknown quantity in Maine Township.

"I'm just excited for the opportunity to talk to more people," he said.

Dombrowski has registered his write-in candidacy in both Cook and DuPage counties as Peter "Pete D" Dombrowski.

James Scalzitti, director of communications for the Cook County Clerk's office, said that while the correct spelling of a candidate's name is preferred, election judges are instructed to accept a vote if the intent of their choice can be inferred from the spelling.

Dombrowski is in his second term on the District 211 board, and previously ran unsuccessfully for a trustee seat on the Schaumburg village board.

He said he intends to complete his term on the District 211 board through April 2023, but probably won't seek reelection after that.