Sen. Gillespie resigning to lead state insurance department

Democratic state Sen. Ann Gillespie of Arlington Heights will resign to lead the state agency that regulates insurance companies, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Monday.

Gillespie, who was elected to a second term in 2022, will succeed Dana Popish Severinghaus as director of the state insurance department, pending senate confirmation.

Popish Severinghaus is stepping down effective April 15, Pritzker said in a news release. She has led the department since January 2021.

Gillespie will join the department in mid-April, first as its acting director.

“It’s an honor to be asked to serve the state of Illinois in this new capacity,” Gillespie said in the news release. “I am eager to begin working with the Department of Insurance to make sure the system works for Illinois consumers.”

The senator for the state’s 27th Senate District since 2019, Gillespie represents much of the Northwest suburbs.

As a senator, Gillespie sponsored the bill to create the state-based health insurance marketplace, among other pieces of legislation. She’s also a former health care attorney and consultant in the health care field.

“(I) look forward to seeing her decades of experience at work making the insurance system better for every Illinoisan,” Pritzker said in the release.

In non-health-related action, Gillespie sponsored legislation that would give the Chicago Bears a massive property tax break to redevelop Arlington Park. The bills, filed in February 2023, would establish a financing mechanism for the redevelopment and reform of tax-increment financing law.

Gillespie’s senate term expires in 2027. Once Gillespie vacates the seat, Democratic leaders will choose her successor.