Syed V. Hussain: 2026 candidate for DuPage County Board District 4

Bio

Party: Democratic

Office sought: DuPage County Board District 4 (4-Year Term)

City: Wheaton

Age: 52

Occupation: Strategy & product consultant

Previous offices held: None elected. Appointed to Wheaton Historic Commission, presently vice chair.

Q&A

Why are you running for this office? Is there a particular issue that motivates you?

The America I grew up in, and the one I learned about in history classes, is not the world my children are growing up in. We need to remember tolerance, collaboration and mutual wellness, so that we can return to the ideals of service and compassion that are the bedrock of our society.

From there we can build for the future, innovate for growth, and provide safety and dignity for all. This vision of the future is what propelled me to serve in my community as a volunteer, to then serve nonprofits with my skill set, and what I now bring to serve the entire region if elected for public service.

If you are an incumbent, describe a few important initiatives you’ve led. If you’re not an incumbent, describe a few ways you would contribute to the board.

I am proficient in bringing various stakeholders together for collaboration and problem-solving. I’m confident we can solve the problems ahead, while also improving services for the community.

As residents we look for stable neighborhoods and business areas that are flourishing, while also prioritizing safety and a broadened sense of security.

These ideals do not have to be mutually exclusive and independent, and I’ll bring an analytical, data-based approach to the county board so we can better understand which services are most beneficial to residents.

DuPage has so much potential, and this was a key driver for me to raise my family here, as I’m sure is the case for so many of us that have chosen to call it home.

Is there a specific service or amenity that is lacking in the county? If so, how do you propose to provide and fund it?

We presently lack a robust way to energize attainable housing construction. The solution is a combination of tax cuts, grants, education, improved construction, local and national funding strategies, repurpose/sustainability thinking that will guide us well into the future and more.

We need to bring this pantheon of ideas and solutions to broad-based partners and encourage collaborative funding models, while still looking within for funds. These funds could be set aside from a variety of current revenue such as the online sale tax surplus.

With the county's budget being squeezed by federal funding cuts and other factors, what initiatives would you support to increase revenue and/or save money?

Graphing expenses year over year across all areas will start to demystify our patterns and possible sources of efficiency. Similarly we need to comb through the budget for minor cuts that will add up to yield significant savings.

Meanwhile the board is doing a wonderful job balancing initiatives with our excess revenue and savings vehicles. We can extend these dollars even further by finding sources who are willing to partner and take on some responsibilities so that the taxpayer isn’t perpetually footing the bill.

What is the single most important issue facing your district, and how should the county address it?

There are a variety of issues — affordability, transportation, wellness, stagnant retail and commercial space and more. The unifying root source of these is the single most important issue: Unity.

When we operate together, neighbors come together to help each other and spread the load while extending the positives. When we plan and grow together, municipalities and townships and vendors and service providers interconnect with county departments to holistically find solutions, leverage data and technology to think beyond the box and inflect excellence.

When we collaborate with school and park districts, water and sewer teams, law enforcement and fire protection agencies and the state — all issues can be resolved quicker and better.

Whether it’s stormwater or safe school zones or neutering ICE teams, we must unify so that it’s no longer a “well that’s not our agency” problem, and instead becomes a “well, county led a roundtable and the outcome was phenomenal.”

Why are you the best person to serve in this role?

The party at the local level is cohesive though seems to have become complacent and perhaps fissures are resulting in divisions as a result.

Direct communication with the voter base is critical, and then a gathering of elected officials to understand the variety of perspectives without any dominant voice overtaking, while still enabling dialogue to a consensus is crucial.

This is work that I do daily — bring a focus on the client by developing excellent teams and efficient structures for them to operate within.