Challengers hoping to unseat Republican incumbents in DuPage’s Dist. 3

Two Republican incumbents representing District 3 on the DuPage County Board are facing challenges from younger Democratic candidates who say they’d bring a new approach to address ongoing challenges.

County Board member Brian Krajewski is running for a two-year term on the panel, where he’s served since 2010, and he faces a challenge from former Gower School District 62 school board member Ericka Polanco Webb.

Meanwhile, county board member Kari Galassi is seeking four more years in the seat she’s held since 2022, against challenger Marcus King.

Here’s why each candidate thinks he or she is best for the role.

Two-year seat candidates

Brian Krajewski, 63, served as mayor of Downers Grove before he was elected to the county board. In a candidate questionnaire submitted to the Daily Herald, Krajewski describes himself as a leader who delivers on promises and has the skills to “accomplish complex projects.”

On the board, Krajewski said he’s led initiatives to provide free wi-fi to low-income students during the COVID-19 pandemic, to increase county support of food pantries, and to build a new animal services facility, “all funded with private donations.”

Krajewski cited food insecurity as one of DuPage’s biggest ongoing challenges.


“I will continue to collaborate with my fellow county board members to ensure our county is responding to this need as just one of many important evolving needs our community is facing,” he said.

Attempting to unseat Krajewski is Ericka Polanco Webb, 41, of Burr Ridge. Democrat Polanco Webb says her priorities include increasing mental health supports, providing resources and opportunities for youth and families, and improving infrastructure in unincorporated areas.

She described the challenges facing District 3 residents — “food insecurity, poor mental and physical health outcomes, housing affordability and inadequate infrastructure in unincorporated communities” — as “interconnected,” in her questionnaire response.

“Addressing them requires coordinated county action that expands access to food and health care, supports stable and affordable housing and invests in sustainable roads, drainage, sidewalks, lighting and transportation,” Polanco Webb said. “Every resident deserves access to the resources and infrastructure needed to live safely and thrive.”

4-year seat candidates

Kari Galassi, a 54-year-old Hinsdale Republican, joined the county board four years ago and says she prioritizes public safety, government accountability and fiscal responsibility.

If reelected to another term, Galassi says she would work to expand hyper-local mental health services and to advance stormwater management projects to help prevent major flooding. She says the county also could do more to increase support for entrepreneurs through public-private partnerships.

“Public safety remains my strongest motivation,” Galassi said in her response to the Daily Herald questionnaire. “That means supporting law enforcement and first responders, protecting victims of domestic violence and human trafficking, improving access to mental health treatment and ensuring residents feel secure in their communities.”

Challenging Galassi is Marcus King, a 50-year-old Democrat from Willowbrook who says his work experience “across government, nonprofit, public safety, housing, corrections and community organizations” prepares him well to serve the county, with skills to “address complex challenges and connect people with resources.”

“The issue that motivates me most is ensuring that residents — particularly families facing poverty, housing instability, mental health challenges, substance use or reentry after incarceration — can access meaningful support before a crisis worsens,” King wrote in his candidate questionnaire.

If elected, King says he would bring a “practical, collaborative approach to the county board, listening to residents, strengthening partnerships with social-service organizations, pursuing responsible funding and delivering measurable results.”

Marie Wilson is a freelance reporter for the Daily Herald.