Endorsement: Conroy for DuPage County Board chair

Four years after becoming the first Democrat to lead the DuPage County Board in decades, Deb Conroy says more needs to be done to move the county forward.

But the incumbent from Lombard is facing a formidable GOP opponent in her bid for a second term as DuPage County Board chair.

Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso, a Republican who served on the county board from 2012 to 2018, says he’s running, in part, because he believes the county has “a spending problem.”

Grasso points to the county’s proposed $710.7 million budget for the 2027 fiscal year, which starts Dec. 1. That budget proposal is nearly $127 million more than the spending plan for fiscal 2023, which the county board approved right before Conroy took the helm.

He wants to cut spending, reduce the size of the county’s government, eliminate some of the 18 county board seats, and focus on essential services.

Grasso strongly criticized a county board vote that significantly increased the annual salary for the county board chair position, from $136,959 to $185,000. The 13-4 vote in April included support from Republicans and Democrats.

If elected, Grasso said he would seek to rescind the pay increase or donate the money if the hike cannot be reversed.

Despite criticism of DuPage’s budget, Conroy noted that the county’s property tax rate has remained flat and that the county is on track to be debt-free by 2035. She also brushed off criticism of the salary hike, saying she didn’t have a vote or any control over what the board decided.

Meanwhile, Conroy’s first term has been a series of successes.

During her campaign in 2022, Conroy vowed to focus on affordable housing programs and mental health services. She kept those promises.

The county board has implemented programs to help address food insecurity and launched an ad hoc solutions commission to address affordable housing needs. As part of the proposed budget, the county plans to fund two housing initiatives that would provide first-time homebuyer assistance and rental assistance to qualifying residents.

Then there’s the Crisis Recovery Center, which provides accessible mental health and addiction recovery services in DuPage County.

Conroy was a state lawmaker in 2019 when she spoke with DuPage County Health Department officials about the need for such a facility. After Conroy helped to secure $5.5 million in state funding, the project gained further momentum when she became county board chair.

The center, which opened in Wheaton in September 2025, conducted more than 2,200 on-site assessments during its first year of operation.

Conroy pushed for an ambitious project and made it a reality. Along the way, she showed a genuine desire to reach across the aisle and work with Republicans on the board even though Democrats hold the majority.

So while Grasso has interesting ideas and a lot of experience in governing, Conroy has a record of bipartisan accomplishment. Conroy is endorsed.