Sadia Covert: 2026 candidate for DuPage County Board District 5

Bio

Office sought: DuPage County Board District 5

City: Naperville

Age:

Occupation: Attorney at Covert Marerro Covert LLP

Previous offices held: DuPage County Board Member since 2018

Q&A

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

I am the only candidate in this race who has the 7 years of experience on the county board, qualification and a proven track record to get the job done. With the current federal administration’s cuts in funding of social programs, it is critical to have representatives who know how to navigate around difficult circumstances. I have been getting work done on the county board during difficult times.

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 passed the diversity and inclusion imperative to be implemented in our strategic plan, created and co-chaired the Complete Count Committee for the 2020 Census (achieved the second highest response rate as a county), initiated the passing of closed captioning for the hearing impaired, won a national award for the Strategic Planning Committee I chaired (November 2024), initiated passing of recreational facilities that brought in more revenue to the county, supported WBE’s, DBE’s, and MBE’s for more contracts and opportunities, ran a Race Relations series to understand the needs to diverse communities, initiated Muslim American Heritage Month Proclamation, initiated Muslim American Heritage Month exhibit at the DuPage Historical Museum, supported housing, food sustainability, mental health (Crisis Recovery Center) and Labor.

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

Housing is lacking across the county including my district. We are working on making housing affordable and filling the middle gap. I supported programs like down payment assistance for new homebuyers who qualify, and property tax deferment program for retired seniors who qualify. I supported Accessory Dwelling Units in unincorporated areas to be developed and rented out to nonfamily constituents under the age of 62. I gave part of my ARPA funds toward the Crisis Recovery Center for mental health and substance abuse and believe that mental health issues are increasing. Also, food insecurity will get worse and I gave a portion of my ARPA funds to Loaves and Fishes and am looking for ways to make food pantries more sustainable (indoor and outdoor gardens). Stormwater is still an issue in parts of my district and we are working on investing more money in stormwater infrastructure and assistance for families whose houses are in a flood zone area.

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?

Despite the federal funding cuts, our county has managed to budget well and have a surplus. I personally try to figure out ways in which to bring in new streams of revenue because we do not have home rule. Passing the diversity and inclusion led to creation of the ad hoc diversity committee that worked on tapping into new markets of diverse communities. The D & I initiative provided economic growth and opportunities to women-owned, minority-owned and veteran-owned businesses. In addition, since a lot of our revenue comes from sales tax, I initiated the passing of allowing cannabis recreational facilities to operate within county jurisdiction with proper regulation and safety. This brought in significant funds to the county. In the past, we utilized grants and state assistance for social programs or we encourage fundraising and work with DuPage Foundation.

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

Aside from housing, food insecurity will be a big issue. Even though SNAP benefits were reinstated after being cut, we do not rely on any stability from the federal government for the next few years. I have always supported every food bank in the county, but now we have to make these food pantries self-sustaining. I have given ARPA funds to programs like OLI garden that grows produce and delivers to food banks. But we need to work on having gardens that produce fruits and vegetables all year round.

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

I am the only candidate in this primary race who has 7 years of experience since 2018. Before getting elected to the board, I was already working for the community (co-authoring amendment to hate crime law, spoke at U.N. on a panel for women’s rights in 2017, helping victims of domestic violence with FSS at the mosque, etc.). When I was elected to the board, I passed 3 initiatives my first year. I won a national award for the strategic planning committee I chaired. I have been fiscally responsible while bringing in new revenue streams to the county to alleviate the burden off the taxpayers. I am qualified and experienced and am the ONLY candidate that has been Endorsed by majority of democratic leaders and labor including DuPage County Board Chair Deb Conroy, Reps from state house, senate, city and townships and many labor unions in this primary race.