DuPage County GOP elects new party chairman
Brian Krajewski will lead the DuPage County GOP after years of success as chairman of the Downers Grove Township Republican Organization.
More than 240 Republican precinct committeemen on Wednesday night elected Krajewski to become DuPage GOP chairman during their biennial county convention in Wheaton.
Clerk of the Circuit Court Chris Kachiroubas was elected to the position of secretary.
Krajewski replaced Darlene Ruscitti, who last month announced that she wasn't going to seek a third 2-year term.
“I look forward to working with the nine township chairmen, all the elected officials and, most importantly, the committeemen who are actually the backbone of the DuPage County Republican Party,” Krajewski said after being sworn in.
The 54-year-old Downers Grove resident has been a DuPage County Board member since 2010.
He previously served as mayor of Downers Grove from 1999 to 2007.
On Wednesday night, Krajewski was nominated by county board Chairman Dan Cronin.
He said Krajewski is “uniquely qualified” to be the party chairman.
“He's a fiscal conservative,” Cronin said. “He's experienced. He's smart. He's tough. He's organized.”
Krajewski said Ruscitti encouraged him to run for the unpaid position because of his experience leading a township organization.
“Downers Grove (Township) has done a great job of getting a lot of young people involved in the party,” said Krajewski, who served 11 years as chairman of the Downers Grove GOP organization.
“Year after year, we have increased the amount of Republican votes that come out of the township,” Krajewski said.
Krajewski said he's hoping to replicate that on a countywide level.
One way he plans to do that is by spreading the message that Republicans made DuPage a desirable place to live.
“People move here because of the good schools, the low taxes and safe neighborhoods,” Krajewski said.
“The reason they came here was because of Republican policies,” he said.
He also wants the party to reach out to young voters and independents.
“Brian has the right conservative values, forward thinking vision, and campaign experience to lead Republicans to victory countywide,” Ruscitti said in a statement. “I know that he'll continue to build on our past successes and make sure DuPage County remains a Republican stronghold.”
Meanwhile, DuPage Democratic Party Chairman Robert Peickert secured his fifth 2-year term on Wednesday night. Peickert ran unopposed.