DuPage chairman hopefuls raise almost $500,000

The four Republicans running for DuPage County Board chairman in Tuesday's primary combined to collect nearly $500,000 for their campaigns.

The lion's share of that was raised by state Sen. Dan Cronin, whose campaign finance reports indicate he has collected $262,625 in cash contributions and in-kind donations on top of the nearly $80,000 he started with.

None of the other three came close to Cronin's tally. They raised a combined $177,177 in addition to the money they started with, according to finance reports available on the state election board's Web site.

Together, all four candidates have spent $507,331, according to the same reports.

Cronin is the race's biggest spender. He entered the campaign with nearly $80,000 in his war chest and by last week had spent more than $300,000 in an attempt to secure his party's nomination in Tuesday's primary. He loaned his campaign $30,000 as well.

Cronin's coffers were filled by a number of Illinois businesses and political action committees, but his largest single donations of $10,000 each came from Chicago-based engineering firm Knight Partners and the Inland Real Estate Group PAC out of Oak Brook.

County board member Debra Olson and state Sen. Carole Pankau each spent more than $80,000 on the race, according to the finance reports. Olson slightly edged Pankau in spending, but raised just $42,432.67 during the campaign compared to Pankau's $80,138.90.

Olson entered the race with $60,000 in loans she had made to herself, which made up nearly half of the $130,000 she started the campaign with.

Her husband donated another $10,000 to the campaign Tuesday. Fellow county board member JR McBride was Olson's largest single donor with $2,150, the financial reports say.

Pankau loaned her campaign $8,000, but raised funds from an array of corporate, political and union committees as well. Her son and daughter each donated $4,000, and Bloomingdale Republican state Rep. Franco Coladipietro's campaign donated $5,000.

Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso contributions have almost doubled in the past two weeks. He has raised $54,606 so far, according to the state finance reports. He loaned his campaign $15,000 late last week and received his largest single contribution in the amount of $5,000 on Jan. 20 from Oak Brook-based development firm Inter Continental Real Estate.

The winner of Tuesday's primary will face Democrat Carole Cheney in November. Cheney's campaign has yet to file a report with the state election board.