Endorsement: Wehrli in Illinois House Dist. 41
In two terms as Illinois state representative from the 41st District, Naperville Republican Grant Wehrli has emerged as a thoughtful and hardworking leader within his party. He is an assistant minority leader and sits on the state's Legislative Ethics Commission studying measures to fight corruption. In the latter role, he has been particularly outspoken about the slow pace of the panel's activity and the issues of trust at stake with House Speaker Mike Madigan under a cloud of suspicion in the ComEd bribery scandal. He is a solid voice for small business and an ardent advocate for responsible spending controls and better fiscal management by state government.
Yet, he also can show streaks of unqualified independence, as in his support of the Equal Rights Amendment, higher pay for caregivers for the disabled, the Clean Energy Jobs Act and other pieces of environmental legislation. He came into the legislature in 2014 with a strong background in local government, including 10 years on the Naperville City Council, under his belt, and the experience shows, in both the way he addresses issues and his ability to work collaboratively.
His challenger, Democrat Janet Yang Rohr, has served on the Naperville Unit District 203 school board since 2017, but has far to go to match Wehrli's experience at either the local or the state level. She has a fair grasp of issues facing the state but doesn't exhibit a great deal of originality in her views and is especially awkward when trying to square her claims to value ethics reform with her unwillingness to take a position on Madigan's speakership.
Wehrli is a candid and straightforward leader with government leadership experience that is broad and deep. He is endorsed.