Naperville attorney running for DuPage County Board
Naperville attorney Sadia Covert helped co-write an update to Illinois hate crimes law, and she hopes the experience won't be her last in the political arena.
Covert, 34, said she plans to run for DuPage County Board representing District 5 to continue the advocacy she's already begun.
"I work for unity. I've always worked for uniting people," she said. "And right now we cannot be fragmented at DuPage County."
Covert said she will run in the 2018 election as a Democrat for one of two seats with expiring terms, which currently are held by Republicans Janice Anderson of Naperville and Tonia Khouri of Aurora. The district includes parts of Aurora, Lisle, Naperville and Warrenville and also is represented by Republican James Healy of Naperville, whose term lasts until 2020.
Covert is a managing partner at Covert & Covert, LLP in Warrenville, where she works as a foreclosure defense and real estate attorney. She also is a state-certified law enforcement instructor and founder of a nonprofit organization called UCARE, or Uniting Through Cultural Awareness and Regional Education, who describes herself as a "bridge builder" between law enforcement and diverse communities.
Her advocacy against hate crimes so far, which resulted in a state law effective Jan. 1 that will add a cultural training requirement for hate crime perpetrators and remove a cap on restitution for victims of hate crimes, motivated Covert to seek an elected position, from which she says she will be able to accomplish even more.
Covert is a graduate of Western Michigan University Cooley Law School and Benedictine University and a married mother of three. She said her priorities include fiscal responsibility, education, accountability and transparency in government.
Covert joins Naperville City Council member Patty Gustin, a Republican, as a candidate for the District 5 seats. Khouri has announced she will not seek reelection to the county board, but will run for a seat in the state House representing the 49th District.