DuPage County Chair Faces Burr Ridge Mayor In Bid For 2nd Term

BURR RIDGE, IL – Deb Conroy was the first Democrat and woman to take the DuPage County Board chairmanship four years ago.

The Lombard resident is seeking a second term, facing Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso, a Republican, in the Nov. 3 election.

Until a few years ago, DuPage County was a Republican stronghold, but that ended in the Trump era.

Given Trump's declining ratings, Grasso has an uphill climb. What's ironic is that Grasso is not even considered a MAGA Republican. In a congressional Republican primary a few years ago, Keith Pekau, a Trump enthusiast, ran to Grasso's right and won comfortably. Pekau later lost in the general election.

As Burr Ridge's mayor, Grasso has touted the village's debt-free status, a rarity among government entities. Over the summer, the Village Board eliminated the village's property tax, which makes up a tiny fraction of the overall bill. To offset the income loss, the village raised the sales tax.

Grasso served on the County Board from 2012 to 2018. When he was elected, he had served as Burr Ridge's mayor for a few years. He returned to the village's helm in 2019, defeating Trustee Zach Mottl.

Over the next couple of years, Mottl remained a persistent critic. In the 2021 election, Grasso and his allies ousted Mottl from the Village Board.

Conroy served as a state representative for a decade before being elected county board chairman. She defeated moderate Republican Greg Hart, who is now Hinsdale's village president.

In May, Grasso and Conroy squabbled online after the federal arrest of prominent Burr Ridge restaurateur Filippo "Gigi" Rovito, who was accused of being involved in an alleged gambling ring.

In a statement emailed to residents about the arrest, Grasso, an attorney who has represented Rovito in civil cases, said the charges against the businessman were serious, but he was innocent until proven guilty.

In the meantime, Grasso said he would continue going to Rovito's restaurant, a popular Italian eatery.

A few hours later, Conroy posted on Facebook screenshots of Grasso's statement.

In her post, Conroy wrote, "There is a whole lot going on in Burr Ridge. I firmly believe DuPage County residents deserve a full time, fully focused on DuPage residents County Board Chair. Each day I am grateful for the privilege to serve as your full time DuPage County Chair."

Later, Grasso posted that Conroy "dissed Burr Ridge residents and businesses and its government – largely her own constituents – with a sarcastic post really aimed at me as Mayor for daring to state that a person is innocent until proved guilty."

On his campaign Facebook page, Grasso has regularly criticized Conroy's leadership. He has portrayed Conroy's battle against Democrat Jean Kaczmarek, the DuPage County clerk, as largely personal.

Conroy has denounced Kaczmarek over financial oversight and budgeting authority. Conroy is far from alone. Democrats and Republicans on the County Board have joined in the criticism.

Grasso has also needled Conroy on the county's finances, pointing to increasing spending. He also disputes her assertions that the property tax rate is flat. The county levy, he said, was climbing from $69.9 million to $71.9 million.

In response to the Daily Herald's questionnaire, Conroy said she has been fiscally responsible while also caring for residents.

"While we've expanded critical services for residents, we've also maintained the financial stability that residents expect from their government," Conroy said. "During my tenure, we have held county property tax rates flat while creating surpluses. We received our third AAA bond rating upgrade, making DuPage one of only 2% of counties in the nation to have AAA ratings from all three credit rating agencies."