Latest news with #DuPageCountyBoard
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DuPage County Board member Sheila Rutledge to step down in August
West Chicago Democrat Sheila Rutledge is stepping down from DuPage County Board to focus on her newly elected role as supervisor of Winfield Township. Rutledge's resignation will be effective upon the adjournment of the Aug. 26 county board meeting, according to a news release from the county. Rutledge, who has represented District 6 on county board since 2018, was elected supervisor of Winfield Township in April. Winfield Township is located in DuPage County and comprises most of West Chicago, WInfield and Warrenville, as well as small sections of Wheaton, Naperville, Aurora and Batavia. Reached over the phone, Rutledge said she loves her work on the county board but decided that her focus should be on Winfield Township. When she vied for the supervisor position earlier this spring, Rutledge had always intended on stepping down but anticipated an overlap between the two roles to see through several county projects, she said. In a statement, DuPage County Board Chair Deb Conroy said that she was notified Tuesday of Rutledge's impending resignation. '(Rutledge's) collegial approach and dedication to the residents of District 6 is to be commended,' Conroy said. 'We thank Member Rutledge for her service and wish her well as she focuses on her new role as Winfield Township supervisor.' Rutledge said she will 'always be grateful' for the time she spent as a board member. The position 'created a new life' for Rutledge after her husband died in 2018, she said. 'Widowhood demands a new life,' she said. 'The county board was my vehicle for that. … It was a wonderful, wonderful experience.' Rutledge's term was due to expire in December 2026. Her vacant seat will be filled by Conroy with the advice and consent of the board, according to the county. The new appointee must be a Democrat, the county said. District 6 residents interested in seeking appointment to the board can email a resume and letter of no more than 300 words outlining their interest to Conroy at chair@ The deadline for submission is 4:30 p.m. June 20. News of Rutledge stepping down comes after Naperville Democrats Sadia Covert and Dawn DeSart confirmed earlier this month that they will be vying to keep their District 5 board seats in next year's midterm elections. Naperville City Councilman Ian Holzhauer has also announced that he will be challenging Covert for a four-year seat on the board. tkenny@
Chicago Tribune
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
DuPage County Board member Sheila Rutledge to step down in August
West Chicago Democrat Sheila Rutledge is stepping down from DuPage County Board to focus on her newly elected role as supervisor of Winfield Township. Rutledge's resignation will be effective upon the adjournment of the Aug. 26 county board meeting, according to a news release from the county. Rutledge, who has represented District 6 on county board since 2018, was elected supervisor of Winfield Township in April. Winfield Township is located in DuPage County and comprises most of West Chicago, WInfield and Warrenville, as well as small sections of Wheaton, Naperville, Aurora and Batavia. Reached over the phone, Rutledge said she loves her work on the county board but decided that her focus should be on Winfield Township. When she vied for the supervisor position earlier this spring, Rutledge had always intended on stepping down but anticipated an overlap between the two roles to see through several county projects, she said. In a statement, DuPage County Board Chair Deb Conroy said that she was notified Tuesday of Rutledge's impending resignation. '(Rutledge's) collegial approach and dedication to the residents of District 6 is to be commended,' Conroy said. 'We thank Member Rutledge for her service and wish her well as she focuses on her new role as Winfield Township supervisor.' Rutledge said she will 'always be grateful' for the time she spent as a board member. The position 'created a new life' for Rutledge after her husband died in 2018, she said. 'Widowhood demands a new life,' she said. 'The county board was my vehicle for that. … It was a wonderful, wonderful experience.' Rutledge's term was due to expire in December 2026. Her vacant seat will be filled by Conroy with the advice and consent of the board, according to the county. The new appointee must be a Democrat, the county said. District 6 residents interested in seeking appointment to the board can email a resume and letter of no more than 300 words outlining their interest to Conroy at chair@ The deadline for submission is 4:30 p.m. June 20. News of Rutledge stepping down comes after Naperville Democrats Sadia Covert and Dawn DeSart confirmed earlier this month that they will be vying to keep their District 5 board seats in next year's midterm elections. Naperville City Councilman Ian Holzhauer has also announced that he will be challenging Covert for a four-year seat on the board.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DuPage County Board District 5 incumbents Sadia Covert, Dawn DeSart to seek reelection
Two Democrats who have represented Naperville on the DuPage County Board for the past seven years will be vying to keep their seats in next year's midterm elections. Sadia Covert and Dawn DeSart have confirmed that they will be running for reelection in District 5. Covert will be seeking a four-year term while DeSart will be running for a two-year term. District 5 comprises most of Naperville and sections of Aurora in DuPage. Covert's and DeSart's intentions to run come in the wake of Naperville City Councilman Ian Holzhauer announcing last week that he will be challenging Covert for the four-year District 5 seat as a Democrat. Holzhauer was just elected to a second term on Naperville City Council. He announced his bid for county board hours after being inaugurated. 'We work hard for our seats,' Covert said in a call last week. 'We paved the way and we have to fight. We always have to fight to retain our seats. This is my first primary on the county board, so it's very different for me. … All I do know is that women have to stand tall and strong.' Covert was first elected to the board in 2018. A Naperville resident for more than a decade and a half, Covert is a licensed attorney and one of the founding partners of Covert Marrero Covert LLP. She initially ran for county board to expand the body's representation, she said. Before Covert was elected, 'there were absolutely zero South Asian and Muslim Americans on the board,' she said. Asked what she would do with a third term, Covert listed off several priorities. She wants to focus on continuing to ensure community members have access to housing and basic necessities, she said. She'd also said she'd like to see through ongoing work to preserve cultural diversity and cultural heritage in the DuPage County Historical Museum in Wheaton. As chair of the Technology Committee, Covert is also interested in exploring how artificial intelligence can be integrated into the board's work, a project that has already started, she said. 'Being in the midst of things, it's important to have the same people working on these initiatives and just seeing them through,' Covert said. Covert also said she was surprised to hear about Holzhauer's bid for board. 'He didn't even have the courtesy to give me a call to let me know,' she said. The county's 18-person board is divided into six districts, with three seats apiece. Alongside Covert and DeSart, District 5 is also represented by Saba Haider, of Aurora, who was elected to the board last fall after unseating former Naperville City Council member Patty Gustin. Her term continues through 2028. Seats are elected separately. When more than one candidate from a party vies for a seat, there's a primary election to decide who gets the nomination. Covert emphasized that she wants to focus on her own race. 'We work very well together as a board,' she said. 'I'm just happy to serve. It's been an honor to serve all my constituents.' DeSart, who has likewise sat on the board since 2018, said in an email Monday that she 'never considered not running for my seat.' 'I've accomplished so much through my work on the board that I feel compelled to continue the work,' she said. A graduate of Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, DeSart is former reporter for NBC-TV Channel 5 in Chicago. She continues to work as a journalist in the radio broadcast industry, she said. DeSart first moved to Naperville in 1980 with her family. She later moved to Aurora in 2016. Prior to serving on the board, DeSart was a member of the Indian Prairie District 204 School Board from 2009 to 2013. To her, the biggest issue facing the county right is 'all of the federal government's cuts to the food insecure, to heating grants, to homelessness,' DeSart said. 'It's going to be up to the county to help those most in need,' she said. Asked if there are any initiatives or issues she hopes to focus on should she be reelected, DeSart said, 'Food insecurity is number one, and the need will only get greater.' It's a subject that's addressed at almost every meeting of the board's Human Services Committee, of which she's a member, she said. She added that working 'with our state legislators has never been more important.' DeSart serves as chair of the board's Legislative Committee, which advises and provides recommendations to the board relating to state and federal legislation, according to the county's website. 'There are many initiatives I'd still like to accomplish,' she said. tkenny@
Chicago Tribune
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
DuPage County Board District 5 incumbents Sadia Covert, Dawn DeSart to seek reelection
Two Democrats who have represented Naperville on the DuPage County Board for the past seven years will be vying to keep their seats in next year's midterm elections. Sadia Covert and Dawn DeSart have confirmed that they will be running for reelection in District 5. Covert will be seeking a four-year term while DeSart will be running for a two-year term. District 5 comprises most of Naperville and sections of Aurora in DuPage. Covert's and DeSart's intentions to run come in the wake of Naperville City Councilman Ian Holzhauer announcing last week that he will be challenging Covert for the four-year District 5 seat as a Democrat. Holzhauer was just elected to a second term on Naperville City Council. He announced his bid for county board hours after being inaugurated. 'We work hard for our seats,' Covert said in a call last week. 'We paved the way and we have to fight. We always have to fight to retain our seats. This is my first primary on the county board, so it's very different for me. … All I do know is that women have to stand tall and strong.' Covert was first elected to the board in 2018. A Naperville resident for more than a decade and a half, Covert is a licensed attorney and one of the founding partners of Covert Marrero Covert LLP. She initially ran for county board to expand the body's representation, she said. Before Covert was elected, 'there were absolutely zero South Asian and Muslim Americans on the board,' she said. Asked what she would do with a third term, Covert listed off several priorities. She wants to focus on continuing to ensure community members have access to housing and basic necessities, she said. She'd also said she'd like to see through ongoing work to preserve cultural diversity and cultural heritage in the DuPage County Historical Museum in Wheaton. As chair of the Technology Committee, Covert is also interested in exploring how artificial intelligence can be integrated into the board's work, a project that has already started, she said. 'Being in the midst of things, it's important to have the same people working on these initiatives and just seeing them through,' Covert said. Covert also said she was surprised to hear about Holzhauer's bid for board. 'He didn't even have the courtesy to give me a call to let me know,' she said. The county's 18-person board is divided into six districts, with three seats apiece. Alongside Covert and DeSart, District 5 is also represented by Saba Haider, of Aurora, who was elected to the board last fall after unseating former Naperville City Council member Patty Gustin. Her term continues through 2028. Seats are elected separately. When more than one candidate from a party vies for a seat, there's a primary election to decide who gets the nomination. Covert emphasized that she wants to focus on her own race. 'We work very well together as a board,' she said. 'I'm just happy to serve. It's been an honor to serve all my constituents.' DeSart, who has likewise sat on the board since 2018, said in an email Monday that she 'never considered not running for my seat.' 'I've accomplished so much through my work on the board that I feel compelled to continue the work,' she said. A graduate of Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, DeSart is former reporter for NBC-TV Channel 5 in Chicago. She continues to work as a journalist in the radio broadcast industry, she said. DeSart first moved to Naperville in 1980 with her family. She later moved to Aurora in 2016. Prior to serving on the board, DeSart was a member of the Indian Prairie District 204 School Board from 2009 to 2013. To her, the biggest issue facing the county right is 'all of the federal government's cuts to the food insecure, to heating grants, to homelessness,' DeSart said. 'It's going to be up to the county to help those most in need,' she said. Asked if there are any initiatives or issues she hopes to focus on should she be reelected, DeSart said, 'Food insecurity is number one, and the need will only get greater.' It's a subject that's addressed at almost every meeting of the board's Human Services Committee, of which she's a member, she said. She added that working 'with our state legislators has never been more important.' DeSart serves as chair of the board's Legislative Committee, which advises and provides recommendations to the board relating to state and federal legislation, according to the county's website. 'There are many initiatives I'd still like to accomplish,' she said.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Naperville Councilman Ian Holzhauer announces bid for DuPage County Board
Fresh off starting a second term on the Naperville City Council, Ian Holzhauer has announced plans to run for DuPage County Board next year. Holzhauer made the announcement on his personal Facebook page Sunday night just hours after being sworn in for another four years on the council. 'The number one duty of candidates and elected officials is to be candid with voters,' his post read. 'Many have asked about my future intentions. Rather than be cagey, I will be straightforward: I will be running for DuPage County Board in District 5 in the midterm election.' District 5 comprises most of Naperville and sections of Aurora in DuPage. Reached over the phone Tuesday evening, Holzhauer confirmed his plans to run as a Democrat, saying the county board is a place where he felt he 'could make a contribution.' 'I've been an admirer for the last couple of years of the leadership on the county board (and) of how collaboratively the board is able to work,' he said. 'I look forward to applying some of the lessons I've learned from governing in Naperville and learning new things in DuPage County.' Holzhauer was first elected to council in 2021. Holzhauer said that he had been 'mulling this for awhile' but that the decision to seek this office is something he reached within the last week. He also said that the 'composition of the city council' that he'd be leaving behind should he get elected to county board was 'certainly a major factor in my decision process.' Holzhauer's announcement comes just over a month after the April 1 consolidated election, where he emerged as the third-highest vote getter in the eight-way race for council. Holzhauer was reelected alongside fellow incumbent Benny White as well as newcomers Ashfaq Syed and Mary Gibson. Before they were elected, the group had aligned themselves in the months leading up to April 1 and together received the backing of both prominent Naperville Democrats and the party itself. All four were inaugurated Sunday afternoon. The first meeting of the new council was set for Tuesday night. 'The results of the Naperville election were a big influence because I believe that with the current composition of council that we have, we're going to be able to accomplish a huge amount of things in the next couple of years,' Holzhauer said. 'It makes me very comfortable that the council will be in good hands beyond that point.' Holzhauer said that as a board member, he'd focus on expanding countywide mental health initiatives. 'The county has this unique position to deal with what I consider to be our nation's single biggest crisis right now, which is the mental health crisis. … We've done what we can in the city, and I'm really proud of that work,' he said. 'But this is just taking it to another level.' Holzhauer said he would also focus on tackling development challenges that the county faces 'being almost fully filled out.' District 5 seats are currently held by Democrats Sadia Covert, Dawn DeSart and Saba Haider. Haider, of Aurora, was just elected to the board last fall after unseating former Naperville City Council member Patty Gustin. Her term is up in 2028. For Covert and DeSart, both of Naperville, their terms are up in 2026. The seats, however, would be elected separately, according toDuPage County Chief Deputy Clerk Adam Johnson. Term limits for the county board are staggered, Johnson said, speaking over the phone Tuesday. For each of the board's six districts, there are three seats. Those are divided into two, four-year terms and one two-year term. How those terms are divided between members is decided by a lottery system held each redistricting year, Johnson said. The last time the county decided term lengths for its 18-seat board was in 2022. Per the results of that lottery, DeSart's seat is up for a two-year term next year while Covert's seat is up for a four-year term. Holzhauer said that he would be seeking the four-year seat. Should more than one candidate from a party vie for the seats, there would be a primary election to decide who gets the nomination. DeSart said in a call that she intends to run for the two-year District 5 seat. Covert could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening. In response to Holzhauer's bid for county board, DuPage County Republicans called the move 'absolutely ridiculous.' 'Not even 24 hours after being sworn in as a Naperville City Councilman, Ian Holzhauer announces a campaign for another office,' DuPage GOP wrote on Facebook Tuesday. 'Wouldn't the transparent and 'not cagey' thing to do … have been to have told the voters he was running for another office before they voted him in for another term as their councilman? There's a reason many people do not trust politicians. This is a good example as to why.' tkenny@
