| DuPage County Was the Most Reliably Republican County in Illinois for 75 Years — Until 2022DuPage County Board was controlled by Republicans from 1949 until 2022, when Democrat Deb Conroy became the first woman and first Democrat to chair the board in over 75 years. The county is home to Oak Brook (McDonald's, Huizenga, JMB), Wheaton (county seat, Jeanne Ives territory, Uihlein-funded), Naperville (fastest-growing city in Illinois in 1990s-2000s), and Aurora (Richard Irvin, Gidwitz-backed mayoral and governor candidate). The Cronin machine defined DuPage Republican politics for 12 years. |
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DuPage County Political Dynasty Network
| Family/Official | Position | Political Connection |
|---|---|---|
| Dan Cronin family | Dan Cronin Sr.: IL Senate District 21 1993-2010; DuPage County Board Chairman 2010-2022; married to Juliann Cronin (owns A&H Lithoprint Broadview); Cynthia Cronin Cahill (sister): currently on DuPage County Board | 12 years of county board control; DuPage GOP chair 2007-2011; during his tenure Gidwitz-McKenna network was dominant; Richard Irvin (Gidwitz $100K) was Aurora mayor during Cronin era; endorsed Irvin for governor |
| Kirk Dillard | IL Senate 24th District 1993-2015; DuPage County GOP chairman (Cronin's predecessor); ran for IL governor twice (2010, 2014) | Ron Gidwitz chaired Kirk Dillard's unsuccessful 2010 governor campaign; Uihlein backed Jeanne Ives instead of Dillard in 2018; Dillard chaired IL Regional Transportation Authority |
| Joe Birkett family | DuPage County State's Attorney 1996-2010; IL Appellate Court judge 2010-present; ran for IL AG 2002 (lost to Lisa Madigan); ran for Lt. Governor 2006 (Topinka ticket, lost) | Birkett built the DuPage prosecutorial machine; 15 years as ASA + 14 years as SA; worked under Jim Ryan; lost statewide races to Madigan family |
| Jim Ryan | DuPage County State's Attorney 1990-1994; IL Attorney General 1995-2003; 2002 governor candidate (lost to Blagojevich) | Ran the DuPage prosecutorial pipeline; Dan Cronin was Ryan's prosecutor 1987-1989; Birkett was Ryan's prosecutor; the DuPage SA office was the GOP farm team |
| Richard Irvin | Aurora Mayor 2011-2022; 2022 governor candidate (lost primary to Bailey) | Received $100K from Gidwitz; received major support from Ken Griffin network; 2022 primary collapse: lost to Bailey 54% despite having most establishment money; Gidwitz quoted saying he 'never met Bailey' |
| Deb Conroy (D) | DuPage County Board Chair 2022-present; former IL House District 46 2013-2022 | First Democrat in 75 years to chair DuPage board; won by 51%; reflects the demographic shift in DuPage from reliable GOP to competitive county |
DuPage County TIF Districts and Corporate Network
| Municipality | TIF/Corporate Network Connection |
|---|---|
| Oak Brook | No TIF districts — Paul Butler designed it to be commercially self-funding; Oakbrook Center provides massive sales tax; lowest residential property taxes in region; McDonald's Plaza (1971-2018); Huizenga Capital Management; Ace Hardware HQ; Portillo's HQ; Duchossois Group HQ |
| Aurora | Multiple TIF districts; Richard Irvin mayor 2011-2022; major commercial development on I-88 corridor; school district Aurora East SD 131 is chronically underfunded |
| Naperville | Multiple TIF districts including downtown; Naperville CCSD 203 and D204 (Indian Prairie) both heavily affected by TIF geography; one of largest school districts in IL |
| Westmont | KTJ has office here (900 Oakmont Lane Suite 301) — Michael Jurusik, KTJ shareholder, represents Village of La Grange Park and multiple DuPage municipalities and school districts |
| Downers Grove | Multiple TIF districts; Zeigler Auto Group dealership location; CATPAC (IL auto dealer PAC) connections |
| Elmhurst | Multiple TIF districts; Dan Cronin's home; Cynthia Cronin Cahill (sister) runs for county board from Elmhurst; Elmhurst School District 205 had $197M in outstanding debt FY2024 |
| Wheaton | DuPage county seat; Jeanne Ives home district; $2.5M Uihlein donation to Ives 2018; multiple TIF districts |
| Lombard | Multiple TIF districts; major Westmore Mall redevelopment |
| Lisle | Multiple TIF districts including extensive I-88 Research & Development corridor |
| The Same Attorneys, Consultants, Contractors, and Donors Appear in All Three CountiesThe political machines in Cook, Will, and DuPage counties are not independent. They are all connected through the same professional networks: KTJ represents municipalities in all three counties; Moran Economic Development writes TIF eligibility studies in all three counties; Curran/Walsh/RC Wegman build TIF-funded infrastructure in all three counties; Andrew Madigan (Mesirow insurance) sold coverage to municipalities in multiple counties; the Illinois Republican Party (McKenna/Gidwitz/Fogarty/Dillard/Cronin) operates as a unified network across all three counties. The corruption is not local. It is statewide. |
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| Professional Network | Cook County | Will County + DuPage County |
|---|---|---|
| KTJ Law | Dennis Walsh: Orland Park, Oak Forest, Tinley Park, Riverside, Wilmette, Romeoville (Will County) | Michael Jurusik: La Grange Park and multiple DuPage municipalities; multiple overlapping school districts in all counties |
| Moran Economic Development | TIF eligibility studies for Cook County suburbs | Same firm operates in Will and DuPage County TIF geography |
| Curran Contracting | Built Tinley Park Harmony Square (Cook/Will border) | IDOT contracts ($100M) statewide; RC Wegman partnership |
| Mesirow/Andrew Madigan | McCook, Lyons — Speaker Madigan personal call; FBI documented | Andrew Madigan's firm benefited from father's political network across all Chicago area municipalities |
| Heidner/Gold Rush Gaming | VGT machines in McCook (Tobolski's village); Sandoval FBI warrant named Gold Rush | Gold Rush has ~800 locations statewide; Heidner proposed Tinley Park casino on state land (Glotz territory) |
| IL Republican machine | Morrison (Cook County commissioner); Pekau (Orland Park mayor, Cook); Glotz (Tinley Park mayor, Cook) | Grasso (Burr Ridge, straddles Cook/DuPage); Dillard/Cronin (DuPage); Bertino-Tarrant (Will) |
Priority FOIA Requests — Cook, Will, and DuPage
Cook County: Every TIF in Lyons, Stickney, Calumet, Bremen, Thornton, Worth, Orland, and Palos townships — pull the original eligibility study (consultant), law firm, developer, and all redevelopment agreement payments; cross-reference against IL Sunshine donations from those developers, consultants, and law firms to the approving mayors/trustees
Will County: Romeoville's 8 TIF districts (KTJ Dennis Walsh is village attorney) — pull Joint Review Board minutes for every one; did Will County school districts (Valley View, Plainfield, Joliet) formally object? Did the same law firm advise both the village and the affected school districts?
DuPage County: Aurora TIF districts during Irvin's mayoral era (2011-2022) — which developers received Redevelopment Agreements? Did any of them donate to Irvin's campaigns or Gidwitz-affiliated committees?
All three counties: Pull all insurance contracts for every municipality that received TIF-funded development — did they go to Andrew Madigan/Mesirow, Sandner/Horton, or other connected brokers without competitive bidding?
All three counties: Every school district waste hauling contract — which company? What did they donate? Huizenga grandfather started Chicago garbage hauling in 1894; WMI subsidiary was convicted of bribing an Illinois mayor for a waste contract in 1985
Illinois School System Audit | 866-312-6456 | auditor@illinoisschooldistrictaudit.com | May 2026