Deb Conroy led Gary Grasso in the DuPage County election results as unofficial tallies showed her well ahead as of 6 a.m. Wednesday. The DuPage County Board chair was seeking a second term after first taking the post four years ago. Grasso, the Burr Ridge mayor, said he had already left her a voice message congratulating her on her clear win.
DuPage County Board race
The result kept the county’s top elected office with Conroy, the first Democrat and woman to hold the DuPage County Board chairmanship. She entered the race from Lombard, while Grasso brought a longer county record that included service on the County Board from 2012 to 2018.
Grasso returned to Burr Ridge’s mayor’s office in 2019 after defeating Trustee Zach Mottl. He also said, “We Republicans have to regroup and honestly face the political reality in our country,” after the election.
Gary Grasso and Deb Conroy
Grasso’s concession-style remarks came even as he had been part of a fight against Conroy in a county that used to be a Republican stronghold. That made the race a test of whether the countywide shift would hold in a contest for its highest local office.
He also thanked local Republican workers, saying, “I want to sincerely thank those in our local Republican party who worked so hard for so many months and kept the faith.” He added, “I wish only the best for DuPage County and look forward to continuing to serve the residents of Burr Ridge as mayor.”
DuPage County and Burr Ridge
The clash between Grasso and Conroy was not limited to Election Day. In May, the two argued online after the federal arrest of Filippo “Gigi” Rovito, and Grasso said in an emailed statement that the charges were serious but that Rovito was innocent until proven guilty.
For voters, the immediate question is whether the unofficial count settles into a final result that matches the Wednesday morning lead. If it does, Conroy will keep the chairmanship and Grasso will return to Burr Ridge with the acknowledgment that he lost a countywide race he tried to make competitive.
