From the office of Rep. Tom Cross, Ill GOP House Leader…
After tallying the ballots, the Downers Grove Township Republican Organization (DGTRO) voted to endorse Illinois State Senator Kirk Dillard (R-Westmont) in his bid for re-election to the 24th Senatorial District.
Held at Ashyana Banquets on 75th Street in Downers Grove, the vote took place after extensive presentations by Dillard and his opponent. Citing his opponent’s lack of experience and inability to work within the Republican caucus and with Democrats across the aisle, Dillard called for Republicans to unite to bring Illinois back to fiscal responsibility. There were almost 100 Precinct Committeemen from throughout the township voting, and over 30 elected officials from around DuPage County attending. To endorse, the DGTRO required an extraordinary75% of committeemen to agree.
The endorsement came as no surprise to most of the assembled Republicans. Many commented on Dillard’s long record of fiscal responsibility and government accountability. Dillard has never voted for a general tax increase during his 15 years in the legislature, and authored the first government ethics reform legislation passed in 25 years.
“Downers Grove is the largest Republican Township in Illinois,” noted Brian Krajewski, Chairman of the DGTRO, “Our communities have been well served by the Senator. Kirk Dillard is one of the good guys in Springfield.” Krajewski was also the former mayor of Downers Grove.
Others noted Dillard’s commitment to the issues confronting Illinois families. Dillard was just recently awarded the College of DuPage Presidential Leadership Medal recognizing long-time interest in higher
education, and devotion to providing scholarship assistance to make higher education affordable to students. He is also Family PAC’s liaison to the State Senate and a longtime Board Member of the Robert Crown Center for Heath Education of Hinsdale.
Commenting afterward, Dillard thanked the DGTRO and also noted how pleased he was with the results of the balloting and his endorsement. Dillard said, “These are my neighbors. These are my friends. They know me and they know my family. They know my record. They know my commitment to reining in excessive government. They know my dedication to providing the best conditions possible for the families in Illinois and job creation.”
Dillard is the former Chairman of the DuPage County Republican Party in Wheaton and Chief of Staff to former Governor Jim Edgar.