Deb Conroy

Deborah "Deb" O'Keefe Conroy is an American politician currently serving as chair of the county board of DuPage County, Illinois.[1] She previously served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 46th district from 2012 through 2022. She is also a former member of the school board of Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205.[2]

Deb Conroy
Chair of the DuPage County Board
Assumed office
December 5, 2022
Preceded byDan Cronin
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives
from the 46th district
In office
January 9, 2013 – December 5, 2022
Preceded byDennis Reboletti (redistricted)
Succeeded byDiane Blair-Sherlock
Personal details
Born (1962-08-29) August 29, 1962
Elmhurst, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Children4
EducationCollege of DuPage
Columbia College Chicago

Electoral career

Deb Conroy first ran to be a state representative in 2010 as the Democratic candidate for District 46 of the Illinois House of Representatives. She lost to Dennis Reboletti, the Republican incumbent, by a margin of 16 percentage points.[3]

Conroy ran again in 2012 for the District 46 seat in the Illinois House of Representatives after redistricting. In the primary, Conroy ran unopposed as the Democratic nominee, and later faced Republican nominee, Daniel J. Kordik. Conroy won in the general election with 58% of the vote.[4]

Conroy was re-elected to her position in 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020. She was sworn in to her fifth term as State Representative in January 2021.

Illinois State Representative

Committees

At the time of her retirement from the Illinois House, Conroy served on five House committees and one subcommittee:

  • Mental Health & Addiction committee (Chairperson)[5]
  • Elementary Secondary Education: School Curriculum & Policies committee[5]
  • Insurance committee[5]
  • Labor & Commerce committee[5]
  • Prescription Drug Affordability committee[5]
  • Special Issues subcommittee[5]

In the House, Conroy served as whip of the women's caucus.[6]

On February 3, 2017, Conroy was selected as the new chairperson for the Mental Health & Addiction Committee. Prior to her appointment, Conroy said that she had held her own "Mental Health Advisory Committee" in her district for four years.[7] In 2021, Conroy sponsored a bill that effectively extended Medicaid insurance coverage to ABA therapy.[8] Conroy had previously served as a member of the Counties and Townships Committee, the Health Care Availability Access Committee, the Juvenile Justice and System Involved Committee, the Construction Industry & Code Enforcement Committee, the Government Consolidation & Modernization Committee, the Higher Education Committee, the Police & First Responders Committee, the Justice System Subcommittee, and is the former vice-chairperson of the Youth and Young Adults Committee.[9]

In 2018, Democrat J.B. Pritzker appointed Conroy as a member of the gubernatorial transition's Healthy Children and Families Committee.[10]

Legislation

As the chair of the House Mental Health and Addiction Committee, Conroy's legislative priorities often tied in with mental healthcare and wellness.

In April 2017, HB 3502, a bill that was introduced by Conroy, passed the Illinois House with unanimous support. In July 2017, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed the bill into law. Upon taking effect, the legislation set up an advisory council with the goal of developing recommendations and an action plan to address the barriers to early and regular screening and identification of mental health conditions in children, adolescents and young adults in Illinois.[11]

In 2021, HB 1805, which was originally filed by Conroy, was signed into law by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. The legislation permanently established the Call4Calm mental health support text line.[12]

DuPage County board chairperson
Three people seated on the dais of the county boardroom. From right to left, they are an assistant state's attorney, Conroy, and the Chief Deputy County Clerk.
Conroy (second from right) presiding over a county board meeting

In January 2022, Conroy announced that she would not seek re-election to her Illinois House seat, and instead announced the start of her campaign to succeed Dan Cronin as the county board chairperson of DuPage County.[6] Cronin had previously announced in September 2021 that he would not be running for reelection.[13] In addition to Conroy, Democratic county board members Liz Chaplin and Lynn LaPlante also announced their campaigns for the same position. Chaplin dropped out of the race when Conroy announced her campaign, citing personal reasons and her desire to avoid a contested primary battle. Chaplin endorsed Conroy, whose campaign had the most funding among the Democratic candidates.[8] Two months later, LaPlante also ended her campaign for the county board chair, leaving Conroy as the only candidate for the Democratic nomination. Both Chaplin and LaPlante instead ran for re-election to their respective seats on the county board.[14]

During the general election, Conroy was challenged by Republican nominee Greg Hart, a 35-year-old management consultant and incumbent county board member from Hinsdale. Hart raised $1.7 million during the campaign, almost double Conroy's funds of $924,000. Hart was supported by many within the county's Republican establishment, having received endorsements from Cronin and other Republican officials.[15]

Conroy defeated Hart in the general election. She is the first woman to chair the county board, and the first Democrat to hold the position in over 75 years. Her victory reflected the changing politics of DuPage, which had historically been a Republican stronghold until Democrats gained more solid political footing in recent years. As chair, Conroy has stated that she plans to focus on environmental issues, address climate change, establish a mental health committee, and designate a chair of diversity on the board.[15]

Personal life
Deb O'Keefe (now Conroy) in 1980

Conroy is from Elmhurst, Illinois, and has four adult sons. She attended York Community High School, College of DuPage, and Columbia College Chicago.[15]

Electoral history
Illinois 46th State House District General Election, 2010
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Dennis M. Reboletti (incumbent) 15,957 58.18
Democratic Deborah O'Keefe Conroy 11,469 41.82
Total votes 27,426 100.0
Illinois 46th State House District General Election, 2012[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Deborah O'Keefe Conroy 20,200 57.67
Republican Daniel J. Kordik 14,825 42.33
Total votes 35,025 100.0
Illinois 46th State House District General Election, 2014[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Deb Conroy (incumbent) 12,774 52.53
Republican Heidi Holan 11,542 47.47
Total votes 24,316 100.0
Illinois 46th State House District General Election, 2016[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Deb Conroy (incumbent) 23,369 58.97
Republican Heidi Holan 16,257 41.03
Total votes 39,626 100.0
Illinois 46th State House District General Election, 2018[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Deb Conroy (incumbent) 18,679 58.68
Republican Gordon (Jay) Kinzler 13,155 41.32
Total votes 31,834 100.0
Illinois 46th State House District General Election, 2020[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Deb Conroy (incumbent) 34,949 100.00
Total votes 34,949 100.0
DuPage County Board Chairman Election, 2022[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Deb Conroy 172,068 51.32
Republican Greg Hart 163,233 48.68
Total votes 335,301 100.0
Democratic gain from Republican

References
  1. Olson, Joan; Shields, Evan (December 5, 2022). "DuPage County Officials Take Oath of Office". dupagecounty.gov. DuPage County. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  2. "Illinois General Assembly - Representative Biography". www.ilga.gov. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  3. "2010 General Election". www.dupageco.org/Election/Docs/Election_Results/2010/General/43572/. November 17, 2010. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  4. "Election Results: General Election". www.elections.il.gov/ElectionResultsStateHouseFull.aspx?ID=LZDMDruZq5o%3d. November 6, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  5. "Illinois General Assembly - Representative Committees". www.ilga.gov. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  6. Kapos, Shia (January 11, 2022). "Deals and discord". Politico. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  7. "Conroy Named Chair of House Mental Health Committee". Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  8. Smith, Katlyn (January 19, 2022). "Chaplin drops out, endorses Conroy as she alone takes on LaPlante in DuPage board chair primary". Daily Herald. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  9. "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  10. Miller, Rich (November 15, 2018). "Pritzker announces new health-related transition committee". Capitol Fax. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  11. "Illinois General Assembly - Bill Status for HB3502". www.ilga.gov. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  12. "Bill Status of HB1805". ilga.gov. Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  13. Keilman, John (September 15, 2021). "Dan Cronin, longtime chairman of DuPage County Board, won't seek fourth term". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  14. Smith, Katlyn (March 7, 2022). "GOP primary battle lines emerge in DuPage County". Daily Herald. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  15. Leventis Lourgos, Angie; Goldsborough, Bob (November 9, 2022). "'New chapter' for DuPage: Democrat Conroy set to be first woman to chair County Board — as GOP grip in suburbs continues to weaken". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  16. "Election Results 2012 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  17. "Election Results 2014 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  18. "Election Results 2016 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  19. "Election Results 2018 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  20. "Official Canvass General Election November 3rd, 2020" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  21. Kaczmarek, Jean. "Official Results". dupageresults.gov. DuPage County Election Division. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
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