DuPage County Board Member Jeff Redick of Elmhurst Will Not Run For Re-election
Redick says he's accomplished everything he set out to do.
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District 2 DuPage County Board member Jeff Redick of Elmhurst announced Monday that he will not seek re-election in 2012.
“When I ran for office, I did so with specific goals in mind that I believed would improve county government,” Redick said. “I have accomplished what I set out to do. Furthermore, I never intended to make serving on the board a career, and I am proud that in just five short years, I am leaving the county in a better position than when I started.”
Redick was elected to the board as a first-time candidate in 2006, taking the seat of 20-year incumbent Irene Stone.
“I was overwhelmed by the amount of support my campaign received from people that had never before participated in a political campaign, let alone paid attention to issues facing the county board,” Redick said. “However, I believe my message of transparent and ethical government resonated with the good people of District 2, and that is why I won, and why I would have won again in 2012 had I chosen to run.”
Redick helped develop budget policy changes, and drafted ethics reform and a transparency plan for the county which were supported by government watchdog groups like the Sunshine Review, Americans For Prosperity, Taxpayers United, the Citizens Advocacy Center and the Civic Federation.
“Jeff Redick has been a great advocate for the people of District 2,” said state senator Ron Sandack (R-21st, Downers Grove). “His energy, intelligence and common sense vision will be missed.”
District 2 includes all or parts of Clarendon Hills, Downers Grove, Elmhurst, Glen Ellyn, Hinsdale, Lisle, Lombard, Oak Brook, Oakbrook Terrace, Villa Park, Westmont and Woodridge.
Michael Hassan
3:46 pm on Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Kudos Jeff ~ you will be missed on the county board. I hope your shoes will be filled by someone who shares your level of integrity.
Marty McSorely
5:33 pm on Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Michael, agreed. Jeff was an asset to the county and the residents of Elmhurst. He stood up for what he believed in and led efforts to oust, or at least restrain, the "old guard" on the county board.
Now, however, let the intrigue begin:
1) Why would a young, dedicated elected official decide to not run again? Especially someone who had a bright future in politics, not to mention being a close ally of Chairman Cronin. He was on the short list to replace Cronin as State Senator (the spot Sandack got) and now he's not running for CB again? Notice what the press release doesn't say. It doesn't mention future plans and doesn't say he won't run for office again or mention being through with politics. Could candidate for Mayor of Elmhurst be next? He'd be a formidable opponent for Dicianni and any other person who is thinking about running.
2) Watch people scramble to run for his spot on the county board. One would have to think Elmhurst alderman Steve Morely is seriously thinking about jumping into the race. Morely is well respected by many. Chairman Cronin is a fan. He is well liked by most in the Republican organization. He proved himself to be an excellent candidate in his last election where he trounced his opponent by almost 40 points. Have to make him the lead dog should he choose to jump in.
Hang on, this could get interesting.
Michael Hassan
12:12 am on Friday, October 21, 2011
I think Jeff has 3 or 4 small children. It is really hard on a family to have dad work all day and then have to be somewhere almost every night for county/ political events. I wouldn't be surprised if he does run for something again in 7, 8, 10 years. I highly doubt if he would be a candidate for mayor, that is a pretty big step backward politically with the same ~ if not more of a ~ time committment and far fewer perks ~ including a very nice county board salary. To your second point... It is going to be fun to watch what happens, with Pat O'Shea running for Judge, we now have 2 open seats on the county board in dist 2. This is a VERY rare occurance. I do think Steve would make an excellent county board member, however, there will be a lot of jockeying between now and the November filing deadline ~ lots of fun to watch for a political junkie like me.. Bill ~ Morley sides with Petee FAR to much for my liking ~ but he is a active "R".
Darlene Heslop
3:57 pm on Sunday, October 23, 2011
m. h. - i agree w/you. jeff has 3 kids who are young, and i'm sure it's been hard on his wife as well. i think morley will run for sure, and i definitely agree, he for the most part sides w/pete on most things. it should be interesting to see who comes from out of the shadows to run for the 2nd seat. i know there are a couple of committee men on the city council as well that may want to move on.
Bill Angel
6:17 pm on Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Morley is very closely aligned with DiCianni a Chicago closet Democrat play booker. Morely's wife is Democrat. Morley favors no-bid contracts. Findzall, Dan Hiffman-Addison Street project, Dan Hiffman-most recent parking deck. Morley takes his orders from DiCianni. Morley for CB on the Dem ticket? Go 4 it!
Morley spent over $10,000 dollars for an alderman post against a non-starter candidate who spent like $2K.
Redick ran out of gas, has young kids, and was not willing to spend the $75K to get in the race for a 2 year term. Redick is smart, took his ball home and went out with a big win. As for Mayor of Elmhurst...not a chance.
Darlene Heslop
8:24 pm on Wednesday, October 19, 2011
morley is a republican committeeman and i'll bet he runs for county board. redick may go for mayor vs. dicianni, that wouldn't necessarily surprise me, and i think he would be good for elmhurst. we'll see. this will be very interesting in the next year.
Mark Van Zeelt
3:46 pm on Thursday, October 20, 2011
Rafael Rivadeneira would be an independent Conservative voice on the county board. He already campaigned in most of the district and he was endorsed by many Conservative groups when he ran for state rep. Check him out at www.voterafael.com
Bill Angel
4:10 pm on Thursday, October 20, 2011
Rafee' really rattled some cages in the Republican party.
Boderline radical right.
Greg
11:43 pm on Thursday, October 20, 2011
Bill, I checked out Rafael's website and it looks like he's a platform Republican. What part of the Republican platform do you consider radical right? What do you disagree with him on?
Jim Court
8:45 pm on Sunday, October 23, 2011
It is my belief that we tend to armchair quarterback, second guess, and negatively critique our Mayor too much. I do not always agree with him and wish he might be more willing to rock the boat and change the status quo but that is just my opinion, based on my preferences. I believe he is very committed to our communities best interest and puts in an extraordinary amount of time into the job. The job is very demanding and the reality of never being able to please everyone is impossible to overcome. Any difference I have and any expression of ideas is based on my hope to be a good citizen and contribute to the betterment of Elmhurst. It has always been my belief that we as individuals should always leave a positive mark on all that we do and to leave the world just a little bit better for our having been there.
Liz Chaplin
4:27 pm on Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Hi Marty,
To answer your question on why Jeff Redick would not run again here is the answer Jeff was appointed to the Toll Authority.