Hon. Dan Cronin

Dan Cronin was first elected DuPage County Board Chairman in November 2010 and reelected in 2014, after serving in the Illinois General Assembly for 20 years. He brings his passion for fiscal accountability and efficient government to DuPage County, where he has reduced the budget by more than $40 million and reformed costly employee benefits that will save $20 million over the next two decades. He has accomplished these significant cost-savings without raising property taxes or compromising service.  

Cronin is also committed to reducing the size, scope, and cost of local government. Through his DuPage ACT Initiative (Accountability, Consolidation and Transparency), he introduced a comprehensive approach to reform dozens of independent taxing districts in DuPage County. To date, those reforms—which include the elimination of two agencies—are estimated to save taxpayers more than $100 million. 

By engaging with leaders across the state, Cronin continues to advocate on behalf of DuPage taxpayers on regional issues such as infrastructure, public transit, and economic development. He has been instrumental in obtaining federal grants to help fund the local share of the Illinois Tollway’s Elgin O’Hare Western Access project, which is expected to relieve congestion, promote economic development, and create new jobs. 

Cronin has also teamed up with regional leaders to help small and medium businesses capture export opportunities through Metro Chicago Exports. This collaboration between the City of Chicago along with Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties will ensure businesses continue to prosper while enhancing the region’s global competitiveness.  

As a state legislator, Cronin served as the Chairman and Minority Spokesperson of the Illinois Senate Education Committee. In addition to education initiatives, he passed a law to overhaul the DuPage Water Commission by removing the Board of Directors, eliminating the sales tax levy used to fund the agency, and allowing more oversight by the DuPage County Board. He also passed laws to improve security at schools, protect women and children from domestic violence, strengthen teen driving laws, and reduce gun violence. 

Cronin lives in Elmhurst with his wife, Juliann, and their four children. He is partner in the Oak Brook law firm of Power and Cronin. He graduated from Fenwick High School and earned a BA from Northwestern University and a JD from Loyola Law School.