DuPage GOP Chair Coyne warns taxpayers as Republicans back DuPage County pay hikes: ‘I don’t agree with it’
DuPage GOP Chairman Kevin Coyne is blasting a wave of county salary increases as a taxpayer “tragedy,” breaking with several Republican board members who backed the measure in a vote that boosted pay for top officials by tens of thousands of dollars arguing the raises reflect excessive government spending and political overreach.
Coyne’s criticism followed an April 28 DuPage County Board vote approving pay increases for county board members and countywide elected officials beginning after the November election.
The DuPage County Board approved a salary schedule that will raise the county board chair’s pay to $185,000 in fiscal year 2027, with annual increases bringing it to about $198,000 by 2030. The county clerk and treasurer salaries will increase from about $151,000 to roughly $154,000 in 2027, while county board member pay will rise incrementally to $62,000 by fiscal 2030.
“I think we are seeing Democrats becoming very bold,” Coyne told the DuPage Policy Journal. “They think the voters are so blinded by Trump Derangement Syndrome that they can get away with anything ... including politicians giving themselves outrageous raises. Hopefully the voters don't forget this and realize political balance is needed asap in DuPage.”
However, it wasn’t just Democrats who voted for the salary increases.
Four Republicans on the Board voted on the pay increases, including Board member Sam Tornatore who suggested the Chair receive $185,000 rather than a raise to $154,000 as had been previously planned.
Tornatore notably donated $1,000 through his law office to the campaign committee of County Chair Deb Conroy, a Democrat, in March 2023.
Tornatore was joined by Republicans Brian Krajewski, Grant Eckhoff and James Zay who also voted for the pay hikes while Republicans Cindy Cronin Cahill and Kari Galassi were joined by Democrat Melissa Martinez in opposition.
Following the county board vote, the DuPage County Republican Party amplified its criticism in a Facebook post that sharply attacked the raises approved for county officials and the DuPage County Forest Preserve District president.
“The DuPage Democrat-led County Board just increased the Chairman’s pay from $136,959 to $185,000 (36.1% raise),” the post reads.
“The DuPage Democrat-led Forest Preserve Board just increased the President’s pay from $75,000 to $114,503 (52.7% raise).”
“The Board position is pensionable and historically both positions are not considered full time.
“What was your raise this year?”
“How’d the real estate tax bill that you just received look?”
“This is all completely unsustainable and voting to continue it because you don’t like Trump is a great way to get the value of your house obliterated.”
“We need sweeping change and now. Vote red and let’s put our county on a stronger path!”
Coyne also joined AM 560’s “The Real Story with Jeanne Ives and Amy Jacobson,” to discuss the pay raises.
Jacobson criticized Republican county board members who supported the raises, specifically mentioning Tornatore.
“Sam Tornatore famously is the guy who teed up this increase for 35%,” Jacobson said. “She was supposed to get a much more modest increase in the original proposal. Sam comes back and says she deserves more.”
Coyne declined to directly criticize individual Republican board members but called their support for the increases “regrettable.”
“I don’t agree with it,” Coyne said. “But at the end of the day, my sense is that there’s a lot of strong-arming going on on that board right now because of the political leverage.”
Coyne called the raises “a real tragedy for taxpayers already very much pinched from a tax bill.”
He argued rising property taxes are becoming unsustainable.
“Real estate taxes in Illinois, DuPage County in particular are simply insane,” Coyne said. “They're not sustainable. And for any official to have the nerve to bring up affordability while they're giving $200,000 part-time jobs, give me a break. That's pensionable, by the way. We're gonna retire multi-millionaires with these gigs. It's just outrageous.”
As of mid 2025 Illinois ranked No. 1 in the nation for property taxes, with an average effective rate of 1.83%, reflecting what analysts say is a broader affordability crisis driven largely by the state’s pension obligations.
During the segment, Jacobson repeatedly questioned the scale of the raise for Conroy, describing the role as “a part-time job.”
“Just a little math here, $65,000 pay raise in the next four years for a part-time job. Part-time job. Zero responsibilities,” Jacobson said.
Jacobson compared the board chair role to other county offices she said involve direct administrative responsibilities, such as processing property tax bills, administering elections and handling court-related functions, arguing instead that the chair position is largely symbolic and focused on ceremonial duties rather than day-to-day operations.
Coyne also criticized broader county spending trends.
“When you go around the horn at every county level, you’re seeing massive increases in spending,” Coyne said.
Coyne criticized several DuPage County offices, alleging that the Coroner’s Office created a high-level political appointment and that the Recorder’s Office significantly increased bonuses, including for employees with less than a year of service.
He also said the Clerk’s Office has been poorly managed, citing what he described as multimillion-dollar inefficiencies and disputes, including issues related to marijuana tax filings and litigation with the county board.
“It's been a nonstop train wreck,” he said. “And then you hear them have the nerve to talk about affordability being a serious concern for them. It's the real estate taxes they're driving up that are causing the affordability issues. No way.”
Conroy defended the salary increase during remarks replayed during the broadcast.
“On behalf of myself and all the people in the future who will sit in this seat as chair of the DuPage County Board, allow me to express my gratitude for increasing the chair’s salary,” Conroy said. “As some stated, it is very much a 24-7 position. As you all probably expect, I get calls when necessary, evenings, early mornings and weekends, and it is an absolute privilege to serve in this role.”
Conroy, who served as a state representative for 10 years before becoming Chair, added, “It’s the best job I’ve ever had” to which Jacobson immediately retorted “I bet!"