Dupage Policy Journal

Heather Brown, an alderman for the city of West Chicago, is the Republican candidate for state senate in District 25 running against Democratic incumbent Karina Villa.

Brown says she is running for higher office to better represent the people of District 25 and fight back against policies that have led to increased crime rates and fewer educational opportunities in  schools. 

Brown said in December, she was the only person on the council to vote against a tax hike. She said she has responded to constituents outside her ward to help whenever possible in her position as a member of the subcommittees of Public Affairs and Infrastructure. She said she has reached across the aisle when helping small businesses over the years whenever they sought assistance.

"For years, people have been encouraging me to run for higher office as I constantly speak of my passion for helping the people in our area," Brown said. "People on both sides of the aisle have stated, 'my heart has always been for the people,' and I will continue to do so in the future. I decided to run for a better future for my children and future generations, for our businesses closing their doors and being filled with COVID-19 testing facilities, for people going into foreclosure due to high taxes, and for all the voices going unheard or being lied too about the truth of our State of Illinois."

Brown and her husband have been DuPage residents their entire lives and have lived in West Chicago for 11 years. A mother of two children, Brown is currently homeschooling her children due to "poor education availability in our town, no air conditioning or limited upgrades" with "questionable mandates and curriculums." 

"We live within the District with the highest taxes within DuPage County for schools," Brown told DuPage Policy Journal. "With so much money collected in taxes for our districts, the grades and environment in District 33 has plummeted so low that it would hold our children back from future success."

If elected, Brown said her top priorities in Springfield would be overturning the Safe-T Act, protecting parental rights especially their ability to speak freely at school board meetings, and lowering taxes, starting with the gas tax.

"My top priorities when getting into office would be to protect our constituents," Brown told DuPage Policy Journal. "With recent laws that have been passed, starting in July via the Safe-T Act, our people will feel a huge crime wave taking over our towns and cities. The Democrats pushed bills that will allow criminals to run our streets."

"Second, I am a proud momma bear who will do everything in my power to give parents the rights to speak freely at board meetings," she said. "Parents need to have a say and need to be more involved with what is going on with their tax dollars. We pay for the schools and their salaries, We The People should have a voice!" 

"Lastly, our economy has shut down so many business due to high taxes. These high taxes for gas and electricity have impacted not just businesses but our residents as well. People are fleeing in droves, and we need to be a state where people want to live and thrive, not flee. My goal would be to make our state successful again without overspending."

"It is my goal to fix the issues going forward, with and for the people of Illinois Legislative District 25," she said.

Brown has a long history of philanthropic work. Her most recent work has been fostering animals from her ward and the DuPage Animal Shelter. She also runs a website that serves as a support group for those suffering from Stiff Person Syndrome. She also participated in the Polar Plunge 2022 with the West Chicago Police Department to raise funds for the Special Olympics.