DuPage Airport Authority Commissioner Don Puchalski and DuPage County Board Chair Deb Conroy. | DuPage County/Facebook
DuPage Airport Authority Commissioner Don Puchalski and DuPage County Board Chair Deb Conroy. | DuPage County/Facebook
Former DuPage County Board member Don Puchalski, a Republican, received a paid position on the board of commissioners for the DuPage Airport Authority prior to donating to Democrat DuPage County Board Chair Deb Conroy.
Puchalski took the position on March 15 and it will expire on Jan. 29, 2028. He will receive $10,000 per year for serving on the airport board. He was appointed by Conroy “with the advice and consent of the County Board.”
Applicants must be residents of DuPage County. They may not have any financial interest in the Airport Authority. Applicants may not be an elected official or employee of the federal government, the state of Illinois, or any unit of local government,” a county notice outlining such appointments reads.
Puchalski gave Conroy a $500 campaign donation two weeks after she appointed him to the Airport Board. Conroy is a noted leftist who took controversial political stances as a state representative.
His was one of several instances of recent Republican support of Conroy’s campaign committee. Republican DuPage County Board member Sam Tornatore also donated $1,000 to Conroy’s campaign.
Former DuPage County Board member Pete DiCianni, also a Republican, did campaign work for Conroy through his firm, Win Marketing.
In a letter to the county’s GOP members Jim Zay, chairman of the DuPage County Republican Party who is also a DuPage County Board member, refused to denounce the support of Conroy’s campaign by his fellow GOP members.
“I feel that we are at a critical time for our Party and after some press articles last week and several emails, texts and phone calls I received I need to make my feelings clear as chairman,” Zay wrote in a letter to rank-and-file members. “The current climate of tearing down fellow Republicans when we don’t agree 100% is hurting our party. Instead of agreeing to disagree and work together on issues we do agree on to build our party and expand our base we do the opposite and call out our fellow Republicans and we look foolish and disorganized.”
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