Dupage Policy Journal

An Itasca-based law firm with long ties to the DuPage County Republican Party created a company that made an anonymous $5,000 donation in support of Democrat Deborah Conroy's successful 2022 bid for DuPage County Board Chairman.

A lawyer with Luetkehans, Brady, Garner & Armstrong created the "DuPage Advocacy Group LLC" on Oct. 28, 2022, Illinois Secretary of State filings show.

Days later, the group made $5,000 donation to Conroy's campaign committee, Friends of Deborah Conroy. It officially posted on Nov. 10, according to an Illinois State Board of Elections campaign finance filing.

Conroy won 172,068 votes (51.3 percent) to 163,233 for Republican Greg Hart of Hinsdale (48.7 percent) in the Nov. 8, 2022 election, becoming the first-ever Democrat DuPage County Chairman.

Excepting the DuPage Advocacy Group donation, Luetkehans and Luetkehans, Brady, Garner & Armstrong made a combined 51 campaign donations totaling $38,953 in 2021 and 2022. All were to Republicans, mostly in DuPage County.

The firm's four name partners, including former Illinois GOP Chairman Patrick M. Brady, have voted in a combined 46 GOP primaries and zero Democrat ones, Illinois State Board of Elections records show.

Partners Bruce E. Garner, 57, and Brian Armstrong, 54, both of Wheaton, have each voted in eight GOP primaries to zero for Democrats.

Luetkehans, 60, of Warrenville, has voted in 18 GOP primaries and zero Democrat ones. He describes himself as a "municipal specialist" who "advises numerous governmental clients," including the DuPage County Liquor Commissioner, DuPage Airport Authority and DuPage Water Commission.

Sources tell DuPage Policy Journal  that Luetkehans is close personal friends with DuPage County Republican Chairman Jim Zay, 55, a county board member who Conroy recently re-appointed to the DuPage Water Commission board.

First elected to the DuPage County board in 1999, Zay won re-election in County Board District 6 along with two Democrats, Sheila Rutledge and Greg Schwarze. District 6 covers the northwest corner of DuPage County, including parts of Wayne, Bloomingdale, Winfield and Milton Townships.

"Pat Brady is a liberal Democrat and has been for some time"

Records show Brady, 62, formerly of St. Charles and currently of Chicago, has voted in 12 GOP primaries and zero for Democrats. 

But he endorsed and appeared in ads for Democrat U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D-Downers Grove) in 2020, as he was challenged by former State Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton), arguing she "questioned the science" about the coronavirus.

A statement by state GOP party officials slamed Brady at the time, saying that “identifying and labeling" him as a Republican is "false and misleading.”

“Pat Brady is a liberal Democrat and has been for some time," it said.

Last week, Zay said he wouldn't criticize two DuPage County GOP officials, Sam Tornatore and Donald Puchalski, who made public campaign donations to Conroy.

In March, Conroy appointed Puchalski – a former DuPage County Board member – to a paid position on the board of commissioners for the DuPage Airport Authority.

Zay, of Carol Stream, is vice president at Service Stampings Illinois Inc. of Roselle, a metal stamping firm. 

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Phil Luetkehans and Luetkehans, Brady, Garner & Armstrong campaign donations, 2021 & 2022

Recipient	Party	Date	Amount
Irvin for Aurora	R	6/7/2021	$500
Senate Republican Victory Fund	R	7/7/2021	$2,500
Citizens for Kain	R	7/17/2021	$250
DuPage County Republican Central Committee	R	7/28/2021	$1,100
Elect Dan McConchie	R	8/17/2021	$2,500
Citizens to Elect Judge Mike Reidy	R	8/20/2021	$500
Friends of Sam Tornatore	R	9/4/2021	$200
Citizens for Donald E Puchalski	R	9/17/2021	$250
Wayne Twp Republican Org	R	9/17/2021	$500
Citizens for Holod	R	9/29/2021	$250
Citizens to Elect Justice Michael J Burke	R	9/30/2021	$500
Citizens for Brian J Krajewski	R	10/20/2021	$250
Addison Twp Republican Central Cmte	R	11/1/2021	$500
Senate Republican Victory Fund	R	11/2/2021	$1,000
Irvin for Aurora	R	11/12/2021	$500
Hart for DuPage	R	12/15/2021	$500
Friends of Ryan Spain	R	1/10/2022	$250
Winfield Township Republican Party	R	4/4/2022	$200
Evelyn for DuPage	R	4/21/2022	$500
Senate Republican Victory Fund	R	4/21/2022	$1,000
Friends for Michael D Hovde, Jr	R	4/22/2022	$350
Elect Dan McConchie	R	4/27/2022	$2,500
Citizens to Elect Eckhoff	R	5/16/2022	$250
Friends of Janice Marie Anderson	R	5/17/2022	$250
Citizens to Elect Judge Mike Reidy	R	5/22/2022	$500
Citizens to Elect Judge Kavita Athanikar	R	5/23/2022	$1,000
DuPage County Republican Central Committee	R	5/24/2022	$1,000
Citizens to Elect Justice Michael J Burke	R	5/31/2022	$250
Addison Twp Republican Central Cmte	R	6/6/2022	$500
Citizens to Elect Randy Ramey	R	6/15/2022	$500
Citizens for Brian J Krajewski	R	6/24/2022	$250
DeWitte for Illinois Senate	R	6/27/2022	$500
Chris Brown Campaign Committee	R	8/4/2022	$1,000
Senate Republican Victory Fund	R	8/15/2022	$1,000
Citizens for Kain	R	8/22/2022	$250
Citizens to Elect Robert Schillerstrom	R	9/8/2022	$1,000
Wayne Twp Republican Org	R	9/8/2022	$500
Citizens to Elect Justice Michael J Burke	R	9/13/2022	$250
Citizens To Elect Jim Zay	R	9/14/2022	$2,500
Citizens for Donald E Puchalski	R	9/19/2022	$500
Citizens for Robert Larsen	R	9/19/2022	$250
Hart for DuPage	R	9/19/2022	$2,500
Evelyn for DuPage	R	9/20/2022	$1,000
Citizens to Elect Judge Mike Reidy	R	9/21/2022	$250
Citizens for Holod	R	9/22/2022	$250
Citizens for Brian J Krajewski	R	9/29/2022	$250
Elect Dan McConchie	R	9/30/2022	$2,603
Citizens for Dennis M Reboletti	R	10/11/2022	$1,000
Friends of Tim Elliott	R	10/12/2022	$250
Senate Republican Victory Fund	R	12/14/2022	$1,000
Friends of Sam Tornatore	R	12/31/2022	$1,000
TOTALS			$38,953

Source: Illinois State Board of Elections