Dupage Policy Journal

Burr Ridge businessman Zach Mottl is raising concerns about fellow Republican Gary Grasso’s bid for DuPage County Board chair, pointing to a record of property tax increases, a series of unsuccessful campaigns, and allegations involving a campaign donor tied to federal election law violations and past criminal convictions.

Mottl, a former Burr Ridge Village Board trustee who lost to Grasso in the 2019 mayoral race, later turned his attention to national politics. He currently serves as chairman of the Coalition for a Prosperous America and supports President Donald Trump’s tariff policies. 

Mottl said Grasso’s political approach is part of the reason Republicans have lost influence in DuPage County.

“I’m surprised he’s running,” Mottl told the DuPage Policy Journal. “I think he’s a tired old candidate. I think he’s got more baggage than a 747. This guy is why the Republicans in Illinois and DuPage County in particular, they keep losing because this is the kind of candidate that they bring forward. He’s tired, he’s old, he’s got a lot of baggage.”

Grasso, an attorney and owner of Grasso Law, PC, has served four terms as mayor of Burr Ridge and was a DuPage County Board member from 2012 to 2018. He previously chaired the DuPage County 911 Board and served on the DuPage County Board of Health.

In the 2018 Republican primary for Illinois attorney general, Grasso lost to Erika Harold, earning 40.8% of the vote in a two-person race. 

In 2022, he placed second in a six-way GOP primary for Illinois’ 6th Congressional District, receiving 27.2% of the vote behind Keith Pekau’s 38.7%.

Mottl said Grasso’s electoral history reflects a pattern of frequent but unsuccessful campaigns.

“He's not a winning candidate,” Mottl said. “This guy's a perennial loser. This guy has run for every office from attorney general to Congress. You know, anytime there's an opportunity for higher office, this guy has got his eye on it because he wants a bigger paycheck for himself and he wants more opportunity to get in on the gravy train for his buddies and his cronyism. He's the epitome of waste and abuse.” 

Mottl also pointed to what he described as a pattern of tax increases under Grasso’s leadership in Burr Ridge.

“Gary is far from a fiscal conservative,” Mottl said. “He has voted, (and) he has pushed with his board, numerous tax increases over the years. Every year, they raise the levy to the maximum. I mean, that’s a maximum tax increase. They don’t need it. They have fiscal surpluses, but they raise it every year to the max. And they don’t have to do that. And he wants to sit there and say, ‘Oh, we’re such a small part of your tax bill.’ So what? That’s not a fiscal conservative. He doesn’t practice the policies that he preaches. He gives out money to his buddies. He’s also tried to raise his salary multiple times.”

In 2020, Grasso sparked controversy during a meeting hosted by Taxpayers United of America (TUA), which opposed a Home Rule tax referendum in Burr Ridge. Mottl and TUA opposed the referendum, arguing it would enable future tax increases. Grasso, who had previously hosted meetings supporting the measure, attempted to speak at the event and was told to sit down by Mottl.

Mottl also raised ethical concerns about Grasso’s campaign donors, specifically Burr Ridge restaurateur Gigi Rovito.

“His number one donor was pinched for being the mob bag man in a mob hit,” Mottl said. “I mean, he was named in the mob trial for this. These are not good people. Who is that number one donor? That’s Gigi Rovito at Capri restaurant in Burr Ridge. That’s his number one donor.” 

Mottl pointed to Grasso’s close association with Rovito.  

“Gigi went to prison for two felonies, for manufacturing and delivery of heroin, and for gang-raping a 14-year-old girl,” Mottl said. “And Gary couldn’t have a closer relationship with this guy. (Rovito) used to employ Gary’s son, which was in violation of all kinds of ethics rules while Gary was the liquor commissioner. The guy took donations. He was his number one donor for attorney general.”

Rovito was named in an Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaint regarding contributions made to Grasso’s 2022 congressional campaign. The complaint alleged that Rovito used conduit contributions through his wife and employees. These donations, submitted in identical amounts on the same date, raised concerns about whether Rovito was the true source of the funds—potentially violating federal campaign finance law.

“Waitresses were giving maximum donations,” Mottl said. “I don't know a lot of waitresses that max out to congressional candidates. Do you? Is that normal? Sure, sure. Have you seen that before? Because I never saw it before. I've done a lot of fundraising for congressional candidates. It's hard to get people to give the maximum.”

Grasso was also accused of improperly loaning $250,000 to his own campaign without sufficient personal funds and of accepting contributions through intermediaries.

Grasso’s political career has coincided with broader shifts in DuPage County, a longtime Republican stronghold that has seen significant Democratic gains in recent years. The county government serves more than 921,000 residents, exceeding the population of several U.S. states.

In 2022, Democrat Deb Conroy defeated Republican Greg Hart to become the first Democratic chair of the DuPage County Board in more than 75 years. 

Several Republican board members who served with Grasso supported Conroy’s campaign. Former Board member Don Puchalski received a $10,000-per-year appointment to the DuPage Airport Authority shortly before donating to Conroy. Board member Sam Tornatore contributed $1,000, and former member Pete DiCianni was paid for campaign work. 

DiCianni later officially switched party allegiances and became a Democrat. 

Hart has since faced backlash by some conservatives for his positions, including opposition to Trump and support for LGBTQ and Black Lives Matter movements. Critics have compared him to former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger.

Grasso has also positioned himself as a socially moderate Republican. In 2022, he authored an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune and appeared on WTTW to advocate for moderate GOP voices.

"Socially moderate Republicans are being shunned or shouted down by those on the far right of the party when we disagree with them,” Grasso wrote. “The far right apparently prefers defeat in general elections rather than winning with candidates who can draw socially moderate Republicans, independents and Democrats to the polls in Illinois.” 

“These candidates don't have any backbone to stand up and say, ‘You know what, this kind of stuff is garbage,’” Mottl said. “That’s what inspires people to come out. Gary’s kind of like, ‘Oh, see, I’ll be whatever you want me to be.’ He’s a total snake in the grass, that’s where he is. He’s trying to be whatever he thinks will get him elected to the next office and it doesn’t inspire the Republican base to come out.”

Mottl emphasized that the Republican Party needs fresh blood if it hopes to regain ground in DuPage and across Illinois. 

“Better candidates, candidates that are not like Gary Grasso,” Mottl said. “You need some real, inspiring Republican candidates. I would encourage them to find somebody younger who hasn't been around—a perennial loser, a perennial politician for 30 years. Find somebody new and inspiring, and that’s the kind of person you're going to get.”