In early 2020, many watched in shock as the world reacted to the threat of the new COVID-19 virus. While the concern was understandable, the way people followed orders without hesitation was troubling. We were told to stay home, close businesses and pull children out of school. And most people complied without hesitation.
The swift and unquestioning obedience was unsettling, and it was particularly severe in Illinois, where some of the harshest lockdown measures lasted longer than any scientific evidence could justify.
What followed in Illinois was predictable.
Once people gave government officials total control over their lives, it was hard to undo. And those who dared to question authority were framed as threats to the community by some public officials.
Recall Gov. JB Pritzker’s infamous comments in June 2020, “If you’re not wearing a mask in public, you’re endangering everyone around you. So the enemy is you.” Masks became the symbol of compliance, and if you didn’t wear one, you were seen as a danger to society. Some of us wore them not out of fear of the virus, but to avoid the risk of being confronted by those who considered themselves the local COVID police. These actions and narratives deepened divisions in our community.
While time has healed some of those wounds, we certainly haven’t forgotten.
And when someone asks for your vote — especially someone who was central to the local pandemic response — it’s important to evaluate them based on their actions and not just their words.
When I ran for a seat on the Naperville City Council in 2023, I believe my election was, in part, a referendum on our opposition to COVID-19 mandates. As a Naperville Park Board commissioner, I publicly spoke out against the governor’s orders, which I believed were not only unconstitutional but harmful — particularly to our children. I even supported the Naperville Park District filing a lawsuit to reopen our parks. Many disagreed with me, and I lost some friends over it, but I felt it was the right thing to do.
Now, as we approach local elections on April 1, voters face a similar decision.
In 2021, a group of four candidates won seats on the Naperville Park Board. Three of them are now up for re-election, and one has thrown her hat in the ring for a Naperville City Council seat.
These candidates, I believe, got into local politics because they supported state mandates and wanted to push back against board members like me who believed local government officials should make their own decisions.
Their agenda couldn’t have been more obvious.
Shortly after their election, they instituted a strict “no compromise” mask policy with no exceptions — even for young children playing high-endurance sports — that I objected to publicly.
You also might remember the drama that followed when these park board members, led by the now-board president, launched a legal ethics inquiry against me to investigate what a social media laugh emoji of mine might have meant. But what started as political theater quickly backfired as many saw it as an overreach and residents began to grow weary of efforts to silence opposing viewpoints.
I share this not to revisit old arguments but because it’s important to remember this history when voting.
It matters if you believe disagreement should be welcomed and not silenced.
It matters if you care about local government being responsive to the community and not just to enforcing top-down mandates.
As a Naperville City Council member, I can tell you that state mandates, often unfunded, are significant liabilities to taxpayers. Do we want leaders who blindly acquiesce to state mandates, or do we want them to think critically, ask hard questions and push back to protect our community?
I think it’s crucial for all of us to remember these events when making our choices. The actions these candidates took just four years ago gives us a clear picture of how they would govern moving forward. And with limited community history to evaluate, I don’t believe you have much else to judge them on.
Choose wisely. Local elected officials don’t just serve, they shape policy, which can have long-lasting consequences.
Naperville City Councilman Josh McBroom served on the Naperville Park Board from 2019 to 2023.
