Daniel Hebreard, the Democratic incumbent on the DuPage County Forest Preserve Board, seeks reelection as board president in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. He faces Republican Carl Schultz.
The board president oversees the district's operations, budget and land management across DuPage County's preserves. Hebreard has held the seat since 2018.
In his campaign materials, Hebreard said he won that first race after being outspent $200,000 to $15,000, calling himself the first countywide Democrat elected in DuPage County in over 80 years.
Candidate information
- Party: Democratic
- Residence: Woodridge
- Education: High school diploma, Downers Grove North High School (1995); bachelor's degree in parks and recreation management, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana (1999); master's degree in business administration, Benedictine University (2007)
- Family: Wife, Donna; two children
- Endorsements: IUOE Local 150, Illinois Sierra Club and United Hellenic Voters of America, according to BallotReady profile data
Experience and public service
Hebreard worked in the Palos Heights recreation department from 1999 to 2002, according to BallotReady profile data. He later served as a senior ranger at the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County from 2005 to 2018.
During that time, he also served as union steward for the Metropolitan Alliance of Police ranger union at the district from 2014 to 2018, according to his campaign website. He has served as board president since 2018.
On the issues
Government reform and fiscal policy
Hebreard said he eliminated the contracted "presidential assistant" position when he took office, saving taxpayers $25,000 a year. He said he also refused extra benefits as president.
He has called for abolishing pensions for current and future commissioners. He also wants to reduce commissioner salaries by 70% to 75% and remove all health care benefits for commissioners, according to his BallotReady questionnaire responses.
Hebreard also said the board passed a $40 million bond issuance without raising taxes.
Labor
Hebreard said he completed the first contract for the ranger union in 2017, while serving as union steward, after winning court battles to ensure fair conditions and preserve benefits. He also said the board passed a responsible bidder ordinance to ensure quality, local labor on district contracts.
Environment and renewable energy
Hebreard lives in a home powered entirely by solar energy and drives an electric car, according to the district's board page. He said he wants to bring more solar-powered amenities to the forest preserves and develop trail connections to improve resident access.
Candidate responses were gathered from the candidate's campaign website, the Forest Preserve District's board page and BallotReady questionnaire data. Positions attributed to Hebreard reflect his own statements.
