Grant Wherli
Grant Wehrli is a Republican incumbent candidate for the Illinois House of Representatives, running to represent District 41.
After attending District 203 schools, Wehrli attended the Florida Institute of Technology and Southern Illinois University, where he studied Aviation Management and Aviation Flight.
Wehrli has held office in the Illinois House since 2015, and has supported various pieces of legislation in that time. He has also served on multiple committees within the House and taken on the role of Assistant Minority Leader. Before taking office in Springfield, Wehrli was a part of the Naperville City Council from 2005-2014. He previously served as the Chairman of the Naperville Planning Commission, Naperville Development Partnership, Naperville Riverwalk Commission, Naper Settlement Museum Board, Community Concert Center Board and the Naperville Education Foundation.
Key Policies
When asked by the Chicago Sun Times about three of his concerns specific to the 41st District, Wehrli cited property taxes as one problem, saying that his annual legislative agenda “always includes bills that would reduce this burden for property owners.” He also brought up failures on the part of the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) to get unemployment benefits to those whom they are owed, especially those put out of work by the COVID-19 pandemic. Wehrli called for public hearings into the failures at IDES in his response. Finally, he said “I believe those who care for the developmentally disabled are grossly underpaid and have filed legislation to increase their pay.” Wehrli listed his other top legislative priorities as property tax relief, ethics reform, environmental protection and ensuring a non-discriminatory work environment for all Illinoisans. On his campaign website, issues that are covered include education, the environment, ethics, property tax reform, seniors and term limits.
Janet Yang-Rohr
Janet Yang-Rohr is a Democratic candidate running to represent District 41 in the Illinois House of Representatives.
Yang-Rohr attended District 203 schools (she’s an NNHS graduate!), and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Economics from Northwestern University, as well as a masters in Business Administration in Finance, Accounting and Entrepreneurship degree from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.
Previously, Yang-Rohr has held the position of Lisle Township Precinct Democratic Committeeperson, and has been a member of the Naperville District 203 School Board since 2017. Her current occupation is Director of Global Data at the investment data and research firm Morningstar.
Key Policies
When asked by the Chicago Sun Times about three of her concerns specific to District 41, Yang-Rohr listed property tax relief, economic growth opportunities and education. In terms of property tax, she emphasized that state legislators need to focus on reforming PTELL (a law limiting the amount that taxing bodies can levy on taxpayers) and “expanding exemptions for homeowners, seniors, and veterans.” Economically, Yang-Rohr wants it to be as easy as possible to start and run a business in Illinois, which she hopes to achieve through “a streamlined application process and lower small business registration fees.” Regarding education, Yang-Rohr stated that “investments in education--particularly in early education and in our university system—pay dividends in future growth for our entire community.” Outside of these topics, her campaign website breaks down her platform and priorities, among them being affordable healthcare, women’s rights, lower taxes, quality education, sustainable environment and removing corruption from politics.