Kane County Reporter

Sen. Don DeWitte (R-West Dundee) recently visited with the Illinois Public Pension Advisory Committee members and received a surprise.

"I was happy to spend the day with the Illinois Public Pension Advisory Committee members, giving an overview of the Legislative Session and the work that is left to do in 2023," DeWitte wrote in a June 2 Facebook post. "These men and women oversee pension benefits for police and fire personnel across the state, in a variety of scenarios and situations. I was surprised and honored to receive the IPPAC Annual Flame Award for Vision and Leadership in the Illinois State Senate! Thank you!"

The Illinois Public Pension Advisory Committee (IPPAC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping its members – police officers and firefighters – informed about government regulations and legal issues that might affect them, as well as investment strategies. The group was formed in 1995 and the advisory committee is there to advise board trustee members and to educate members and the public.

Illinois State Sen. Don DeWitte with Cary Collins, founder of IPPAC, and Chief Raymond Cordell | State Senator Don DeWitte/Facebook

The IPPAC shared photos of DeWitte's visit in a Facebook post and wrote: "What an honor to have Senator Don DeWitte speak to IPPAC members at this year’s Annual Conference."

In other news, on May 28, DeWitte announced that a toll would no longer be needed for the Longmeadow Parkway Bridge in Kane County, thanks to funding included in the 2023-2024 fiscal year budget, according to a press release. The project has received allocations for $35 million in total, during two fiscal year cycles. It breaks out to $17.5 million in the 2022-2023 fiscal year and $17.5 million in the 2023-2024 fiscal year.

“This is a tremendous win for the people of Kane and southern McHenry Counties,” DeWitte said, according to the press release. “I have fought for this money since I came to the Senate, and I’m thrilled to announce that $35 million over the last two budget years has been earmarked for Kane County to provide for the completion of the project and to eliminate the need for a toll,” said DeWitte, one of two Senate Republican budgeteers who were involved in budget negotiations both years. “It was a true bipartisan success, with every Kane County legislator pushing for Longmeadow funding from the state. I was happy to do my part to keep that budget request on the front burner for Kane County.”

According to the Kane County Department of Transportation, the project is “a four-lane Fox River Bridge crossing and four-lane minor arterial roadway corridor with a median, approximately 5.6 miles in length.” It moves through the Villages of Algonquin, Carpentersville and Barrington Hills, as well as unincorporated areas of Kane County. Funding for the project is a mix of federal, state, and local money.

DeWitte was appointed to represent the people of the 33rd Senate District in 2018. According to the bio page on his website, his previous governmental experience includes time as an alderman in St. Charles from 1993 to 2005, and mayor of St. Charles from 2005-2013.