Will County Gazette

Amena Perez is slowly moving up the ranks of the Republican Party. She started as a volunteer and now finds herself campaigning for an open seat on the Will County Board District 1.

Perez, who is referred to as Amy, entered the race Aug. 5 and the Will County Deputy Sheriffs Union endorsed her candidacy a month later.

“I've been a lifelong resident of District 1,” she said. “I’ve been around meeting people and helping candidates as a precinct committeewoman.”

When Republican Kelly Dettlaff dropped out of the race against Sherry Newquist who was appointed after Laurie Summers left the elected position to run for coroner, Perez said the Will County Republican Party asked her to step in.

“It’s important for my district and I’ve always wanted to be involved in this,” she said. “So, I took it into consideration and now we're working hard, but I didn't know it was going to be this hard.”

What’s been hard for Perez, she says, is that her candidacy was challenged by two Democrats who filed a lawsuit over conflicting dates.

“We won but for them to start attacking me like that,” she said. “I'm afraid to go outside. I'm a single mom and I'm starting to have people drive by, giving me angry looks. It’s a little unnerving because now that I am running, my name is public. My address is public.”

Perez vows to stay the course and win, she says, because she’s concerned for the district’s future.

“Sherry wasn’t elected. She was appointed when Laurie left and every time I'm on the board calls, I don't hear anything from her,” Perez said of incumbent Sherry Newquist. “The past two board meetings, she wasn't even there. You're supposed to work for the people, not yourself.”

Perez's last name is deceiving. Although her ex-husband is Hispanic, Perez is not of Latino descent. Her mother hails from Warsaw, Indiana and her father is Eastern European.

“Coming from a family of law enforcement both here in the United States and my father’s home country of Croatia, and learning that I earned the endorsement of Will County’s Sheriffs Union brought tears to my eyes," she said. "My late father, who came to America to escape poverty and socialism, would be proud to know that his daughter, a first-generation American, received this prestigious honor.”

Perez takes interest in a variety of issues including:

Farmers: “As a mom, I'm concerned that our children have access to clean air, clean food, clean water and sustainable local food sources. I'm also strong on conservation and preservation," she said 

Peotone Airport: Perez is against building a proposed Chicago suburban airport anywhere near Will County. 

“I visited some of the forest preserves, and if they brought that airport, residents will lose their land, their farms and they’d have to leave,” she said.

Property taxes: Perez promises to oppose bids to increase taxes and wants to bring eastern Will County to the table. 

“We're in a little corner and I want to make sure we get our fair share of the funding that we deserve,” she said.