Daniel Hebreard, a Democrat, is running for reelection as president of the DuPage County Forest Preserve Board in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. He faces Republican Carl Schultz.
Hebreard has served as board president since 2018, according to the Forest Preserve District's board page. He is a lifelong DuPage County resident who lives in Woodridge with his wife, Donna, and their two children, according to the district's website.
The responses below reflect Hebreard's answers to a candidate questionnaire and publicly available profile information.
Candidate information
- Party: Democratic
- Office sought: DuPage County Forest Preserve Board, president
- 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)
- Endorsements: IUOE Local 150, Illinois Sierra Club, United Hellenic Voters of America
Experience and public service
Hebreard worked in the Palos Heights city recreation department from 1999 to 2002, according to BallotReady. He then served as a senior ranger at the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County from 2005 to 2018.
During his time as a ranger, Hebreard said he served as union steward for the Metropolitan Alliance of Police ranger union from 2014 to 2018. He has held the board presidency since 2018.
Hebreard said that in 2018 he was outspent $200,000 to $15,000 but won the race, becoming what he described as the first countywide Democrat elected in DuPage County in more than 80 years.
On the issues
Fiscal policy and government reform
Hebreard said he eliminated a contracted "presidential assistant" position when he took office, saving taxpayers $25,000 a year. He said that amounts to $100,000 over a four-year term. He also said he refused any extra benefits as president.
He said he passed a $40 million bond issuance without raising taxes.
Looking ahead, Hebreard said he wants to abolish pensions for current and future commissioners, reduce commissioner salaries by 70% to 75% and remove all health care benefits for current and future commissioners.
Labor and contracting
Hebreard said he completed the first contract for the ranger union in 2017, after winning court battles, while serving as union steward. He also said he passed a responsible bidder ordinance as president to ensure quality, local labor on Forest Preserve 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 website. He said he wants to bring more solar-powered amenities to the forest preserves and develop trail connections to make it easier for residents to access the preserves.
