Republican Jill B. Shestokas is running for one of three open seats on the MWRD board in the Nov. 3 general election. Shestokas says she is a former public affairs manager at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.

Six candidates are competing. Voters will choose up to three commissioners, according to BallotReady, a voter-information platform.

Five other candidates are also in the race: Beth McElroy Kirkwood, Eira L. Corral Sepúlveda and Precious W. Brady-Davis on the Democratic side, and Michelle Pennington and Timothy E. Rueckert as fellow Republicans. Shestokas is certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady.

Candidate information

  • Party: Republican
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in human ecology and journalism, University of Maryland (1979)

Experience and public service

Shestokas said she served as public affairs manager at the MWRD. She said that role earned multiple national awards for excellence in environmental education and public affairs.

Her professional background also includes serving as director of communications and public affairs at SymSoil from 2019 to 2020, principal at JWL Consultancy from 2011 to 2014, and founding partner at Constitutionally Speaking Media from 2015 to the present, according to BallotReady profile data.

On the issues

Taxpayer accountability and MWRD's mission

Shestokas said her career gave her a deep understanding of the district's work and its importance to residents. She said commissioners should communicate openly about how public dollars protect families and homes.

"I spent my career helping residents, legislators and local governments understand why MWRD's work matters," Shestokas said in a response published by NorthfieldGOP. She added that the agency "deserves commissioners who understand its mission, communicate openly with the public and are committed to making it stronger for the people it serves."

Flooding and water quality

Shestokas said most Cook County residents do not think about the MWRD until heavy rains threaten their homes, streets flood or beaches close after storms, according to a Patch report on her campaign launch. She said commissioners should do more to explain how public funding supports wastewater infrastructure, water quality and flood reduction.

Candidate responses were drawn from published questionnaire answers and campaign statements attributed to Shestokas. No endorsements were supplied in the reviewed materials for this profile.