West Cook News

U.S. Army veteran Jack Vrett has announced that he will be running for Illinois State Representative in the 53rd District, saying that the current set of policies in Illinois make it hard to “afford daily life.”

Vrett calls himself a “common-sense conservative” and said he will aim to reduce taxes and crime, oppose extremism of all kinds and make Illinois an attractive state for families and businesses to set up shop.

“I’m running for State Representative because I believe Illinois deserves a fresh start,” Vrett said. “We need a stronger economy, lower taxes and safer neighborhoods. Policies in Illinois are too extreme, and they are making it harder to afford daily life. As a Veteran of Afghanistan and a former criminal prosecutor, I’ll fight to keep families safe, grow the economy and restore common sense to Springfield.”

Vrett lives in Arlington Heights with his wife and dog, and is the father of two children. Having grown up in Woodstock, he returned to Chicagoland in 2013 after completing his time in college, law school and the Army. Vrett is a practicing Catholic who is actively involved in Catholic Charities, and his local VFW and American Legion posts.

Vrett served in the United States Army from 2009 to 2014. He was a member of the J.A.G. Corps and was deployed to Afghanistan in December 2010 with the 101st Airborne Division during Operation Enduring Freedom. When he returned home he served as the Chief of International and Operational Law for the 101st Airborne and was sent on training missions to Ukraine and Slovenia to help teach international law to allies. He also served a a military prosecutor and was a Special Assistant United States Attorney.

In 2015 Vrett was appointed the Deputy General Counsel for the Illinois Department of Central Management Services where he had responsibility over labor relations and collective bargaining.

Vrett started private practice in 2017 as an attorney for Arlington Heights based Hodges Loizzi, and was later a partner for Honigman in 2019. His practice concentrated on labor and employment law, as well as labor relations.

“In 2020, I fought for taxpayers against the progressive income tax amendment,” said Vrett. “As a lawyer, I represented a group of taxpayers and the Illinois Policy Institute and brought a lawsuit challenging the misleading amendment explanation on the ballot.

Vrett has never held an elected office but looks forward to making a difference. If elected he said he plans to: make daily life affordable by fixing the economy and fighting taxes and inflation; support law enforcement to keep neighborhoods safe; and support “innovation and the American Dream by making Illinois the best place in the country to start and grow a small business” through ensuring the education system prepares students for the future.

“I believe in pragmatic and practical solutions that enhance prosperity for everyone, respect everyone to live their lives in peace and privacy, and promote individual freedom,” Vrett said.

“I oppose partisanship and extremism in all its forms. We must be citizens first and prioritize the common good over gaining partisan advantage.”

Vrett criticized his Democratic opponent Mark Walker saying that since his time in public office since 2008 he has been “too extreme and out-of-touch with voters in our community.” His criticisms included that Walker has repeatedly voted to raise taxes like income and gas tax. He has also supported policies and politicians that enabled criminals, Vrett said. Vrett also criticized him for his support of disgraced former speaker Mike Madigan, saying he participated in the corruption of Springfield. He pointed out that Walker accepted more than $1.9 million in contributions from Madigan and his associates. He also criticized that Walker sponsored legislation that would decriminalize hard drugs like cocaine, heroin and fentanyl.

Vrett said that this election is especially important because the state is balancing on the precipice of enduring an economic decline. He said studies have shown that about half of small businesses are at risk of closing by the fall, presenting a major problem as small businesses represent 90% of Illinois businesses.

“The failure of even a fraction of small businesses would constitute a catastrophic loss to our state,” Vrett said. “This is not a hypothetical statistic – when I talk to voters on their doorstep, they imagine what the suburbs would be like if half of our small businesses were gone. The shops, boutiques, restaurants. These small, local businesses create the character of our communities, and that character is under threat by short-sighted and irresponsible policies that make it harder for local businesses to survive.”

He added that the crime in Chicago has carried over to the suburbs. While there may not be as much violence, the suburbs need Chicago to thrive.

“If Chicago declines, we decline too,” said Vrett. “The public safety crisis in Chicago does not exist in a vacuum. It impacts all of us, and we need to take it seriously.”