in DuPage to fall from 7.25 to 7 percent. Cronin celebrated during a county board meeting by cutting one-fourth of a layer cake designed in the image of a penny. In August 2016, Cronin supported the county board's decision to spend $290,000 to hire federal and state lobbyists. During the local elections in April 2017, Cronin endorsed Richard Irvin for mayor of Aurora. In September, Cronin appointed Burr Ridge resident Greg Hart to the county board to replace John Curran, who had been appointed to the Senate. Cronin's budget for fiscal year 2018 imposed spending cuts, mainly impacting personnel, due to a $2.7 million reduction in revenues from the state government. The budget included funding for a new communications center for DuPage Public Safety Communications. In November of that year, Cronin joined several mayors and the board chairmen of other suburban counties in opposing the Small Cell Wireless Bill, proposed state legislation that would have removed local governments' ability to regulate small cell wireless installations. In September 2018, Cronin joined a letter written by Curran, regarding an ongoing public health investigation of a sterilization plant in Willowbrook operated by Sterigenics International. Amidst an attempt by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (under the direction of Governor Bruce Rauner) to withhold relevant pollution reports from the office of the Illinois Attorney General, Curran and Cronin urged cooperation between Rauner and Attorney General Lisa Madigan to review the emissions permit previously issued to Sterigenics. Later that month, Cronin met with William Wehrum, assistant administrator of the federal Environmental Protection Agency for air and radiation, to urge increased monitoring of pollutants at the facility. Third term and rise of Democrats Cronin ran for reelection in November 2018, and he was challenged by Democratic candidate Lynn LaPlante, principal violist for the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic. Cronin's campaign focused on his record of not raising property taxes on residents. However, Peickert, as chairman of the DuPage County Democratic Party, countered that the board had merely passed a maintenance budget with no initiatives. Cronin won reelection with 51% of the vote, but faced a strong challenge from LaPlante, who earned 49% of the vote. Peickert considered the thin margin to be a good showing for LaPlante, a first-time candidate. As of the 2018 election, DuPage was no longer a Republican stronghold, with Democrats winning all of the US congressional races in the county. Democrats outperformed Republicans in other