Will County Board member faces calls for removal for attending Jan. 6 pro-Trump rally

A Will County Board member faced criticism during a meeting on Thursday for her appearance at a pro-Trump rally in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 that preceded the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Several public comments were read during the board meeting chastising member Debbie Kraulidis, R-Joliet, for her participation in the rally and calling for her removal from office.

They cited comments she made in a video which she posted on her Facebook page in which she said she was “making sure that only legal votes were counted,” an apparent reference to the false claims of widespread election fraud made by former President Donald Trump.

“Will County should not be represented by a conspiracy theorist who believes the election was rigged,” read one comment from someone who was identified as Julie.

Other public commenters asked for the board to remove or censure Kraulidis.

Member Jackie Traynere, D-Bolingbrook, also addressed Kraulidis after the public comments were read, though she did not echo the calls for her removal.

“The purpose for your protest was false,” Traynere said.

Traynere pointed out that Kraulidis was voted into her seat on the board during the same election in which Trump and his allies were claiming widespread voter fraud.

“I didn’t see you file paperwork to ask for an audit of your election to make sure you were legally elected,” Traynere said.

She also expressed sympathy for Kraulidis for facing the public scrutiny and hoped for “things to be better” going forward.

When Kraulidis spoke, she said any accusations that she was a part of the violence were “ridiculous” and “false.” She said she never stepped foot on the Capitol grounds or inside the building.

“We found out about the break-ins at the Capitol when we were at our hotel,” she said. “We were absolutely and totally shocked to find out what has happened.”

She condemned the violence at the Capitol saying it was “totally inexcusable.”

Other Republicans defended Kraulidis and chastised Democrats for not condemning violence at anti-racist demonstrations over the summer, though the vast majority of protests in Will County were peaceful.

Speaker Mimi Cowan, D-Naperville, said she received dozens of emails like the public comments read during Thursday’s meetings. Cowan added that even if Kraulidis had done something illegal, which there was no evidence of, the board did not have the authority remove a member.

She also said she would not ask Kraulidis to resign.

“I will ask my fellow board members to help me keep our eyes on the prize, to focus on county issues,” Cowan said. “The vast majority of what we do is not partisan.”