Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso's bid for DuPage County Board chair fell short on Nov. 3, with incumbent Deb Conroy winning by a wide margin in unofficial results.

Unofficial tallies as of 6 a.m. Wednesday showed Conroy with 205,736 votes to Grasso's 122,235, according to Patch. The Chicago Tribune reported similar numbers with about 99% of election day ballots counted. The official vote count will not be certified until later this month, according to the Tribune.

Grasso conceded on election night.

In response to a Patch inquiry, he said he had left Conroy a voice message congratulating her on a "clear win." He called on Republicans to "regroup and honestly face the political reality in our country." Grasso thanked local Republican volunteers and said he looks forward to continuing as Burr Ridge's mayor.

Grasso, a Republican who has served as Burr Ridge's mayor since 2019, previously held a seat on the DuPage County Board from 2012 to 2018. He ran on a fiscal record that included Burr Ridge's debt-free status. In September, the Burr Ridge Village Board voted unanimously to eliminate the village's property tax and raise its sales tax by three-fourths of 1%, a move Grasso promoted on his campaign Facebook page, according to Patch.

Conroy won her first term as county board chair in 2022. She was the first woman ever to hold the position and the first Democrat in more than 75 years. Before that, she served as a state representative for a decade.

In 2022, Conroy defeated Republican Greg Hart, who is now Hinsdale's village president, according to Patch.

During the campaign, Grasso challenged Conroy on county finances, pointing to what he called increasing spending. He said the county levy was climbing from $69.9 million to $71.9 million. Conroy, in a Daily Herald questionnaire, said she had been fiscally responsible and pointed to the county's AAA bond ratings from all three credit rating agencies.

Conroy's campaign also held a large fundraising advantage. As of June 30, she had $260,000 in her campaign account compared to Grasso's $1,250, according to state election board records reported by Patch.

No victory statement from Conroy appeared in available reports as of Wednesday morning. Grasso said he plans to continue leading Burr Ridge.