Elmhurst's Mazzochi No Longer In House

ELMHURST, IL – Last year, state Rep. Deanne Mazzochi demanded that the Elmhurst schools superintendent "clean house." Months later, voters ejected her from the state House.

Mazzochi's loss became official Wednesday afternoon when her District 45 opponent, Elmhurst Democrat Jenn Ladisch Douglass, took office.

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Douglass' election was certified in late November. But Mazzochi has not publicly acknowledged her loss. Even an Elmhurst GOP official who recently reported on the outcomes of local races excluded Mazzochi's result.

In the Nov. 8 election, Douglass prevailed with 50.4 percent of the vote, according to certified returns. That's a margin of 364 votes out of more than 43,000.

In November, Mazzochi sued the DuPage County Clerk's Office for the way it verified signatures on mail ballots. A county judge sided with her. But that apparently did not change the results in her race.

Last month, Mazzochi paid for a partial vote recount. But she never publicly revealed what she found. The county clerk's office also did not say.

When Patch called Mazzochi's legislative office in Westmont on Wednesday, the recording stated, "The number has changed. The new number is unknown."

Patch also called Mazzochi's Springfield office. A receptionist answered, saying it was Mazzochi's office. When asked whether Mazzochi was still working there, the woman acknowledged that the lawmaker was not. The receptionist said she had yet to get her new assignment.

Mazzochi, who took office in 2018, has not posted to her campaign Facebook account in nearly two months. She has taken part in legislative proceedings and commented periodically on her legislative Facebook page.

In the months leading up to the election, Mazzochi denounced Elmhurst School District 205 a number of times over curriculum issues. She called for the superintendent to "clean house" because of what she said were problems in lessons at York High School.

Mazzochi has not returned Patch's messages for months.