Kane GOP Chair Andro Lerario Acts like a thug defending his controversial, liberal decision.
Video shows Andro Lerario ridiculing Kane County Republicans after appointing a non-Republican to replace the conservative legislature, Dan McConchie
Aaron Del Mar, current Palatine GOP chair and former owner of soulraper.com, looked like his own soul came out of his body as Andro Lerario brutishly defended his decision to join Del Mar and Keith Brin in appointing non-Republican Darby Hills for the Republican state senate. Hills would replace Dan McConchie, one of the more reliable conservatives in the Illinois state senate.
Aaron Del Mar who politico hinted may be running for Governor owned Soulraper.com as recently as 2014
soulraper.com via the way back machine / GOP 5th district State Central Committtee and Palatine GOP Chair Aaron Del Mar’s former website
Showing poor judgment, Andro posted the embarrassing speech on the Kane GOP's official YouTube channel. The video, one of the few posted in months, features Lerario ranting and blaming Republicans for failing to research the senate candidates for him. One Illinois Republican described the speech as if “Shrek the cartoon character watched too many Chicago Mob movies”.
Facebook / Kane County GOP Andro ditches the Chicago Mob character for Cowboy attire
Andro claimed he “didn’t know any one of those people. I only met (state Representative) Marty (McLaughlin) at a picnic for barely a minute." and based his decision on unclear math as well as Darby Hill's ability to look him in the eye during a private interview. Lerario dismissed accusations of corruption or bias as "bullshit."
YouTube Screen shot/ Kane County GOP. Self Proclaimed prophet Lance Bell (left) and Kane County GOP chair Andro Lerario dressed up as a Trump supporter
Andro's public speech directly contradicts what he said just two weeks earlier. In a public Facebook post, attorney Tom Devore quoted Lerario:
Facebook / Kane County GOP Tom Devore (left), Andro Lerario (right)
"It was obvious the outcome was decided before I even walked in. I was the only one who suggested an alternative path: electing Marty and then talking to Darby about running for his House seat. No one else provided any creative solutions. I pushed Keith on this, and if Peter, Jeff, or Andy deny it, I'm sure John Fogarty will back me up."
Facebook / Tom Devore
Another contradiction: Lerario claimed he barely knew McLaughlin, yet seconds later, he called him a "great man."'
Lerario's vote looked more like cover for Lake County Chair Keith Brin, whose vote accounted for over 50% of the total.
Kane County GOP members are used to Andro's contradictions and outbursts.
Facebook / Kane County GOP Andro Lerario speaks in favor of self proclaimed Prophet Lance Bell
During the last election, one of the most important races under Lerario's watch was the Kane County Chair, responsible for overseeing a $450 million budget. Andro backed his friend Lance Bell without seeking other candidates until it was too late.
A disturbing now deleted youtube video from Lance Bell’s own channel / The Video was Bell forcing a young girl to eat a hot pepper for around 10 mins.
Bell, who calls himself a "prophet," has a questionable business history and lied about his background to local Kane GOP leaders. Many GOP members raised concerns about his apparent mental instability and or low IQ.
Quotes attributed to Kane GOP members from a non Deleted Blog on Enoch Essendrop’s substack
Kane County Democrat attack mailer on Lance Bell
To justify his decision, Lerario promoted installing a puppet leader on behalf of Bell, contradicting the principles of America's founders. He famously said, "Lance will not have to lift a finger," a line he repeated to reassure Republicans skeptical of Lance.
Full Story / on the Illinois Record
That claim rang hollow. Just four days after Bell's decisive loss, Andro appointed Bell “vice president of data and technology” for the Kane County GOP.
Facebook / Lance Bell announces his new title with Kana GOP just four days after election
Facebook / Lance Bell announces that his tole also includes recruiting candidates
Lerario's habit of inconsistency extends to all areas. One Kane GOP worker called him a "habitual liar."
Facebook / Kane County GOP Andro Lerario lounges out during an event
These constant inconsistencies fuel doubts about his role in the GOP.
During the 2024 11th District Republican congressional primary, Andro privately assured all three candidates he was voting for them.
Daily Herald/ Photo of all three candidates that Andro allegedly claimed to vote for, even going as for to send a photo of the alleged ballot in one case.
On election night, the only female candidate, Susan Hathaway Altman, confronted Lerario about not doing more to support her as the sole Kane County candidate. His response? He cursed at her.
On his blog, Enoch Essendrop accused Andro Lerario of forging a family member's signature on his petition for precinct captain—a lazy move, considering only ten signatures were needed.
Instead of addressing the allegation, Andro pressured Essendrop, a young family man, to delete the unflattering but true blog posts. Below is a screenshot of Enoch's blog before the deletion, which highlights Lerario making yet another conflicting statement about the incident.
Deleted Passage from Enoch Essendrop’s substack
On Twitter, where Andro frequently launches vulgar attacks, he claimed he had COVID-19. Two years later, he claimed he had never had it.
x.com / Screen shots of the Kane County Chair’s account
At the time of this article, his business, Fortis Pavement, had a 2.3-star rating on Yelp. In a response to a negative review, Lerario stated that he had never given a timeline for a project in 30 years. A frustrated customer cprovided text messages proving otherwise.
Beyond his apparent dishonesty, Andro has mismanaged Kane GOP's finances.
Under his leadership, Kane GOP spent over $56,000 on the underperforming, questionably funded consultant Surus, $10,000 on a YouTube comedian, and $21,000 on underutilized office space.
Facebook/ Kane County GOP social media comedian Terrence WIlliams received 10,000 to perform for Kane County Republicans
However, as much as Lerario is to blame for Kane's failures, the Illinois Record holds Kane GOP members accountable.
Many Kane GOP members remain indifferent to lying or corruption. A selfie with their favorite radio host, French Cheese, at Lincoln Day dinner and the possibility of a political title one day are all apparently more important than common sense and Republican values. To many in the Illinois Republican Party, inconvenience is the greatest of the sins. But soon enough, the lukewarm will be spit out of politics.
Stay tuned as the Illinois record continues its investigation to Chinese Government Influence on the Illinois Republican Party.