* From the Illinois constitution’s legislative article…
Within thirty days after a vacancy occurs, it shall be filled by appointment as provided by law. If the vacancy is in a Senatorial office with more than twenty-eight months remaining in the term, the appointed Senator shall serve until the next general election, at which time a Senator shall be elected to serve for the remainder of the term.
Sen. Terry Link (D-Waukegan) is currently just a bit over 28 months from the end of his four-year term. So, if he quit today, a special election would be triggered for November.
* Politico…
State Sen. Terry Link announced Thursday that he’s stepping down as head of the Lake County Democratic Party effective Sept. 15. The move came after party members emailed him Wednesday saying if he didn’t resign immediately, they’d vote to push him out.
Link, who has been charged by the feds with tax evasion, is also expected to step down from his seat in the General Assembly sometime before Sept. 15.
That little window, in which he’d be out of the Senate but still running the Lake County party, would allow Link to name his successor. It’s a point that’s infuriating Lake County Dems who say Link has been promising he’d step down for weeks. […]
If Link resigns before Sept. 12, that would trigger a special election for the Nov. 3 ballot. Then each party would put a candidate forward.
If Link resigns his Senate seat after Sept. 11, the cut-off date for a 2020 election is missed and his successor is appointed and would serve out the remainder of Link’s term, through 2022. And Link could have a hand in the selection.
Committee members are calling the move an “egregious” abuse of power and are pushing for a special meeting to confirm new leadership. “Enough is enough,” said one committee member. “It’s time for him to move along with his life.”
He wouldn’t just have a “hand” in his replacement. As county party chair, he’d be able to make the replacement on his own.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
State Representative Bob Morgan and State Representative Sam Yingling, joined by the below co-signers, released the following statement:
“November’s election is so important and so consequential that we must put 100% of our energies into the campaigns of every Democratic candidate up and down the ballot.
We can’t afford any distractions or delays, which is why we are demanding that Terry Link step down immediately as Chair of Lake County Democrats.”
The below are co-signers to this statement:
Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10)
State Senator Julie Morrison (IL-29)
State Representative Mary Edly-Allen (IL-51) State Representative Jonathan Carroll (IL-57) State Representative Bob Morgan (IL-58) State Representative Dan Didech (IL-59) State Representative Joyce Mason (IL-61) State Representative Sam Yingling (IL-62)
Lake County Sheriff John Idelburg Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim
Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart (District 13)
Lake County Board Member Mary Ross-Cunningham (District 9) Lake County Board Member Paul Frank (District 11)
Lake County Board Member Julie Simpson (District 18)
Lake County Board Member Marah Altenberg (District 20)
- A Guy - Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 9:50 am:
Too bad the few rules there are would prohibit appointing Roland Burris.
- Froganon - Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 9:54 am:
Time for a rule change, indicted legislators are prohibited from any role in selecting their replacements.
- Sylvania - Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 9:56 am:
This is awesome.
- DuPage Saint - Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 10:00 am:
Rule change should also prevent a retiring officeholder from appointing a relative
- Fresh ideas - Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 10:06 am:
Dirty play by Link. This is what is wrong with Illinois politics. Hope they get him out in time
- Lester Holt’s Mustache - Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 10:07 am:
== Rule change should also prevent a retiring officeholder from appointing a relative==
You can’t do that, what will Emil Jones IV, V, VI and VII do for work? They don’t hand out private sector jobs to just anyone, you know
- NIU Grad - Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 10:09 am:
“It’s time for him to move along with his life.”
If your colleagues are saying this about you, you should know that you’ve overstayed your welcome and have thrown your legacy in the dumpster. Like come on, man…what’s even the point of choosing your successor right now besides being petty?
- Just Me 2 - Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 10:11 am:
The Senate Democrats are filming a movie using a copyrighted screenplay written by the House Democrats from last spring. I know how this story ends and it doesn’t end well for the constituents.
- Titan - Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 10:24 am:
Rich - would it just be Link picking? I thought Link’s district is entirely within Lake County.
10 ICS 5/8-5 includes “if a legislative or representative district comprises only one county, or part of a county, its legislative or representative committee shall consist of the chair of the county central committee and 2 members of the county central committee who reside in the legislative or representative district, as the case may be, elected by the county central committee.”
- Rich Miller - Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 10:32 am:
===entirely within Lake County===
Nope. According to the board of elections website, he has a handful of Cook County precincts. https://www.elections.il.gov/Downloads/ElectionOperations/ElectionResults/ByOffice/54/54-1080-30TH%20SENATE-2018GE.csv
- Hole in One - Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 10:46 am:
I suppose Link has a replacement in line. But if he’s pushed out, would Didech want to move up? Or Mayfield?
- Frank talks - Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 10:47 am:
Lake County Dems push too much Link could resign entirely and give them a special election. Do they really want to add a State Senate race into their next 75 days?
- Practical Politics - Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 10:59 am:
@Du Page Saint:
It’s not merely a rule change, a law would need to be passed. Link is not acting as State Senator, but as an elected Democratic party officer.
- VerySmallRocks - Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 11:01 am:
The Illinois Democrats have a small window of opportunity, essentially this year, to clean house from Madigan on down. Otherwise they will be handing the GOP a gift, not only keeping that moribund party from fadIng into obscurity, but breathe new life Into it, threatening the Senate super majority and reducing the House majority in 2022.
- Frumpy White Guy - Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 11:21 am:
Link a name that will be remembered for corruption, dishonesty and betrayal. Very sad for his family who have to deal with the stigma
- Northfielder - Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 12:05 pm:
Link: “I’ve got this thing and it’s bleepin’ golden.”
- iggy - Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 12:29 pm:
this whole thing is yuck. what a pathetic showing up in Lake County.
- Ring - Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 1:33 pm:
So the fight here is whether corrupt Terry Link might want and what the group who made him their chairman wants.
How about leaving it up to the voters?
- thechampaignlife - Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 1:38 pm:
When Frerichs became Treasurer, the Champaign Dems Chair had the power to solely appoint his replacement in the Senate. Having a single person with the authority to choose a replacement is bad process. It would be much more (representatively) democratic for the precinct committee members in the district to have a weighted vote.
- Disgruntled IL Democrat - Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 2:05 pm:
It’s so disheartening to watch what’s happening nationally with a Republican Party rotten to its core. But to live in a state where the Democrats seem not to genuinely care about ethical government is also quite a shame.
Why didn’t Lake County Democrats dump Link a year ago when his tax fraud was first reported? This was a ticking time bomb and rather than diffuse it right away, they let it go off right before the election. This wasn’t hard to predict.
Trump’s given Democrats in the suburbs a gift by repulsing voters away from his party, but Dem leaders in the suburbs are not ready to lead.
- Rules, They could be better - Friday, Aug 21, 20 @ 2:39 pm:
They should’ve let Louie Arroyo appoint his son instead of wasting taxpayer money. Egads!