The Chicago Tribune (7/18/25) now discloses yet a third transaction involving our local state senator, Senate President Don Harmon, that raises serious questions about his ethics, just three days after Wednesday Journal published my “One View” about his shortcomings in the first two cases.
Now, we are told about Mr. Harmon’s action on behalf of one of his state Senate Democratic leadership colleagues, Sen. Napoleon Harris III, who just won an election to replace the highly controversial township supervisor of Thornton Township, who had gotten herself paid over $200,000 annually, when most similarly-sized township supervisors are reportedly paid under $50,000. According to the Tribune, Mr. Harris had, prior to winning the election to replace her, previously offered a bill for a state law preventing the township from lowering the pay, which apparently went nowhere — because Mr. Harmon, the Tribune reports, put it through in “identical language” instead, as his amendment to a bill that started out dealing with Crohn’s disease, then morphed into voting access, before solving the problem of the Thornton Township supervisor’s pay. Was this a “sneaker”? As a result of his little amendment, Mr. Harmon’s friend now makes nearly $380,000 at taxpayer expense for his combined official salaries. The Tribune merely urges him to undo his law on behalf of his beneficiary. But what about his ethics? Where are they?
Strike three! One wonders when this is going to end. Isn’t it time that Mr. Harmon write to his local constituents an ethical repudiation of his actions (perhaps in WJ), also explaining what he will do to repair them?
Frank Stachyra
Oak Park