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VOL. 16 • NO. 5
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THURSDAY, JAN. 23, 2020
Harmon named 39th president of Illinois Senate States future priorities: preschool for all, reduced taxes on lower income families
By Dee Longfellow FOR THE INDEPENDENT
Late Sunday evening, Don Harmon, a Democrat from Oak Park, was elected President of the Illinois Senate, replacing John Cullerton. Democratic state senators went into a private caucus shortly after 11 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 19, to discuss their choices for the next Illinois Senate president. According to the Springfield Journal, access to the third-floor offices at the Capitol was blocked off to the public and the news media while the private caucus was taking place in the Senate president’s office. Offices with access to stairwells leading to the third floor were locked as well. A special session for the formal election on the Senate floor for the new president was scheduled for 12 noon, but the private caucus lasted much longer than the one hour allotted. With 40 Democrats and 19 Republicans in the Senate chamber, a combination of votes from 30 of those senators was needed to elect the president. Normally, the majority party decides its candidate for president in the private caucus and records a unified, unanimous vote from its party for the president on the Senate floor. The leading candidates were Harmon and Kimberly Lightford, a Democrat from Maywood, although another candidate could have emerged had neither Harmon nor Lightford received the necessary backing from the caucus. Once on the floor of the Senate however, it was Senator Lightford who rose to nominate Sen. Harmon for Senate president, noting said they have neighboring districts and have since 2002.
“I can’t think of anyone else who would do a wonderful job leading our caucus,” Lightford said. Senators Omar Aquino (D-Chicago) and Laura Murphy (D-DesPlaines) rose to second the nomination. Harmon shares Senate priorities Later, on the evening of Sunday, Jan. 19, Senate President Don Harmon held a media conference to discuss his priorities as the 39th Senate president of Illinois. “It is an honor and a privilege to serve the General Assembly and the people of Illinois as the next Senate president,” Harmon said at the press conference. After representing the people of Oak Park and the state of Illinois for more than 17 years, Harmon, a Democrat from Oak Park, said he looked forward to serving and thanked his colleagues for “recognizing his legislative accomplishments and for believing in his ability to lead the chamber.” “The Senate is a collection of diverse views and diverse experiences but consistent purpose—to best represent the citizens who send us to the Capitol, to collaborate, to compromise, and to create better opportunities, better outcomes, and greater faith in the honor and integrity of our state,” Harmon said at the press conference. Harmon was first elected to the Senate in the fall of 2002 and has since promoted a progressive agenda based on his commitment to social justice and public service. In 2011, former-Senate President John Cullerton appointed Harmon president pro tempore, offering him a major role in forming policy and moving legisla-
tion through the Senate. Notable legislation spearheaded by Senate President Harmon includes the “Preschool for All Program” to expand access to preschool opportu-
nities for thousands of Illinois fami- place the current flat income tax with lies; a law to make same-day voter a fairer, more equitable and efficient registration a permanent option; and, the Fair Tax constitutional amendSee HARMON, Page 4 ment to allow Illinois to vote to re-
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District 45 graduate Maddie Schulte recently donated several of her original paintings to North Elementary School’s Learning Resource Center (LRC). Schulte attended North Elementary School before completing eighth grade at Jefferson Middle School in 2012. She graduated from Willowbrook High School in 2016, and is now a senior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Schulte (left) is pictured with Sandi Henderson, North’s LRC Specialist. Henderson will hang Schulte’s artwork in a prominent location for students and staff to enjoy. “The library here [at North] is such a special place, where students can embrace education, creativity and imagination,” said Schulte, who completed and donated the paintings as a way to thank Henderson for everything she does for the community. “I hope it inspires the bright students here at North School,” added Schulte of her donation. Schulte will graduate from the University of Illinois in May with a bachelor’s degree in social work and a minor in Spanish. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in advanced clinical social work, with a concentration in school social work. She hopes to work in public education as a school social worker. See photos on page 18.
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