Larry Walsh's 2020 Campaign Has This Much Money

JOLIET, IL -It's the heart of political campaign season. There are several contested races in November for seats on the Will County Board, plus two Will County Circuit judge spots. There's a battle between incumbent Mike Kelley and one of his deputies, Jim Reilly, for Will County Sheriff. But laying low, raising money behind the scenes, is a notable political figure who is not even up for re-election for more than two years, until November 2020. That's Will County Executive Larry Walsh Sr.

The Committee to Elect Lawrence Walsh reports having $222,235 in cash on hand, according to Illinois Sunshine, a website operated by the not-for-profit Illinois Campaign for Political Reform.

Of particular note, Walsh raised $11,808 in new campaign donations since June 30, the data shows.

• Chicagoland Speedway gave Walsh $2,000 as a campaign donation on Sept. 17.
• Associated General Contractors of Illinois PAC Account gave Walsh $2,000 on Sept. 4.
• Waste Management made a $3,807 in-kind donation to Walsh on Aug 24.

On Aug. 23, Walsh received separate $1,000 donations from F.H. Paschen, S.N. Nielsen & Associates and ESI Consultants.

On Aug, 15, Walsh got $1,000 donations from Reyes Kurson Ltd. and Patrick C. Harbour.

On June 27, Walsh got a $1,000 donation from IUOE Local 150 Political Action Committee, $500 from Harris & Harris Ltd. and $500 from the Illinois Coalition of Local Governments.

Walsh, 70, is now in the middle of his fourth four-year term in office. The long-time Will County Democrat is from Elwood.

Last Thursday, Joliet Patch spoke with Walsh about his future plans to run for another four-year term in 2020. He said it's still too far down the road to make a decision on whether he will run for another term of office as county executive.

For now, Walsh said he remains focused on making sure the new 10-story Will County Courthouse construction project continues on schedule, and he's focused on getting a new facility underway for the Will County Health Department.

As far as his political campaign war chest of more than $220,000 is concerned, Walsh said he expects to use a portion of his funds over the coming weeks to help other local candidates vying for office.

For instance, Walsh transferred $1,000 on June 21 to Citizens to Elect Mike Kelley Will County Sheriff, the Illinois Sunshine website notes.

Here are Larry Walsh's top dozen all-time campaign donors, according to Illinois Sunshine records:

1. American Federation of Teachers, Local 604 Cope II: $25,700
2. Wight & Company: $19,512
3. CenterPoint Properties Trust: $17,912
4. D Construction: $16,950
5. Plumbers & Pipefitters Local Union #422 PAC: $16,250
6. J V Murphy & Associates: $15,873
7. AFSCME Illinois Council No. 31 PAC: $15,475
8. Chicago Land Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC: $15,000
9. Friends of AJ Wilhelmi: $11,950
10. I.B.E.W. Educational Committee: $11,700
11. Union Pacific Railroad: $11,610
12. Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois/PAC: $11,000

Main image of Will County Executive Larry Walsh via John Ferak/Joliet Patch Editor taken in December 2017 at the groundbreaking for the new Will County Courthouse.