Resign Party Chairmanship, State Senator Tells Indicted Colleague

LAKE COUNTY, IL — State Sen. Julie Morrison Tuesday called on Sen. Terry Link, a fellow Lake County Democrat, to resign from his role as local party chair after federal prosecutors accused him of tax fraud.

Morrison, who represents the north suburban district to the immediate south of Link's, said she has consistently said people facing criminal charges should not hold leadership positions in the Democratic Party.

"I think the indictment is the final straw," Morrison said. "We need to have credibility within our own Democrat Party for those people that are running as Democrats from the top to the bottom this fall, we need to make sure that our constituents know that we expect and demand integrity. That's why I'm asking Sen. Link to step down as a leader of the Democrat Party in Lake County."

However, everyone deserves full due process rights and, when accused, to be considered innocent in court until proven guilty, so elected lawmakers need not necessarily resign their seats in the Illinois General Assembly until convicted, she said.

"Sen. Link was duly elected by the people in his district. They deserve to be represented, and Sen. Link is the person they elected, at this point. Until there is a reason for them to remove him or there's a conviction, I think he is legally able to stay there," Morrison said. "It's a personal decision for him."

RELATED: Illinois State Sen. Terry Link Charged With Tax Fraud

Link was indicted last week in Chicago after authorities said he lied on his 2016 tax returns, claiming less than $265,000 in total income when, in fact, his actual income "substantially exceeded that amount."

As an assistant majority leader in the Illinois Senate, Link receives an annual base salary of just under $90,000. The Waukegan native became the third of the state's 40 Democratic state senators to be indicted in the past year.

Morrison said she held the same position in each recent case — including the August 2019 indictment of Sen. Tom Cullerton of Villa Park and the January 2020 indictment of former Sen. Martin Sandoval of Chicago.

RELATED: Madigan Has 'No Plans To Resign' Despite Calls To Step Down

While some of her colleagues have demanded the resignation of the longtime chief of the Illinois Democratic Party, House Speaker Mike Madigan, after he was implicated as "Public Official A" in a deferred prosecution agreement between federal authorities and Commonwealth Edison involving bribery charges, Morrison said it was premature to demand he step down.

"If and when Speaker Madigan is indicted, I will have the same call," she said. "Right now we're just waiting for this investigation to wrap up or come to a point where there's a charge."

Morrison, 63, of Lake Forest, represents the 29th District, which includes some or all of Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Bannockburn, Deerfield, Glencoe, Glenview, Highland Park, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Lincolnshire, Northbrook and North Chicago.

Link, 73, of Indian Creek, represents the 30th District to the immediate north of Morrison's district. It includes all or part of Beach Park, Buffalo Grove, Green Oaks, Lincolnshire, Mundelein, North Chicago, Riverwoods, Wheeling, Vernon Hills and Waukegan.

RELATED: State Rep Accused Of Bribing State Senator To Benefit Lobbyist

Link's indictment last week also indicates the longtime local party leader lied about being the state senator who wore a wire last year to solicit bribes from a state representative in the hopes of a reduced sentence for tax evasion.

Despite sources telling reporters otherwise, Link repeatedly denied that he was "Cooperating Witness 1" in the bribery case against former State. Rep. Luis Arroyo, a Northwest Side Chicago Democrat. He and his office have not responded to messages or written questions about whether he was lying or whether he plans to resign.

Neither Lake County Democratic Party Vice-chair Lauren Beth Gash, nor any other representative of the county party, has responded to requests for comment about the charges against Link — or why he maintained his role as local party chair after being implicated in the Arroyo indictment last year.