Amid Rehab, Investigation, Aaron Lawlor Won't Seek 4th Term

WAUKEGAN, IL — Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor announced Tuesday he will not seek re-election to a fourth term in November amid an indefinite leave of absence. Facing fines for campaign finance disclosure violations that could have kept him off the ballot, Lawlor, 36, announced last week he would be taking a leave in order to enter an addiction treatment program. Then late Tuesday night, Lake County authorities disclosed an independent investigation has been opened into his use of a county credit card.

Shortly after Lawlor's July 30 announcement he would be entering rehab, Acting Lake County Board Chair Carol Calabresa, Sheriff Mark Curran and State's Attorney Michael Nerheim learned Lawlor "may have been in some personal financial difficulty," according to a statement from the state's attorney's office. They learned of allegations that the board chairman may have used his county-issued credit card to make personal purchases.

"While unproved, such allegations are a matter of serious concern," the statement said. It said the group immediately called in a third-party organization to investigate, with coordination expected to be completed by the end of the week.

"The investigation will be impartial, it will be thorough, and it will be done in a timely manner. The citizens of Lake County will be kept informed, with the understanding that the integrity of the investigation will sometimes outweigh the public's immediate right to know," Nerheim's office said.

Lawlor started treatment for addiction to an unspecified drug July 9 at a location of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and announced he was taking a 30-day leave of absence on July 30, saying was "getting to know myself again and getting back to the Aaron people knew before addiction took hold of my life," according to the Daily Herald. He acknowledged his drug problem had taken a toll on his personal finances.

In a statement, Lawlor said he would "rather lose my job than lose my life, and that was where my addiction was taking me." He said he would be extending his leave of absence until further notice "at the advice of my care team," according to the Lake County News-Sun.

“Since entering treatment, I have learned the importance of not letting anyone or anything get between my serenity and my recovery,” wrote Lawlor.

Local Republican Party leaders have until Aug. 23 to submit the name of a replacement candidate once Lawlor formally files a notice of withdrawal, which he had not done as of Tuesday, the Daily Herald reported.

Lawlor is a lifelong Vernon Hills resident and graduate of Lake Forest College and the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. His political career began during his undergraduate studies with six years spent as a trustee for the Cook Memorial Public Library District.

He also spent seven years working former Republican congressman Mark Kirk as deputy district director and political director as well as for Kirk's successful U.S. Senate campaign before being appointed to the Lake County board in 2009. He was elected by fellow board members to chair the body in 2012 at the age of 30, becoming the youngest leader in the board's history, according to the News-Sun.

According to an online biography on the county's website, Lawlor has a reputation as an "innovative and fiscally responsible leader," was recognized by NBC as one of six "Rising Stars" in Illinois politics and is one of the highest-ranking openly gay elected officials in the state.

A July 18 letter from Tom Newman, director of the Illinois State Board of Elections Campaign Disclosure Division, notified Lawlor his political committee would be shut down, and any future committee formed to elect him would also be subject to a $15,000 in fines for not filing required reports.

Records with the election board showed Citizens to Elect Aaron Lawlor had not filed any required financial disclosures since the end of 2016. As chairman and treasurer, Lawlor is the committee's only listed officer.

If Lawlor's fines had not been paid by Aug. 30 – the same day his 30-day leave of absence was due to conclude – his name would have been removed from the ballot, a board of elections spokesperson told the Daily Herald. The next meeting of the state election board is scheduled for Aug. 24 in Chicago.

According to copies of the invoices and expense forms from Lawlor's county credit card obtained by the Daily Herald, Lawlor appeared to reimburse the county in July for $1,176,67 in charges made to his card in June, including for three nights at two hotels in downtown Chicago and nearly $150 in ride-hailing fees he said were not his.

Lake County court records show Lawlor was been named as a defendant in a dismissed residential foreclosure case earlier this year and found to owe nearly $5,000 to a credit card company in a small claims case last month.

Lawlor had been due to face Vernon Hills Democrat Julie Simpson on the ballot in November for the 18th District seat, which includes all or part of Vernon Hills, Hawthorn Woods, Indian Creek, Long Grove and Mundelein.