Terry Link (born March 20, 1947) is an American politician who represented the 30th district in the
Illinois Senate from 1997 until his resignation in 2020. The 30th district includes all or part of the municipalities of
Beach Park,
Buffalo Grove
Buffalo Grove, officially the Village of Buffalo Grove, is a village in Lake and Cook County, Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about northwest of Downtown Chicago. As of the 2020 Census, Buffalo Grove has a population of 43,212. It tota ...
,
Green Oaks,
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...
,
Mundelein,
North Chicago
North Chicago is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States, and a suburb of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 30,759 at the 2020 census making it the 2nd largest city by population in the county, after Waukegan.
North Chica ...
,
Riverwoods,
Wheeling,
Vernon Hills
Vernon Hills is a suburb north of Chicago, Illinois in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 26,850 at the 2020 census. Vernon Hills serves as a retail hub for its surrounding area ( Libertyville, Lake Forest, Long Grove, Lin ...
and
Waukegan
''(Fortress or Trading Post)''
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.
Link was an unsuccessful candidate for mayor of
Waukegan, Illinois
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in 2012. In 2020, Link pleaded guilty to tax evasion and resigned from his seat in the Senate. For the same reason, he also resigned from his position as Chairman of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
of
Lake County.
Early life and education
A lifelong resident of the
Waukegan
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-
North Chicago
North Chicago is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States, and a suburb of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 30,759 at the 2020 census making it the 2nd largest city by population in the county, after Waukegan.
North Chica ...
area, Link attended
North Chicago Community High School
North Chicago Community High School, also known as North Chicago and NCCHS, is a public four-year high school located in North Chicago, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago, in the United States. It is part of North Chicago School District 187 ...
. After graduating, he attended Stout State University (now the
University of Wisconsin–Stout).
Career
After college, Link began to pursue his career in business as a partner at Major Industrial Trucking. He later worked for
Johnson Controls
Johnson Controls International is an American
Irish-domiciled multinational conglomerate headquartered in Cork, Ireland, that produces fire, HVAC, and security equipment for buildings. As of mid-2019, it employed 105,000 people in around 2,00 ...
in their governmental affairs division. He later served in both the
Illinois State Treasurer's office and
Illinois Secretary of State's office.
In 1992, Link was elected Chairman of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
of
Lake County by his fellow Democratic precinct committeemen.
Link ran for the
Illinois Senate to serve the 30th district in 90th General Assembly. In an upset, Link defeated
Thomas Lachner, a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
member of the
Illinois House of Representatives, to succeed retiring Republican
David Barkhausen.
As a senator, Link supported legislation to aid those on fixed incomes, to cap large tax increases statewide.
He also supported a tax credit to encourage businesses to hire honorably discharged veterans, a consumer protection measure requiring automotive manufacturers to eliminate mercury switches from existing vehicles and served as the lead sponsor on the Wetland Protection Act and Smoke Free Illinois.
In the
97th General Assembly, Link served as the Chairperson of the Gaming Committee and Vice Chairperson of Financial Institutions, Local Government and State Government & Veterans Affairs committees respectively.
Link resigned in September 2020. Local Democratic leaders appointed Adriane Johnson, a Commissioner for the Buffalo Grove Park District, to fill the remainder of his term.
2013 mayoral election
Link ran in the Democratic primary for Waukegan Mayor in 2013. He received endorsements from, among others, the Waukegan Police Benevolent Labor Committee and Lake County Board Commissioner Diane Hewitt. Link came in last place in the primary, behind Waukegan City Clerk Wayne Motley and Alderman Sam Cunningham.
Income tax evasion allegation
In August 2020, Link was charged with one count of
income tax evasion. Link later resigned from his position on the Illinois General Assembly Legislative Ethics Commission. A
criminal information file asserted that Link had significantly underreported his 2016 income, which included his salary as a state legislator and payment for lobbying work.
Personal life
Link and his wife Susan with whom he has four children and three grandchildren.
References
External links
Biography, bills and committeesat the 98th Illinois General Assembly
**By session
98th97th96th95th94th93rdState Senator Terry Linkconstituency site
Terry Link for State Senator*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Link, Terry
Illinois state senators
1947 births
Living people
People from Waukegan, Illinois
University of Wisconsin–Stout alumni
21st-century American politicians
Illinois politicians convicted of crimes