Aaron Lawlor

The office of Lake County State’s Attorney Michael Nerheim announced an investigation into alleged financial irregularities involving the county-issued credit card of County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor, and its potential use for personal expenses.

The Aug. 8 action followed a statement from Lawlor, one day earlier, that he was ending his re-election bid in lieu of continuing his treatment for drug addiction at a local rehabilitation center.

“I would rather lose my job than lose my life, which is where this addiction was taking me,” he said in a statement, ending his bid for the District 18 county board seat, this fall. Lawlor had sent out a press release July 30, saying he was taking a 30-day leave of absence from his duties to deal with personal matters relating a drug addiction.

He began treatment at the Hazelden-Betty Ford Foundation clinic July 6, although he chaired the July 10 county board meeting, where he shepherded a resolution requesting that Gov. Bruce Rauner not sign a bill forwarding a binding referendum question on the Chief County Assessment Official being elected, rather than appointed. If signed, it will appear on the Nov. 6 election ballot. He made one other public appearance.

District 15 Rep. Carol Calabresa was appointed acting chairman of the board. According to a press release from the state’s attorney’s office, she, “Sheriff Mark Curran, State’s Attorney Michael G. Nerheim became aware of suggestions that Mr. Lawlor may have been in some financial difficulty. They made initial inquiries and allegations surfaced that Mr. Lawlor may have been using his county credit card for personal purchases.

“While unproved, such allegations are a matter of serious concern. Accordingly, Sheriff Curran and S.A. Nerheim took immediate steps to call in a highly qualified independent third party to conduct a complete investigation. Coordination with that organization is expected to be completed by the end of this week, at which time additional information may be forthcoming.

It further stated, “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.”

Allegations include use of the card for hotel stays and rides from Lyft. Other news outlets also say he was listed as a defendant in a recent house foreclosure and eviction.

Lawlor also ran afoul of the Illinois State Board of Elections, who issued a $15,000 fine for violating campaign disclosure laws, and threatened to keep him off the Nov. 6 election ballot. The board advised him last month that his campaign committee, of which he was the sole member, was dissolved due to the fine amount and a lack of financial information since October 2016. He was given until Aug. 30 to pay the fine, and be reinstated.

His opponent for the District 18 seat is Julie Simpson, a Democrat. The district includes Indian Creek, Vernon Hills, sections of Long Grove, Mundelein, Hawthorn Woods, and unincorporated Lake County.

Lawlor has not formally resigned as chairman. He was selected for the post, by board membership, in 2012, 2014, and 2016. The term of office is two years. Lawlor, a Republican, was appointed to the county board in 2009, and has won each election since then. In July 2016, he took the step of acknowledging that he was openly gay as a matter of inclusiveness, during a tolerance event at Grayslake’s College of Lake County.

A proponent of government efficiency, he spoke at the May 11, 2017 McHenry County Board meeting through the invitation of its chairman, Jack Franks. Lawlor pressed the issue of consolidation and performance in government as a means of lowering costs from the duplication of essential services, between various agencies completing the same job. He also mentioned the concept of “mutual cooperation” between the two counties, and joining forces on services.

Both Lake and McHenry counties carry the highest property taxes in the state, causing the migration of residential and commercial consideration to other areas, in and out of the state. McHenry County has 17 townships, and consolidation efforts have stalled without a purposeful model. Lawlor cited 911 services as an example by noting that McHenry County has one central emergency dispatch center, while Lake County has more than one dozen individual such call centers.

Lawlor’s Aug. 7 statement also said the original 30-day leave of absence would be extended

“until further notice.”

A request for additional comment from the state’s attorney’s office was not immediately returned. A representative from the Lake County Communications Office was not available at press deadline.

—- State’s Attorney investigates Lake County Board chairman —-