Harmon names new leadership team

New Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, announced his leadership team Tuesday on the first day of the 2020 legislative session.

Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, will remain the chamber’s majority leader, while Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago, will become an assistant majority leader and president pro tempore — a position once held by Harmon under former President John Cullerton before he changed the caucus’ leadership structure.

Sen. Laura Murphy, D-Des Plaines, will serve in another newly created position — that of deputy majority leader.

Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora, previously a majority caucus whip, will ascend to assistant majority leader as well. She joins Sens. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, Iris Martinez, D-Chicago, and Tony Munoz, D-Chicago, who all already held assistant majority leader positions and will retain them.

Sen. Mattie Hunter, D-Chicago, will remain majority caucus chair, and Jacqueline Collins, D-Chicago, will be the deputy majority conference chair, a newly created position. She was previously a majority caucus whip.

The three new majority caucus whips will be Omar Aquino, D-Chicago, Michael Hastings, D-Tinley Park, and Napoleon Harris, D-Harvey, all new to the position.

Noticeably absent from the list is Sen. Terry Link, D-Indian Creek, who was an assistant majority leader under Cullerton. Chicago newspapers have identified Link as the unnamed senator who cooperated with the FBI and wore a wire in conversations with indicted former Rep. Luis Arroyo. Link has denied the allegation and has not been charged with any wrongdoing.