Chances are you've seen Don Harmon around.  Hopefully, you've had a chance to meet him.  Don is a lifetime resident of Oak Park (give or take a few years at college), and he and his wife, Teri, are raising their family here.  He attended St. Giles Grade School and remains a member of the parish today.  
    After the untimely death of his father, Harmon and his two sisters were raised by their mother.  With the help of family and scholarships, Harmon graduated from St. Ignatius College Prep on Chicago's near west side and Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois.  Harmon worked his way through the University of Chicago, where he received both his law degree and MBA.

    As a practicing lawyer specializing in municipal law and public finance, Harmon has worked to create public-private partnerships to build hospitals, schools, and factories that provide jobs and services in our community.  All together, Harmon has helped arrange financings to invest nearly $3 billion in our community.

    Harmon has also volunteered his time and legal talent to non-profit youth groups like Chicago's Street-Level Youth Media, which teaches at risk kids about technology, and Oak Park's Steckman Studio of Music, which uses music education to foster literacy and learning.

    In August of 2000 Don Harmon was unanimously nominated by members of the Democratic Party of Oak Park to fill the term of former Illinois Senate President Phil Rock, who retired as Oak Park Democratic Committeeman.  He was first elected to a full four-year term as Democratic Committeeman in March of 2002, and was recently re-elected to his second term in March of 2006. 

    In November of 2002 Don Harmon was elected to the Illinois State Senate from the 39th District.  In the State Senate, Harmon has promoted a progressive agenda advocating for better educational opportunities for our children, greater access to affordable health care, meaningful assistance to seniors facing spiraling prescription medicine costs, and economic opportunity for all.  Since being sworn in to the Illinois Senate in January of 2003, Harmon has passed over 100 pieces of legislation that are now law.  Senator Harmon was re-elected with over 77% of the vote in November, 2006.

    Harmon currently serves as the Chairman of the Senate Revenue Committee and the Vice-chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee (Civil).  Rounding out his committee assignments are appointments to the Senate Environment & Energy Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee (Criminal).  Senator Harmon has been appointed by Governor Blagojevich to the Commission on Guardianship and Advocacy.  Senate President Emil Jones, Jr. appointed Senator Harmon to the Commission on Government Forecasting and Economic Accountability, the Board of Directors for the Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan, the Board of Trustees of the General Assembly Retirement System, the Illinois Early Learning Council, the Internet Privacy Council, and the Public Safety and Justice Task Force of the Council of State Governments .