Will County Board member to step down, take township post

Will County Board member Ken Harris announced last week he would step down at the end of this month to take over as the DuPage Township assessor, a position he was elected to earlier this year.

At the end of last Tuesday’s Will County Board Finance Committee meeting, Harris, D-Bolingbrook, told his fellow members he would resign his seat to take the township role starting next month. He praised his colleagues and county staff for their work during his tenure.

“You guys have definitely had an impact on me and my family,” he said. “We have grown as a county (and) as board members from when I started nine years ago.”

Harris was elected to be the next DuPage Township assessor in last April’s election. He said the assessor’s term doesn’t actually start until the following calendar year, which is why he has yet to take office. He said his background as an accountant qualifies him for the work the assessor’s office does.

Harris would not have been able to serve in both roles since the Will County Board has jurisdiction over a body which oversees township assessors. He said it wouldn’t be right for him to be “both judge and jury.”

He added he had been thinking about moving on from the county board “for a while.” He was first elected to the Will County Board in 2012 to represent a district which includes much of Bolingbrook.

Harris said he has “a lot of fond memories” of serving in county government, especially working with his colleagues on several major projects including the construction of a new courthouse, public safety complex and health department facility.

“That stuff means a lot to keep the residents safe,” he said.

The Will County Board will have to declare Harris’ seat open and appoint someone to fill in for the rest of his term through the next election in November of 2022.