Democrat deputy to succeed Republican Schaumburg Township assessor after yearslong dilemma

Longtime Schaumburg Township Assessor John Lawson, a Republican, will be succeeded by his Chief Deputy Assessor Victor Morales, a Democrat, at the end of the year following Tuesday’s election.

It was a bit of a twist ending hidden in plain sight to the long-running mystery of how Lawson would be succeeded after his midterm move to Huntley prevented him from seeking reelection.

For a year, Lawson said he would step down early in favor of a properly qualified Republican appointee of whom he approved if one should materialize. But he then changed his mind and said he would serve the remainder of his term through December 2025.

All authorities agreed there were no residency laws prohibiting Lawson from continuing to serve as assessor, only from running as a candidate again.

Morales’ Republican opponent in Tuesday’s election was former Schaumburg Township trustee Charlotte Kegarise, who’d previously spent more than 25 years on the Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54 board of education.

Though he knew both of them well, Lawson said he couldn’t endorse either because he was aware both were capable of doing the job.

“It was very difficult,” Lawson said. “Char’s a mentor of mine, and Victor’s the chief deputy whom I mentored. I understand the party line, but we never played politics in the assessor’s office.”

If Lawson had stepped down early, it would have fallen to Schaumburg Township Republican Committeeman Joe Folisi to select a Republican nominee for appointment. But the position is unusual for requiring an educational certification that takes some time.

Despite Morales’ certification and his Schaumburg Township residency, Folisi said his entrance of the race as the Democratic candidate was something of a surprise due to the significant salary disparity between being a paid employee and an elected overseer.

Township and GOP officials said holding both roles is irreversibly prohibited.

According to govsalaries.com, Morales’ 2024 salary was $90,620.

Lawson said his own current salary as assessor, which Morales would at least approximately inherit, is about $22,500.

Morales could not be reached for comment Friday, and Lawson said he’s never learned if or how his longtime chief deputy expected to address such an obvious pay disparity.