Retired Lake County Clerk Willard Helander receives leadership award
Retired Lake County Clerk Willard R. Helander has been presented with the "Trench Warrior Leadership Award" by the West Deerfield Township Republican Party.
The award, presented at the Women's Republican Club of Lake Forest and Lake Bluff's Holiday Luncheon Celebration on Dec. 6, is the first in a planned program of awarding selected individuals and organizations for their excellence in leadership.
Mark L. Shaw, chairman of the WDTRP, stated that he could think of no one more worthy of receiving the first in the planned series of annual awards.
"Willard came into an office almost devoid of what its mission really was: to serve the public, regardless of any party affiliation. One of the first things Willard did was to throw out the counter numbering system and advise her staff that if any customer was waiting, they weren't doing their job," Shaw said.
"Under Willard's leadership," Shaw said, "customer service was no longer a slogan, but a mandate. Willard completely gutted the Lake County Clerk's Office and rebuilt it from the ground up with no loss in service. Today, the office is a model for all others to follow."
According to Jack Koenig, first vice chairman of the WDTRP and its Award Committee chairman, the "Trench Warrior Leadership Award" has five levels of participation, including excellence shown on a statewide, countywide, township, organizational and individual basis.
Although the leadership awards are scheduled to be released in the spring of each year, Helander's retirement, and the possibility of relocating, led the WDTRP to move the date up for this particular award.
Nominations for the remaining categories are still being received, and any citizen wishing to nominate an individual or organization may do so by sending their selection to awards@westdeerfield.com.
It is the sole discretion of the WDTRP to select the winners and, in certain cases, the committee may pass on giving an award to anyone in a particular category.
The West Deerfield Township Republican Party is dedicated to serving the public with excellence. Singling out individuals and organizations for their contribution toward a better and more responsive government is one way of awarding such excellence.