Proposal to make Cook circuit clerk an appointed post quickly withdrawn
Cook County Commissioner Peter Silvestri's proposal to change the office of Cook County circuit court clerk from an elected post to one that's appointed by a judge had barely been made public before he quickly withdrew it Wednesday.
Silvestri, a Republican from Elmwood Park, said his proposal's intent was to make government more efficient. It was neither political nor aimed at Circuit Clerk Dorothy Brown, who's seeking re-election in November, he said.
"Was it about Dorothy Brown? No, it wasn't about Dorothy Brown," said Silvestri, whose district includes all or portions of Des Plaines, Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect and Rosemont. "We will continue to look for ways to make government more efficient. We always have since I got here."
Brown said Wednesday she has always found Silvestri to be "a stand-up guy" and accepts his explanation that his motive was not personal or political. But she doubts the idea targeting her office originally came from him.
"For (Silvestri), it may have been about (efficiency)," Brown said. "For whoever gave it to him, maybe not."
Brown said she is disappointed that those behind the proposal don't recognize the importance of the office remaining directly answerable to the voters.
"We are doing things that affect people's lives, their freedom ... or lack thereof," Brown said. "You can't put a price on justice."
Now that the proposal has been withdrawn, Brown said she believes it will stay withdrawn.
Silvestri said he withdrew the measure Wednesday to emphasize that it was not aimed only at Brown, and to address questions about why the plan - which would have needed approval from the state legislature - singled out Cook County.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle issued a statement before Silvestri withdrew the measure Wednesday distancing herself from his plan.
"I was not informed in advance of Commissioner Silvestri's intention to introduce the resolution," Preckwinkle said. "I am neither endorsing nor promoting it, and I met with and informed Circuit Court Clerk Brown of my position."
Brown is seeking a fifth term in office after winning the Democratic primary in March, despite opposition from her own party and reports of a federal investigation into her office.
Silvestri said switching non-policymaking offices, like that of circuit clerk, from elected to appointed could save the county money. He held off on the proposal until after the primary in an effort to depoliticize it, he said.
The proposed change would not have gone into effect until after the winner in November serves a full 4-year term, at which point the chief judge of Cook County would appoint the clerk, Silvestri said.
He said he's proposing the measure only for Cook County because its circuit clerk's office is so much larger than those in other counties. The closest runner-up is DuPage County, which is a fifth the size.
The circuit clerk serves as the official record-holder for the Cook County court system, one of the largest in the United States with an estimated 2.4 million cases filed every year.