McHenry County clerk running for circuit court judge

McHenry County Clerk Mary McClellan said she will not seek re-election in March, opting to instead run for circuit court judge.

McClellan, a Holiday Hills Republican, said in a news release she is vying for a seat vacated by Judge Maureen McIntyre, who retired from the 22nd Judicial Circuit last year.

Being elected would fulfill a lifelong dream for McClellan, who said she would guarantee equal access to justice for all citizens and encourage fiscal responsibility.

Since being elected as county clerk in 2014, McClellan said she has been able to save taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars by digitizing vital records systems, creating electronic filing systems and adding a new voter registration.

Those upgrades were initially part of a two-term plan, but McClellan said it only took four years to make the office more efficient.

"I have brought the office into the 21st century with fresh ideas and all within budget," she said.

Under McClellan's leadership, however, the clerk's office has also faced various election issues, particularly in March 2016, when software glitches and miscommunication caused countywide delays. By the next election, she said, most of those kinks had been smoothed over.

Additionally, McClellan has been working with Recorder Joe Tirio and County Board Chairman Jack Franks to develop a consolidation plan for the recorder's and clerk's offices. A referendum on the ballot next spring will ask voters if the recorder's office should be eliminated and its functions merged with the clerk's office by Dec. 1, 2020.

As an attorney, McClellan has worked in both the private and public sectors, including the McHenry County and Cook County state's attorney's offices.

"Public service continues to be an important part of my life," she said. "I would like to give the citizens of McHenry County my very best."