Brown touts technological advances in circuit court clerk's office

Editor's note: This is the second of three stories about the candidates running for Cook County Circuit Court Clerk - Green Party candidate Paloma Andrade, Democratic incumbent Dorothy Brown and Republican Diane Shapiro.

Twenty years ago, certified public accountant and aspiring politician Dorothy Brown enrolled in law school intending to run for the Illinois General Assembly.

"If I was going to make the law, I needed to know the law," said Brown, a Democrat.

But she never did run for the legislature. Instead she ran and won the office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County in 2000. Re-elected in 2004, she now seeks a third term, running against Republican challenger Diane Shapiro and Green Party candidate Paloma Andrade in the general election Nov. 4.

Brown says she's proudest of the technological improvements she has initiated. She cites as major accomplishments the new $5 million integrated cashiering and filing system ensuring accuracy of financial transactions; the consolidation of mainframe systems which she says saved taxpayers $1 million; global filing allowing individuals to file cases from any Cook County courthouse; automating case management in the probate and county divisions (which had previously operated mostly manually) and developing a Web site.

Citing lost and incomplete files and unqualified employees, her Republican challenger has criticized Brown's management, claiming she runs a "chaotic" office. Opponents also claim Brown has not done enough to fully integrate the clerk's office into the electronic age. Shapiro has been especially critical of the unwieldy, outdated computer system. Brown attributes the delay in upgrading the system to funding constraints; the need for approval from legislators and the Illinois Supreme Court and the lengthy procurement process.

"It takes a long time," she said. "There are lots of agencies to deal with."

She points to the new imaging and document management system for which Cook County Board approved $6 million in July. The first divisions will adopt that system beginning in March, said Brown, who anticipates having all court divisions operating electronically within about 18 months after that.

Closer to implementation is electronic filing. A pilot program allowing attorneys and pro se litigants (individuals representing themselves) to file motions electronically roll outs in February.

Works in progress include an electronic ticketing system for traffic violations recently announced by Brown and fellow court clerks from DeKalb, DuPage, Kane, McHenry and Will counties. The pilot program under way in Rolling Meadows allows a police officer to scan a driver's license, transmit the information to the clerk's office and print out a receipt.

The information is sent directly to the clerk's office, cutting down on redundant data entry, said Brown, who also proposes transmitting information directly to the courtroom. To that end, Brown has proposed the installation of computers at judges' and attorneys' benches to save time and eliminate the need to move paper, she said.

It's all part of her 21st century courtroom initiative, which includes a Supreme Court-approved process for electronic guilty pleas for traffic offenses.

"You won't have to mail a ticket in," she said. "You can sign electronically, pay online, request safety school online and you can request a court date online with a return e-mail."

Shapiro has criticized Brown for what Shapiro describes as a "security detail," saying that as a probation officer, Shapiro has more to fear than the clerk of the circuit court.

Brown, who claims to have received death threats, says her "detail" consists of a driver. Having a driver allows her to operate more efficiently since it allows her to do work en route to the various court branches, she says. Shapiro promises that if elected, she will eliminate such "accouterments."

But the controversy that has dogged Brown throughout her tenure has been her acceptance of campaign donations from employees. The clerk drew criticism for a birthday party/fundraiser some high-salaried clerk's office employees hosted for her last month. Brown says her conscience is clear, stating that she complies with county ethics ordinances and that employees who donate to her campaign do so voluntarily.

That said, Brown indicates she may reconsider accepting employee contributions in the future. For the record, Brown's campaign reported a balance of $76,319.61 to the Board of Elections in late July.

Forms filed with the Board of Elections in late October indicated total receipts of $137,327.50. By contrast, Shapiro says she has raised about $2,000 and Andrade says she has raised about $1,500.