Three vie for Cook recorder of deeds

It's an anonymous job and the ultimate bureaucracy: shuffling papers in, literally, the basement of the county building.

But the job of Cook County recorder of deeds must hold some attraction, because not one, not two, but three political parties are vying for the post this November.

For lawyers and real estate companies, the job is vital to keeping their professions running smoothly, because recording a document (filing it with this office) is often the difference between winning and losing a lawsuit or verifying if a sale was proper.

As in most anonymous county offices, the Democratic Party has had a monopoly on this one for as long as anyone can remember, and the current office holder is no exception.

Incumbent Gene Moore for the first time faced some serious opposition in the Democratic primary in February from Chicago Alderman Ed Smith. But despite being endorsed by Mayor Richard M. Daley, Smith went down to Moore, 39 percent to 61 percent.

Still, hope springs eternal, and now a Republican and a Green Party candidate are lining up, hoping to take away this plum of patronage from the Democratic Party. Here are the three candidates and their positions.

Democrat Gene Moore: This incumbent Maywood Democrat says he's been a good steward of the office since 1999, helping move the office from paper to digital, including the installation of a computer Web site where the public can download documents for a fee.

But Moore says he's not done yet. Currently, documents from 1985 forward are online; Moore says his goal is to go back to 1970. Moore boasts he has helped battle fraud by automatically mailing a postcard notifying owners when a quitclaim deed has been recorded against their property. That way owners are alerted to fraudulent deeds or papers they didn't understand when they signed them.

Republican Gregory Goldstein: Goldstein promises to cut the staff of the recorder's office by 25 percent. While he acknowledges some automation by Moore, he says it hasn't been nearly enough. For instance, he said Moore scans documents as pdf files. But by simply adjusting how they are scanned, he could make them searchable pdf files, opening up a wealth of information to the public. He also promises to make electronic filing online a reality, something Moore says he's working on, too.

Green Party's Terrence Gilhooly: A retired city worker, Gilhooly says the first thing he would do in the office is to ignore the state requirement that owners get a certificate of compliance from lenders that guarantees the buyer meets credit guidelines and isn't being given a subprime mortgage.

The law is just "chest thumping" by the legislature, he said, and no lenders are issuing subprime mortgages any more, he said. The requirement just adds cost for the buyer, he said.

Second, he would convene a panel of legal experts to analyze whether everything currently being recorded needs to be. Third, he would fight to abolish the office, melding it either with the clerk's office or the chief judge's office.