Laurie McPhillips: Candidate Profile

Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: PlainfieldWebsite: http://www.mcphillips4recorder.comOffice sought: Will Recorder of DeedsAge: 45Family: Married 19 years, 1 sonOccupation: Real Estate Broker, Coldwell Banker Residential - Naperville Property Manager Will County Board MemberEducation: A.A. in Business Management, Joliet Junior College, 1991 B.A. concentrating in Business Administration, Governors State University, 1993 Licensed Real Estate Broker (formerly Salesperson) - 21 yearsCivic involvement: Will County Habitat for Humanity, Past President Exchange Club of Joliet, Past President Zonta Club of Joliet, Treasurer Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will Grundy Counties, former board member Joliet Junior College Alumni Association, past Treasurer Visitation and Aid Society, Member Will County Historical Society, MemberElected offices held: Will County Recorder of Deeds, 2004-2008 Will County Board Member, 2010-currentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Ending no-bid contracts and increasing transparency. The current Recorder entered into a no-bid contract to replace the current land records system, which is only a few years old. I implemented this system, which replaced a 17 year-old system and combined 4 separate systems into one, through public bidding, pursuant to the Will County Purchasing Ordinance and ultimately approved by the Will County Board. The current Recorder chose not to follow the Will County Purchasing Ordinance and after 2+ years and hundreds of thousands of dollars, the system is not operational. I wholeheartedly support transparency in government and protecting taxpayer dollars.Key Issue 2 Protecting confidential information in recorded documents. Legislation was passed, effective in 2009, that required public documents to have personal information redacted. I am aware of numerous documents that contain personal information and would invest in better technology to ensure the most accurate redaction of public information.Key Issue 3 Increasing public service. Government should be at your service and while previously in office I implented many features to increase public service, including a live person answering the phone, personally (myself) taking calls and helping customers, establishing on-line access to public documents with the ability to download documents rather than drive to Joliet for a copy, and also opening a satellite office in Bolingbrook - rent free, using existing staff. I would continue to increase customer service in the office and have plans to open a 2nd satellie office in the Eastern area of Will County to save customers from having to drive an average of 50 miles each way for a 5-10 minute service.Questions Answers Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election for the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you? If so, what?I am running for this position which I previously held because I made numerous improvements in technology and customer service in this office and am not done yet! I am in the real estate industry and utilize the web-site and Recorder's office weekly and have been asked by customers to run again. They like what I did and want to see more done. My team had 20+ years in the real estate and title fields, unlike the current administration which had no experience. We focused on accuracy and uniformity of data, which is vital in real estate transactions, so that closings are not delayed. When I took office and converted to a new land records system, we found over 8,000 land records (deeds, mortgages, releases) that could only be located by a document number, which would almost never be found through a title search. We initiated a system of checks and balances whereby documents could not be recorded without at least a Grantor/Grantee so that they could be located. My other initiatives included: 1) Cross-training all employees for greater efficiency 2) Converting 24 years of paper documents to electronic images, from 1989 back to 1965. 3) Offering electronic access to recorded information, via the internet, to other governmental agencies, i.e. police, fire, 9-1-1, federal, state, to identify property ownership records 24/7. 4) Went "green with green sheets" by implementing automatic downloads of property sale documents to township assessors, rather than mailing hundreds of copies weekly. This initiative saved postage, staff costs and MANY trees!If you are an incumbent, describe your main contributions. Tell us of any important initiatives you've led. If you are a challenger, what would you bring to the board and what would your priority be?I bring 20+ years in the real estate industry as well as 20+ years in government, including responsibility for over 1,000 employees as the Director of Operations to the County Executive, overseeing 15+ divisions such as Records Management, Finance Budget, Human Resources, Land Use/Building Zoning, Highways and more. I have the background and experience to manage the Recorder's office like a business and ensure the accuracy and reliability of your public information. My priority would be to continue to build on the land records system that I installed, including initiating electronic recording of documents, as well as confirming the accuracy of recorded documents, which is critical. Another issue that I feel is important and I disagree with the current Recorder is nationwide travel at the taxpayer's expense, particularly when the County Board and County Executive's policy was to reduce travel in these difficult times. I never traveled while Recorder and had vendors come to our office - in contrast, she has spent thousand of dollars annually on herself and staff members to travel to Las Vegas, Texas and Florida, as well as downtown Chicago and Springfield. I disagree with this practice and would instead invest those funds in improving the office.How would you go about improving government transparency?Number one would be to follow the Will County Purchasing Ordinance when spending taxpayer dollars. It was written to protect the taxpayer through public bids and contracting with the lowest responsible bidder. The current Recorder did not follow the Ordinance for the largest expense in the office and I disagree with that practice.This field intentionally left blank.Candidate did not respond.This field intentionally left blank.Candidate did not respond.