Richard R. Boykin: Candidate profile

Bio

Party: Democrat

City: Oak Park

Office sought: Cook County circuit court clerk

Age: 51

Family: Elijah, son

Occupation: Attorney

Education: Chicago Vocational High School, Central State University, and University of Dayton School of Law

Civic involvement: Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind, Board Member; Mile Square Health Center, Board Member.

Previous elected offices held: Cook County Commissioner, 1st District

Elected offices held:

Incumbent? If yes, when were first elected: No.

Website: www.richardrboykin.com

Twitter: @RichardRBoykin

Facebook: Richard R. Boykin

Questions and Answers

1. Why are you running for this office, whether for reelection or election for the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you? If so, what?

The reason I am running for Circuit Court Clerk is that I believe I have the necessary credentials as an attorney, reformer and community advocate, to increase access to justice- and increasing access to justice must be the Circuit Court Clerk's first priority.

Access to justice is a very personal issue for me. I understand from real life experience the barriers to justice that are placed in front of communities that have been shut out for generations, because I come from one of those communities. You will hear many candidates talk about reform in this race. But there is only one candidate who has both a legislative track record of progressive reforms on the Board, and a clear vision, rooted in principles of equity, of how we can ensure equal access to the facilities, materials, and operations of the Circuit Court.

2. 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 have experience both as an elected official and as an attorney and community advocate that is directly transferable to the Clerk's office. My priority as a public servant has been and will continue to be the expansion of access to justice, and a movement toward greater transparency and accountability in government. As a Cook County Commissioner, I am intimately familiar with the budget, operations, and mission of the Circuit Court Clerk's office. This will enable me to step into the role with a strong base of knowledge.

3. Describe your position regarding the allocation of resources in the clerk of the circuit court's office. Are personnel allocated as they should be? Are there capital expense or other budgetary items that the office must address, and, if so, how do you propose to address them?

The primary issue with personnel in the Circuit Court Clerk's office pertains to training. Without adequate training, particularly on new technology, we are not utilizing existing personnel effectively. Therefore, personnel training must be addressed as a threshold issue before we consider the issue of allocation. There are some clear indicators- long lines, technology breakdowns, for example- that personnel are not being allocated in the most effective way. However, a comprehensive audit of the office's operations will be necessary to determine exactly how to make changes to personnel allocation. And training will be a major factor in being able to assess whether duties are allocated in the most efficient way possible.

4. Name one concrete program you'll create or personnel move you'll make to improve efficiency in the office or make it more successful. Explain how it will be funded and how you will overcome any obstacles to initiating it.

I will expand Clerk Brown's Expungement Summit to proactively create expungement help desks at courthouses throughout the county. This will build further infrastructure around the expungement options available to County residents, and provide people who can benefit from expungement services with an easy-to-find point of access. I will partner with other stakeholders including the State's Attorney and the Chief Judge to advocate for state resources to help fund this expansion, which would happen commensurate with the large number of cannabis-related expungements we can expect to see over the next several year.

5. Describe your position on transparency in the office and the ease of access to records by the public. If you believe improvements are needed, what are they and how would you go about achieving them?

I believe that sunlight is the best disinfectant, and transparency, especially in the office tasked with administering our court system, is critically important. I would provide regular reports to the public and to the Cook County Board of Commissioners on the office's operations, and I would overhaul the Clerk's website, increase its user-friendliness, and increase the amount of information available and accessible. Finally, I would assign responsibility to a senior staff member to routinely evaluate the operations of the office in order to ensure the highest level of transparency and ethics.