Marisela Villegas: 2024 candidate for Kane County recorder

Bio

Party: Democrat

Office Sought: Kane County recorder

City: Aurora

Age: 31

Occupation: Recording Assistant, Kane County Recorder's Office

Previous offices held: N/A

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?

Since serving in the Recorder's Office, I have come to love both the work and the people that work within the office. I believe that it is crucial to have someone with experience and dedication moving forward. The fact of the matter is, Kane County is consistently trending blue and I believe the county needs a candidate that will allow the office to thrive, take care of the office's employees, and be forward-thinking in technology to streamline processes for our residents.

How well has the Recorder of Deeds performed, and what qualifications would you bring to the office?

Sandy Wegman has served her county digiliently for nearly 24 years, leading to the state's top Recorder's Office in Kane County, and a faithful staff. I have been incredibly fortunately to learn from her and grow professionally within her office. However, I believe that it is time for a fresh face to keep us ahead. In several ways, I bring that fresh face to the office. If elected I would be the youngest countywide elected official at 31 years old and the first Latina to be elected countwide. Furthermore, I joined the workforce straight out of highschool, gaining valueable experience in retail management with several industries before switching career paths and joining the team of the Recorder's Office. I believe my time as a working class employee, developing skills of adaptability, employee management, and overall store supervision, has prepared to me to lead the office and continue serving Kane County residents.

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?

Transparency is and should be a cornerstone of the Kane County Recorder's Office. The best way to produce additional transpency moving forward would be the creation of satelite offices in both Aurora and Elgin. These additional offices would allow for more geological equity, increased education on the services the county offers, and streamline access to public records by preventing long commutes to our Geneva location. These satelites offices could easily be implemented in the same manner as the Kane County Clerk's satelite office in Aurora, and should be placed next to or near the existing satelite office.

Please list any elected office you’ve ever run for and what the result of that election was. Have you ever been appointed to fill an unexpired term?

This is my first time running for elected office of any sort. While being a lifelong Democrat, I do not believe in running for office for the sake of running. I chose to run for the first time because I believe I can ensure the high level of quality of the Kane County's Recorder Office.

Do you see any opportunity or value in merging this office with other county offices to produce efficiencies in overall county spending?

The Recorder's Office should not be merged with any other office. Kane County currently has the top Recorder's Office in the state in terms of efficiency and income. Not only are we self-sufficient, the Recorder's Office currently brings in significantly more revenue than its expenses, allowing funds to be moved to the county's general fund in order to cover budget shortfalls and preventing service gaps for county residents.

What makes you the best candidate to represent your party to seek this position?

Here's the bottom line: I have real experience and real ideas for the Recorder's Office. I have been incredibly fortunate to serve county residents and workside elected officials from across the county since day one. It’s important to be knowledgeable about what the office can do and how the office currently functions. I have been the only Democrat to be able to consistently discuss the work of the office without floating ideas that go against state law or may jeporadize the quality of our work. No outside experience will be an appropriate subsititute for in-office experience.