Endorsement: Adams for DuPage County circuit court clerk

Four years ago, Democrat Candice Adams unseated a longtime incumbent to become the DuPage County circuit court clerk.

This time, the Lisle resident is facing a challenge from Republican Jeremy "Jaye" Wang of Westmont.

As an attorney, Wang says he would bring more than a decade of experience working in DuPage courtrooms to the office of the circuit court clerk, which is responsible for maintaining local court records. He says he would engage with key stakeholders and incorporate their feedback to implement strategies to enhance administrative efficiency within the courthouse. His goal would be to ensure the circuit court clerk’s office operates seamlessly.

However, Adams also is an attorney. And she has been working to innovate the office during her first term. She has implemented a list of changes, including raising the pay of employees in the office, enacting the first parental leave policy for a county department, hosting annual expungement clinics, and having amnesty weeks that allow people to pay outstanding court fines while avoiding collection fees.

Adams also reorganized the office and promoted cross-training while embracing technology. For example, she says the office established a court date reminder text messaging system that helped reduce the chance of someone failing to appear.

Adams says she is running again because she has a list of projects she would like to accomplish over the next four years, including a mobile app.

Adams has demonstrated an ability to bring fresh ideas to the office and shows no sign of slowing down. She is endorsed.