Democrat Spyropoulos prevails in race for Cook County circuit court clerk

Democrat Mariyana Spyropoulos, a former prosecutor who also spent 14 years as a commissioner on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, appears headed to victory in the race for Cook County circuit clerk.

With 77% of the total counted late Tuesday, Spyropoulos received 1,088,552 votes, about 66% of the vote, to Republican Lupe Aguirre’s 451,514 votes, according to unofficial results. Libertarian candidate Michael Murphy received 106,237 votes.

In a prepared statement, Spyropoulos described the circuit court clerk’s office — responsible for maintaining the county’s criminal, civil, juvenile and traffic court records — as a “critical part of our justice system.”

“On Day One we will work to make our courts more accessible, root out corruption and help victims,” she said. “I look forward to making good on the campaign promises that have drawn such a wide range of diverse support from across the county.”

Spyropoulos defeated current circuit court clerk and fellow Democrat Iris Martinez in the March primary. Martinez succeeded longtime circuit court clerk Dorothy Brown, who did not run for a sixth term. During Brown’s tenure, the office was marked by scandal and federal probes.

Aguirre, a former Chicago police officer and attorney, did not appear to have campaigned. The Daily Herald attempted to contact Aguirre through the Cook County Republican Party, but neither he nor party officials responded to Daily Herald inquiries.

Spyropoulos pledged to “improve the use of technology in the office, bring the courts to communities to increase access to justice and make the office more transparent and ethical,” according to a statement on her campaign website.

In a candidate questionnaire she submitted before the March primary, Spyropoulos said she will institute an office-wide audit and hire a consultant to ensure staff and resources are managed efficiently. On her website she proposed to simplify and clarify the filing fee structure, increase staff training and expand expungement summits so individuals can “expunge their records and create a new chapter in their lives.”