Daily Herald opinion: Needless dispute: Censure of DuPage County clerk could have been avoided

DuPage County Board members took the extraordinary step last week of censuring County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek, accusing her of refusing to comply with the board’s established system of accounting and obstructing lawful financial oversight.

The vote was overwhelming, with 15 of the 18 board members supporting the resolution. Only a single board member opposed it. One member abstained, and another was absent.

It was a rare public reprimand of a countywide elected official. And it could have been avoided if Kaczmarek would address various concerns raised by other county leaders over the last few years.

Unfortunately, no meaningful discussion has taken place between Kaczmarek and the county board to find a resolution.

Officials started asking about unpaid bills and other financial issues in the clerk’s office in 2023. But when Kaczmarek attended a county meeting in June of that year, she told board members that they had no control over how she spends her office’s budgeted funds. She left that meeting without fielding questions.

The dispute between the clerk and the county board has escalated from there. Now both sides are locked in an ongoing legal battle.

Last year, the county board filed suit against the clerk’s office, asking a judge to order Kaczmarek to follow the county’s accounting procedures. In August, a judge ruled in the county’s favor.

Kaczmarek also filed a civil complaint, saying the county has no authority over how she procures equipment or services. A ruling in that case is yet to be made.

In addition to citing her failure to adhere to county accounting principles, the censure resolution against Kaczmarek says the courtroom fight has cost DuPage nearly $200,000 in legal fees.

The resolution also claims that, among other things, Kaczmarek has:

• Made purchases without essential financial documentation, including contracts or invoices.

• Raised salaries in her office by more than 40% over the last five years.

• Consistently declined to meet with the county finance staff to discuss her office’s finances.

Kaczmarek responded to the censure by releasing a brief written statement.

“This meaningless political stunt is simply a distraction from the County Board’s shameful underfunding of elections,” Kaczmarek said. “I will keep fighting to continue delivering DuPage County voters the best run and most accessible elections in the state.”

We understand that a censure has no actual consequences. Still, Kaczmarek shouldn’t ignore that a bipartisan group of county board members has declared that her actions have “disrupted county operations, wasted taxpayer dollars, and brought discredit to the office of the clerk and DuPage County.”

Simply dismissing the censure as a political stunt will only exacerbate the tensions. If Kaczmarek believes the county board is overstepping its authority, she has every right to pursue the matter in court until a ruling is issued. In the meantime, we urge the clerk and other county officials to work together to find common ground.