DuPage Democrats pick Deacon Garcia for county clerk

Embattled DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek will not get a third term in office.

The Glen Ellyn resident was defeated Tuesday night in the Democratic primary by DuPage County Board member Paula Deacon Garcia.

With all precincts reporting, unofficial vote totals showed Deacon Garcia with 54,761 votes and Kaczmarek with 42,670 votes.

“This is a victory for the voters of DuPage,” said Deacon Garcia, who was keeping watch on the election results at her Lisle home Tuesday night. “They wanted transparency and good government. I just look forward to moving on in November and bringing this same message to the county voters in the General Election.”

Deacon Garcia cited an ongoing battle between Kaczmarek and the county board over how she runs her office as the main reason she chose to challenge a fellow Democrat she once ardently supported.

The Democratic nominee for county clerk will face Republican Patricia Kladis-Schiappa in November.

Kaczmarek, who was overseeing Tuesday’s elections, could not be reached for comment. Tuesday's race was the first time Kaczmarek faced a primary challenge since her election in 2018.

A yearslong feud between Kaczmarek and the county board found its way to a courtroom when the county filed a lawsuit seeking a judge's order to bring Kaczmarek into compliance.

The county board ultimately filed a lawsuit seeking a judge’s order to bring Kaczmarek into compliance. A DuPage County judge sided with the county board, issuing a ruling that Kaczmarek must follow the county’s accounting procedures. In another ruling, the judge sided with the county board again when he denied Kaczmarek’s request for summary judgment, in which she argued that two election-related contracts were exempt from bidding rules.

Kaczmarek has said she plans to appeal both rulings. She argues that state law gives her the authority to oversee the office and that the county cannot block bills from being paid or dictate what work must be bid out.

Deacon Garcia promised an end to the lawsuits and that she would bring the clerk’s office into compliance with county accounting procedures.

She has been critical — both on the campaign and the county board floor — of the amount of money spent on legal fees. As of January, the county said, Kaczmarek’s legal fees, which are covered by the county, topped $270,000, and an appeal could add another $25,000.

Deacon Garcia said she would protect the legacy of the county’s commitment to voter rights. She also said she would work with area schools and organizations to improve awareness of the clerk’s office and elections.