Candidates for DuPage County clerk promise openness and cooperation

After a yearslong feud between the DuPage County clerk and county board, voters will have a chance to elect a new person to head the clerk’s office.

Incumbent Jean Kaczmarek lost her bid for a third term in the Democratic primary.

Lisle Democrat Paula Deacon Garcia, an incumbent county board member, and Republican Patricia Kladis-Schiappa, an attorney from Burr Ridge, are seeking election as county clerk. Both cited the ongoing controversy that has embroiled the county clerk as a primary reason they decided to run for the office.

“The concerns of the clerk’s office (go) beyond the balance sheet … it can affect the public confidence in elections,” said Kladis-Schiappa, adding she has heard concerns from residents. “I want to make people feel comfortable again with the office.”

While Deacon Garcia, who was first elected to the county board in 2020, initially supported Kaczmarek, she has been one of the more vocal opponents of the clerk’s office.

“I feel that there needs to be a change in leadership in that office … the financial issues that have been happening have put some mistrust in that office,” she said.

Both said they will follow the county’s accounting procedures and work with the county’s financial departments — an issue that has been at the heart of the ongoing fight between the board and county clerk.

Both also said they would put an end to a lawsuit, now before the appellate court, in which the county clerk has challenged the county board’s authority over some fiscal matters pertaining to her office. Both also suggested they would seek a financial audit of the clerk’s office.

“My mantra has been open the doors and open the books,” Kladis-Schiappa said.

Despite the controversy that has embroiled the incumbent clerk, both candidates were complimentary of those who work in the clerk’s office and said they looked forward to working with them.

“I plan on making sure that my staff is listened to and that their ideas are listened to,” Deacon Garcia said.

In addition to restoring trust in the office, both said they will continue the work to provide well-run elections.

Deacon Garcia said she would not favor federal voting lists and would work to protect voter information.

While Kladis-Schiappa admitted she personally is “not a fan” of vote by mail, she acknowledged it is the law and that she would work to make sure it is accessible to those who opt for it. She also pledged to work to address voter apathy.

“Anything we can do as a clerk’s office to excite people (about voting) would be on my radar and a top priority,” she said.

In addition to elections, the clerk’s office also maintains vital records such as birth, death and marriage certificates.

Alicia Fabbre is a freelance reporter for the Daily Herald.