Rodgers opposes Wegman for county recorder

Democrat Brenda Rodgers wants to unseat incumbent Sandy Wegman as Kane County Recorder of Deeds Nov. 6.

Wegman, an Elgin Republican, is seeking her fourth 4-year term and said working with her staff to develop an online system for property records from the ground up has been her most significant accomplishment.

“We designed what we wanted and we had everybody in the office give input,” said Wegman, 68, a former Gail Borden Public Library trustee. “When you get people involved in the process, that means a lot.”

Wegman said Kane was the first of Chicago’s collar counties to put property records and real estate transfer documents online.

She said continuing to provide good customer service is one reason why she is seeking another term.

Wegman also points to a solid track record of managing the personnel side of the office, not going over the $1 million a year in payroll for employees.

She also has reduced the staff from 33 in 2004 to the current 19 through attrition and retirements.

She says morale is high and she and the staff have taken an aggressive attitude toward moving the office forward through improving access.

“I’ve been (the recorder) since 2000 and we’ve never been over budget,” she said. “We just don’t waste money and everybody in the office knows it.”

Rodgers, a 48-year-old former Elgin City Council member, said she wants to create awareness about the office, among other things.

Rodgers said she has been a Realtor for 20 years, and this position goes hand in hand with the recorder’s office. Rodgers said her priority also would be customer service and, if elected, she will work to remove information such as signatures from online documents in an attempt to reduce identity theft.

She also said she would host seminars to inform people on the role and duties of the recorder. She also wants to hold informational sessions for people facing foreclosure.

“We’re still getting that second wave. It’s going to come. People need to know what their options are,” she said, adding that even though this technically isn’t part of the office’s duties, “there isn’t anything in the statute that states we can’t go above and beyond.”