McHenry County recorder candidate wants to eliminate position

One candidate running for McHenry County recorder of deeds wants to eliminate the position, and his two opponents are skeptical of the efficiency of his plan.

Hoping to replace incumbent Phyllis Walters, who is not seeking re-election, Woodstock resident Joe Tirio, 50, will face Joni Smith, 48, of Crystal Lake, and Tina Hill, 55, of Woodstock, in the March 15 Republican primary.

If elected, Tirio said he plans to spend his four-year term working to abolish the recorder position, which would eliminate a $105,000 salary plus benefits. The functions of the office would then merge with the county clerk's office, he said - a practice done in several counties in the state.

But Smith, a supervisor in the recorder's office, stressed the importance of the recorder as an elected position.

"I don't believe in consolidating for the sake of following a trend," she said. "I believe that the recorder is an extremely important position, not only advocating for the department, but for the people."

A McHenry County Board member for 13 years, Hill said she has her own plans to "trim and streamline" the recorder's office by increasing the use of technology and possibly reorganizing the office's structure.

Hill has always been open to the idea of consolidating government for efficiency purposes, she said, but Tirio's idea may not be "the correct pathway."

"With all due respect to my colleague, who is seeking the office for the first time with no government experience to eliminate it, we should run the office in the most professional way for the taxpayers," Hill said. "And it seems like a political sound bite to say, 'I'm going to go in and eliminate it, and during those four years, I'll still collect that $105,000.' "

Hill and Smith said a smaller government could be attempted through petitions, county board approval and a referendum.

Anybody who is elected to the position would be collecting the wages, Tirio said, but "I'm going there with the clear intention of making that wage go away."

Having spent decades working in the private sector, Tirio said his management experience in large corporations, as well as his experience overseeing mergers, make him qualified for a government position.

"To the point of experience, respectfully, I don't think these women could in the private sector get half the jobs I have been fortunate enough to work for," he said.

Hill, who said she has made a career in public service, argued that working in the private sector is very different from working for the government.

Because of her relationship with county board members, she added that she would work closely with them in determining the future of the recorder's office.

Smith said her job has made her very familiar with the organization and operation of the office. If elected, she said she would not make any significant changes.

"Phyllis Walters has done an incredible job in her time as recorder. She has an incredible staff," Smith said. "I hope to carry on the excellent service that has been provided through that office for years."