Letter: Clerk deserves credit

With democracy under attack nationwide, the Daily Herald's endorsement for DuPage County clerk included a curious statement: "There is more to the clerk's office than handling elections."

What exactly, in the Daily Herald's editorial judgment, outweighs ensuring the fundamental right to vote in determining who should occupy the clerk's office? Apparently, it was County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek's decision to decline Dan Cronin's bidding to appear before him for interrogation regarding the county's delayed cannabis sales tax implementation.

Never mind that the responsibility to faithfully execute the county's cannabis sales tax ordinance clearly and unequivocally fell on county board Chairman Cronin and no one else. Never mind that the Daily Herald has not scrutinized Cronin's excuses for being unaware for over a year that the tax was not being collected. Never mind that Cronin's staff hid the delay from the public, knowingly leaving the cannabis sales tax out of the 2022 county budget despite the statutory requirement to include estimates of probable income from all taxes.

Nevertheless, Clerk Kaczmarek's decision to respond in writing, rather than in person, to Cronin's attempt to shift blame for his failure was the primary focus of the Daily Herald's endorsement of her opponent. Apparently deemed unworthy of mention by the Daily Herald was the fact that Kaczmarek's opponent spent four years as Bruce Rauner's sidekick while he decimated state government services.

Also apparently not meriting mention was the fact that Jean Kaczmarek is the first and only county clerk in Illinois to dramatically expand voter access by allowing voters to "vote anywhere" on Election Day rather than limiting them to their assigned precinct polling place.

Under Jean Kaczmarek's leadership, the county clerk's office has served the public exceptionally well. If only the same could be said in this case of the Daily Herald.

Adam Johnson

Wheaton