Ron Almiron: Candidate profile
Bio
Party: Republican
City: Wheaton
Office sought: DuPage County Recorder
Age: 53
Family: Married to Victoria since 2001, with one son in the sixth grade. The family cat is named Chubbs.
Occupation: Attorney
Education: : B.A. in American Studies & Psychology, University of Notre Dame; J.D., The John Marshall Law School
Civic involvement: Trustee, Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer, Wheaton Mosquito Abatement District; Member, City of Wheaton Planning & Zoning Board; Secretary, School Advisory Board & Assistant Boys Basketball Coach, St. Michael Parish School; Lector and Parishioner, St. Michael Catholic Church; President and Vice President, Waterford Place of Wheaton Condominium Association; Advancement Co-Chair, Cub Scout Pack 134, Three Fires Council; Parent Volunteer, Wheaton Park District Barracudas Swim Team; President, Greens of Glendale Lakes Townhome Association; Member, Vice President, Glendale Heights Barangay Lions Club
Elected offices held: None other than precinct committeeman from 2008 through 2014
Incumbent? If yes, when were first elected: No
Website: RonAlmiron.com
Twitter: @RonAlmiron
Facebook: facebook.com/ElectRonAlmiron
Questions and Answers
1. Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election for the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you? If so, what?
I want to continue serving my DuPage County community in a way that utilizes my professional education and experience. The Office of the Recorder is a great fit for me in terms of my professional credentials. I have been an active practicing attorney for the past twenty-five years. I see the Recorder as the protector of the property rights of all DuPage County homeowners.
I have been serving my various local communities for nearly fifteen years. In 2005, I began closing real estate transactions. I also joined my local Lions Club and served as a homeowner's association president. I have also been representing borrowers in mortgage foreclosure matters since 2009. And in the appellate court, I successfully earned a decision favorable to my clients in a published opinion.
In addition to further community involvement, I am motivated by my efforts to prevent fraud. As an insurance defense attorney for Allstate, I specialized in handling Special Investigations Unit ("SIU") litigation, including the investigation of fraudulent claims.
I understand the legal significance of the real estate documents that are recorded in the Recorder's Office ("Office"). As such, I am most qualified to lead the Office toward continued success.
2. If you are an incumbent, describe your main contributions. Tell us of any important initiatives you've led. If you are a challenger, what would you bring to the board and what would your priority be?
The Office is an open seat. If elected DuPage County Recorder ("Recorder"), I will bring a fresh perspective with a top priority of efficiency. I value and will promote greater efficiency in how the Office is administered in order to serve and benefit the taxpayer better. From Day One, I will examine all Office processes -- from staffing, to payroll, to software used, to the Office's handling of expense reports. Since the Office is administrative, the Recorder is an executive who must run the office like a small business.
I advocate good, limited government, including less spending. My business acumen, as well as my experience managing and voting on budgets for public and private boards make me well qualified for the Recorder position. I spent four years as a DuPage County Board-appointed trustee, treasurer and chief financial officer for the Wheaton Mosquito Abatement District. I saved the District taxpayers money by voting to keep property tax levies low
3. Describe your position regarding the allocation of resources in the recorder of deeds' office. Are personnel allocated as they should be? Are there capital expense or other budgetary items that the office must address, and, if so, how do you propose to address them?
If elected Recorder, I will immediately hit the ground running like a new CEO who takes over a company. I will see how work is being conducted in the Office, and all the processes involved. My goal would be to make sure the resources of the Office are allocated in an efficient, cost-saving manner.
The Office's resources devoted to personnel should definitely looked at for increased efficiency. I will also conduct performance reviews with the entire staff toward more efficient practices. After analyzing the Office's staffing needs, it is possible that I may consider flexible staffing, including more part-time staff. Perhaps a study on when recordation of deeds is heaviest during the year would be appropriate. That way, staff can possibly be adjusted accordingly.
As Recorder I will also reexamine the car allowance program. Perhaps this apparent $5,400.00 annual expenditure should be abandoned in order to ease the burden on the DuPage taxpayer. Finally, in reviewing the FY2020 budget for Recorder Geographic Information Systems (G.I.S.), I would definitely examine the $100,000.00 budgeted amount for "other professional services" to determine if such an expenditure is reasonable and necessary.
If elected Recorder, I will immediately hit the ground running like a new CEO who takes over a company. I will see how work is being conducted in the Office, and all the processes involved. My goal would be to make sure the resources of the Office are allocated in an efficient, cost-saving manner.
The Office's resources devoted to personnel should definitely looked at for increased efficiency. I will also conduct performance reviews with the entire staff toward more efficient practices. After analyzing the Office's staffing needs, it is possible that I may consider flexible staffing, including more part-time staff. Perhaps a study on when recordation of deeds is heaviest during the year would be appropriate. That way, staff can possibly be adjusted accordingly.
As Recorder I will also reexamine the car allowance program. Perhaps this apparent $5,400.00 annual expenditure should be abandoned in order to ease the burden on the DuPage taxpayer. Finally, in reviewing the FY2020 budget for Recorder Geographic Information Systems (G.I.S.), I would definitely examine the $100,000.00 budgeted amount for "other professional services" to determine if such an expenditure is reasonable and necessary.
4. Name one concrete program you'll create or personnel move you'll make to improve efficiency in the office or make it more successful. Explain how it will be funded and how you will overcome any obstacles to initiating it.
If elected, I will research, establish, and implement the Best Practices Standards for the Office. This program, which I call "Secure DuPage", would include the digital encryption of all recorded documents in the Office. Digital encryption is an ambitious project I would create and implement as Recorder. As a practicing real estate transactional and litigation attorney, I recognize the legal significance of the documents recorded in the Office.
A long-term capital expense would be the software and systems necessary to ensure all documents recorded in the Office are digitally encrypted. That may take years if the necessary software is not ready to implement. In the meantime, I will research all viable solutions during my term in office, and recommend implementation to the County Board once funding, possibly through federal grants, is secured.
Thus, as Recorder I will go one step further than the current fraud alert system. I will work to protect the DuPage County citizens' documents themselves by digitally encrypting them. As part of "Secure DuPage", I will look into digital encryption solutions that ensure all recorded documents in the Office, including existing deeds and mortgages, are encrypted so that they will be tamper-proof.
5. Describe your position on transparency in the office and the ease of access to records by the public. If you believe improvements are needed, what are they and how would you go about achieving them?
Transparency is a tradition of the Recorder's Office. It also means accessibility. Mr. Fred Bucholz should be lauded for his efforts to make the Recorder's Office more transparent, and employing more digital technology, including the addition of e-recordation. I agree with both the short and long-term goals set forth in the FY2020 budget. If elected, I will continue his efforts to provide the best service to DuPage County citizens.
Easy access to promptly recorded and preserved documents is my goal as Recorder. Recordation must be done accurately, efficiently, responsibly, and professionally. Although recorded documents can be accessed free online, not everyone has the resources to access them. That is why it is great that computer terminals are available in the Office.
Further, many DuPage County citizens are unavailable to travel to the Office when it is open on weekdays. As such, I will push for opening up the Office either one Saturday a month, or perhaps one evening a week. As Recorder, I will build upon Mr. Bucholz's achievements to make the Recorder's Office more transparent and accessible