DuPage court clerk candidates make their case
In the race for DuPage County circuit court clerk, voters have the choice between a political newcomer with a background in law or an incumbent who touts his office's track record for innovation.
The circuit court clerk's office maintains local court records for the state's second largest court system. Cases can range from traffic violations to the probate of an estate.
Republican incumbent Chris Kachiroubas of Elmhurst has overseen the office since 2004. Now Democratic challenger Candice Adams is trying to unseat him.
Adams, a Lisle attorney, says she was motivated to get into politics following the 2016 election. If elected, she said she would bring more technological changes to the circuit court clerk's office.
"We are in a political climate where our voters expect so much more transparency and so much more help from our community offices," Adams said during a recent endorsement interview.
Adams cited making the circuit court clerk's website more navigational. She also wants to make court documents more accessible online to the general public, and to increase community outreach about services through the clerk's office.
"How people can access orders of protection, and how people can access information that they need for expungements," said Adams listing a couple of items. "This is the department that you would start with."
Kachiroubas agreed there's always room for improvement. But he stressed that the office does things "really well now."
"I am still passionate about what I do every single day in helping the general public," Kachiroubas said.
Kachiroubas touted the office's track record as being the first in the state to shift toward its own electronic filing system for certain documents. He also highlighted how the circuit court clerk's office was able to transition to a new statewide e-filing system by a July 2019 deadline.
"We've had other countries come to see what we do in DuPage County," Kachiroubas said. "I would like to keep that going moving forward into the next four years."