North Cook News

Cook County Board Commissioner and GOP Chair Sean Morrison says Des Plaines voters will be in an enviable position when they go the polls next spring to decide whether the city clerk's job should become an appointed post rather than an elected office.

“I think that’s the truest form of democracy,” Morrison told the North Cook News. “Allowing voters in a general election to decide those types of actions is what it’s all about. In general, I’m always in support of a referendum being that way for cities or villages to decide those kinds of issues for themselves.”

In a unanimous decision, the Des Plaines City Council recently voted to place the binding measure on the March 17 primary ballot. Currently, the clerk serves a four-year term in a part-time role at an annual salary of $6,000, while the proposed change would give the city manager the power to appoint a clerk to work in a full-time capacity with responsibilities ranging from helping oversee local elections, processing Freedom of Information Act requests and preparing minutes of city meetings.

“It seems to me that the village is interested in honoring the will of the people,” Morrison said. “The fact that the referendum is a binding one as opposed to just being advisory makes that even clearer.”

The Daily Herald reports that current City Clerk Jennifer Tsalapatanis, whose term expires in April 2021, is in support of the proposal, even though she insists she does not plan to be a candidate.

"Many other suburban towns have appointed, rather than elected, city clerks," Tsalapatanis said.

Morrison agrees, but adds that every township has the right to make decisions about what is in its own best interest.

“The individual instances are going to vary from every situation,” Morrison said. “In every instance, the locals are the ones that are going to know the pulse of things when it comes to what’s best for the community.”