Election 2011: City Clerk Candidates on their Roles

What do you think is the role of Darien's city clerk, and how do you see the relationship between the clerk and other city officials?

The clerk’s duties are numerous; many are imposed by state statute and others are assigned by policy. Some of the duties required of the city clerk include, but are not limited to:

• Maintaining official records and documents
• Answering inquiries from other municipal departments and citizens
• Retaining custody of the city seal
• Maintaining official ordinance and resolution books
• Publication of ordinances as required by statute
• Recording council minutes and maintaining the minute book
• Countersigning official documents
• Arranging council meetings and agenda
• Issuing all notices under the Open Meetings Act, including annual notice and notice of special meetings
• Attendance at council meetings
• Administering oaths
• Supervising clerical staff
• Filing of official documents as required by law
• Maintains information and issuance of business, solicitor, raffle, and liquor licenses
• Receiving of and responding to Freedom of Information Act requests

The city clerk is one of the oldest and most common positions within government. The clerk is the “Keeper of the Record”; the relationship between the clerk and other city officials is an informative and cooperative relationship—the clerk provides proper official documentation. Also, the clerk is a nonvoting member of the City Council.

The role of the city clerk in Darien is ministerial. The clerk's primary duties are derived from state statues, local ordinance or municipal custom. In addition to recordkeeping, Darien's city clerk is responsible for business licensing. The clerk is the local election official in the city. In order to perform his/her duties, the clerk needs to maintain a positive working relationship with the public, city staff and elected officials, as well as other municipal clerks. 

The clerk’s office has numerous documents. Some are obsolete or inactive records that occupy valuable office cabinet space. The Secretary of State, Local Records Commission, has specific regulations/guidelines in regard to disposition and/or retention of records. An assessment of documents, with the assistance of the Local Records Commission, should be implemented, and obsolete or inactive documents properly destroyed.

It would be presumptuous of me to recommend improvements until I had the opportunity to assess and evaluate the current mechanics of the office. However, I know that I will take a more active role in the various clerks' organizations, such as the DuPage Municipal Clerks and the Municipal Clerks of Illinois. It also is important to interact with neighboring clerks.