Cook County Commissioner Proposed Making Circuit Court Clerk An Appointed Position
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Cook County Commissioner Peter Silvestri wants Springfield to change the Cook County Circuit Court clerk from an elected position to an appointed one, reports WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore.
Republican Commissioner Peter Silvestri is asking fellow board members to approve a resolution to take the political dimension out of the Circuit Court clerk's position.
"Then it becomes even more of an administrative office," he said. "Right now I think it is a ministerial-type office as opposed to a policy-type office. It's a very important office to the judiciary so it should be part of the judicial system."
Silvestri's resolution would ask the legislature to direct that the Circuit Court clerk be appointed by the judiciary with the advice and consent of the County Board president.
Silvestri insists this is not aimed at incumbent Dorothy Brown, whose office in under federal investigation. He says the change would not take effect for four years, after November's elections and the resulting full term.
There are other states where court clerks are appointed by the courts.