Commentary, Park Forest

Toni Preckwinkle Will Neither Endorse Nor Promote Proposal That Clerk of Circuit Court be Appointed


Commentary, Report
By Gary Kopycinski

Chicago, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle released a statement indicating that she is “neither endorsing nor promoting” a proposal by Commissioner Peter Silvestri that the Clerk of the Circuit Court be appointed, not elected. The current clerk, Dorothy Brown, was recently dubbed “Dorothy the Unsinkable” by Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell.

Preckwinkle offered the following statement, “The proposal that the Chief Judge appoint the Clerk of the Circuit Court was initiated by Commissioner Silvestri, and not by my office. I was not informed in advance of Commissioner Silvestri’s intention to introduce this resolution. I am neither endorsing nor promoting it, and I met with and informed Circuit Court Clerk Brown of my position. The resolution will go to a Board committee for discussion and, in any case, this is not a change the County Board could implement on its own, but rather would need approval from the state Legislature.”

Dorothy Brown is reportedly under federal investigation for alleged corruption.

Let me say that I am no fan of Dorothy Brown. However, taking an elected office away from the people? Making an elected office an appointed office?

People may not always care for their elected officials, but that does not mean that they should not be able to elect them.

In any event, Silvestri should have known better. As Preckwinkle correctly states, the Cook County Board does not have the authority to enact such a change.


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