DIANE SHAPIRO
FOR Circuit Court Clerk of Cook Count
News
Jewish Political Alliance of Illinois endorses Diane Shaprio more here
Shapiro campaigns for technological
upgrades for circuit clerk's office more
here
Diane Shapiro Endorsement more here
Chialdika Mixes Pancakes with water for MWRD BOARD more here
How City Hall Insiders Get Their Kids on the Payroll click here for video
Dorothy Brown Sued for Misuse of Funds more
Dorothy Brown Sued for Misuse of Funds here
Mayoral candidate Dorothy Brown takes the bus more
Issues
The computerized system of the Cook County Clerk’s Office is based in an archaic IBM mainframe dating back to the late 1970’s. The terminals used by the Deputy Clerks in court are actually “dummies”. The storage of information is done internally from a central database. If the base goes “down” then the whole system cannot be accessed by anyone anywhere. It is 2008 and we are using a system which has not been upgraded in nearly thirty years! The taxpayers’ hard earned money is being wasted by Management to provide vehicles, chauffeurs and other wasteful items with no attention being paid to actual services provided to the public who expects their elected officials to husband money wisely. The Clerk is a public servant who is elected to oversee the proper storage of files, the maintenance of documents kept therein and to make absolutely certain that all events in court are logged both in the computer database and in paper form, per Supreme Court rules. The Clerk of the Circuit Court is responsible for documenting events which occur in every courtroom such as Traffic Court, Domestic Relations, Probate, Criminal Courts, Civil Courts, Juvenile Court, Law Jury, Chancery etc. The definition of Clerk, according to Webster’s Dictionary is “a office worker who keeps accounts and records, does filing and copying, etc. ; in public service other duties, responsibilities, etc. may be involved, as in the case of a city clerk or clerk of courts”. In Illinois the Circuit Court Clerk is not considered to be a member of law enforcement.
As an Investigator I use the Clerk’s “computerized” system on a daily basis. In order to do a search of the database I must effectively navigate the system by accessing information in four different ways. To obtain juvenile records I have to log in to the system with one code, and once in the system I search by name. Then if there are multiples of the same name I have to search the Family Folders (yet another code) to determine if it is the same person; notwithstanding the fact that names are frequently misspelled throughout the entire Clerk’s System! Then, when and if I find that there are case numbers I must write them down on a separate piece of paper and search each case individually using yet another code! Then, I have to go through each case and figure out what is going on. As often as not cases are not properly documented and the information is not conclusive. The same goes for searching in the Civil Computer, but in that system there are no identifiers such as a date of birth, Individual Record number, address, etc. To search that database you can only search by last name and first initial. That is truly a waste of time, and nobody has yet remedied that. Much less noted that in the Civil system the person filing the charges is the Petitioner and the recipient is the Respondent. In the present database it reflects Plaintiff and Defendant!!! That is how criminal cases are done, and let’s not forget that the burdens of proof differ. In the criminal system guilt is determined by “beyond a reasonable doubt” and in the civil system it is by “preponderance of the evidence”. In order to access the Criminal database I must use yet another code and conduct the search by another method. In short, it’s abysmal, archaic, unwieldy and simply unacceptable. There is no quality control anywhere or a system of checks and balances. The other day I interviewed a gentleman who was nearly taken into custody at Child Support Court because his payments had not been logged. If he did not have his receipts with him he would have been a guest at Cook County Jail through no fault of his own.
When I am elected my first order of the day will be to eliminate any perquisites not necessary to the job description of being Circuit Court Clerk. Including dissolving the Security Detail, eliminating the position of chauffeur (who is recorded for payment purposes as a Systems Analyst) and selling the three vehicles -all gas guzzlers- which have been purchased for the use of the Clerk. I intend to use my own car, and where possible it is not beneath my dignity to ride public transportation to and from work. In a very short time I would be refunding to the taxpayers of Cook County nearly $1,000,000.00. I will reduce spending and improve quality at every level. The Republican Party believes in less government, fiscal responsibility and accountability at all levels of government. I will dedicate the first few months of my term towards meeting with the Chief Judge, Timothy Evans, all of my employees at every facility, Presiding Judges, Judges and attorneys to find out what their issues are and how we can make the system better for all concerned. I promise to be in every courthouse and courtroom, and assisting with the filing of documents and entry of data. I will guarantee quality control and be the leader who inspires others to follow. I will be the kind of elected official who brings pride and respect back into elective office. In the true concept of “noblesse oblige” : in order to rule, one must also serve. My promise to you is when I take the oath of office I will honor the office I am elected to, exercise good judgment and be the public servant I was elected to be. I also hope to work with our Illinois legislators to see that the office of Circuit Court Clerk in counties with populations of over 3,000,000 inhabitants is no longer an elected position. My opinion is that it should be the judges who determine who their Clerk is, as it is done at the Appellate Court level. The taxpayers of Cook County deserve no less than the absolute best from their elected officials.
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