Farmers Weekly Review

By Nick Reiher

Will County Clerk Lauren Staley Ferry will resign her office August 15 to take the vacant job of Joliet City Clerk as of August 21.

In a press release issued July 31 from the office of Beth Beatty, Joliet City Manager, Staley Ferry had applied for the appointed position and was offered the post after city officials interviewed several candidates.

“Lauren will bring her knowledge and expertise to the position and allow for this to be a much smoother transition to such an important position in city government,” Beatty stated in the press release.

“We posted the position months ago, and I interviewed a number of candidates for the job, but no one could start day one with this much experience except Lauren.”

The position of City Clerk has been advertised since former City Clerk Christa Desiderio took on the role of Deputy City Manager earlier this year.

Contacted after the press release was issued, Staley Ferry said she applied for the City Clerk position because she values the opportunity to work for the City of Joliet.

“I’m excited. I’ll be part of a great team that’s making changes to modernize city operations,” said Staley Ferry, a Joliet resident. “And I’ll be able to help with that because of my experience with the county.”

Staley Ferry has been with the county since her election in November 2014 to the County Board, serving residents in Joliet, Crest Hill, Lockport and some areas of New Lenox. As a County Board member, she also served as a Forest Preserve District Commissioner.

She was elected County Clerk in November 2018 and re-elected in 2022. As Clerk, she modernized the office receiving unanimous support for new, state-of-the-art voting equipment and a new voter registration system for the 2024 Presidential Primary Election.

She also initiated an automated Vote By Mail program following the COVID-19 pandemic while expanding early voting to 25 locations throughout Will County.

Will County Board Chair Judy Ogalla, R-Monee, congratulated Staley Ferry on her new post, saying she got along well with her as a County Board member, where they served on the IT committee together, and as County Clerk.

“No matter what time of day or day of the week, if I had a question for her, she would get back to me within 24 hours,” Ogalla said.

“And since I’m in IT, I was very supportive of her plan to modernize the county’s voting system. I wish Lauren the best of luck.”

Despite her first day in the Joliet post only 2 1/2 months from the November 5 election, Staley Ferry said the processes established for this year’s election for the March 19 Presidential Primary will ensure everything will run smoothly with her Chief of Staff, Charles B. Pelkie, running it instead of her.

Her last day with the county will be August 15, the day of the monthly County Board meeting, during which she handles roll call votes and other duties.

Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant had glowing words for Staley Ferry as well:

“Congratulations to Clerk Staley Ferry on her new role with the City of Joliet. I am grateful for her service over the last six years, which included several modernizations of the Will County Clerk’s Office.”

Bertino-Tarrant has 60 days from the time of the declared vacancy to appoint a County Clerk to serve through November. The appointee must be confirmed by the County Board.

“This individual will serve until the next General Election,” Bertino-Tarrant added. “My goal is to ensure continuity in that office ahead of their management of the November General Election.”

Separately, the Republican and Democratic caucuses in Will County have until August 29 to put forth their County Clerk candidates, who will appear on the November 5 ballots. The person elected will serve out the remainder of Staley Ferry’s term, which runs through 2026.

Like many other county insiders, Burke Schuster, Will County Democratic Central Committee Chair, said he had heard rumors about Staley Ferry’s interest in the city post months ago. Since that time, he said he’s been looking at the “what ifs” and planning accordingly.

While Bertino-Tarrant and the County Board will handle the short-term appointee, Schuster said he hopes the appointee who will work through November will be someone from the County Clerk’s Office to ensure continuity.

As for the elected position nominee, he said he will throw open nominations to the whole county. Then, they will be reviewed by the nominating committee, which he said will consist of the county Democratic Executive Committee, as well as all the township chairs.

He said interested applicants should submit a resume in PDF format for consideration. A cover letter is optional. Interested applicants should submit materials to [email protected] by 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 8.

The Democratic Central Committee will meet on Friday, Aug. 16, to formally nominate a candidate from among those who submitted resumes.

He already has heard from County Board Member Jackie Traynere, D-Bolingbrook, and Michelle Stiff, Director of the Workforce Center of Will County and a Central Committee officer, that they are interested in being on the November 5 ballots for clerk.

Meanwhile, he wished her well and thanked her for her bi-partisan transparency in the processes for the elections.

“Lauren has done an excellent job, and she’ll do an excellent job for the city,” he said. “I appreciate the job she has done in moving the office forward.”

Christina Clausen, Will County Republican Central Committee Chair, said they also have been aware of the possibility of Staley Ferry leaving for weeks. As such, she said they have three people interested in the nomination, which will be a done at a meeting yet to be scheduled by the party Executive Committee and the precinct committeemen in each township.

The precinct committeemen have a weighted vote, she said, whereby those who had larger turnouts for Republicans in the Primary will have a greater say.

Nick Reiher is editor of Farmers Weekly Review.