Welcome to the website of the
46th Ward Republicans. Here you are able to sign up for
our e-mail messages, volunteer to help, apply to become
a Judge of Election, Precinct Captain or other
functionary, contact the Committeeman or any of the
officers, and more. The 46th Ward is one of 50 Wards
that Chicago is divided into. The goal of a
Committeeman, is to be sure that fair voting is
conducted and that there are the right amount of
Democratic and Republican judges at every election.
I
was elected Committeeman of the 46th Ward
Republican Organization in February of this year. As a
citizen I did not feel that I could do as much as I can
do as an elected official representing our Ward to offer
the constituents a real two party system and an
alternative to “politics as usual”. Recently, I was
asked to run for Circuit Court Clerk on the Republican
ticket, and took the challenge on with joy. As an elected public
servant I intend to make a difference, make sure
that there are fair elections in all precincts with the
proper balance of Republican and Democratic judges and
to guarantee a challenge to the status quo. I am
becoming involved with the CAPS programs in all
precincts, joining local community organizations and
learning what the true pulse of this Ward is to make
sure that all people in our community are represented
fairly regardless of political affiliation. I stand by
my commitment to be an honest, effective leader and a
voice of the people.
After being
a public servant, an educator and having been employed
in the judicial system for nearly 32 years, who better
to take on the task of being THE Clerk? There are many,
many things wrong with the system – from the top down
-which can easily be ameliorated. For one thing, the
Clerk’s computerized system is not only antiquated, it
is inefficient at all levels. There are at least 4
separate “systems”, none of which interact with one
another!! Learning each system is done by a different
process, and it has not been updated in at least 10
years! I use these systems on a daily basis (Juvenile,
Adult, Civil and Traffic, for simplicity’s sake) as an
Investigator with the Adult Probation Department and
have experienced it for myself. The whole
mess needs to be jettisoned. The programs need to
be replaced and the system brought into the Modern Era.
I intend to take advantage of the offer of a FREE system
which has been offered to Cook County during the past
few years, but refused by Dorothy Brown. This system, if
implemented, would not only bring the different systems
together, but allow for all 102 Illinois Counties’
computers to communicate with one another. It would be a
boon to all parties affected by any kind of records
which are maintained by the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office
and those around our State.
As it stands, if I need to find out dispositions in any
county other than Cook I have to call each one
individually on the telephone.
Time wasted, which could be better spent on writing my
reports.
The Cook County
Board recently enacted legislation to raise our sales
tax. Why? There is a lot of money which is owed to our
County from unpaid non-judicial fines, Judgments on
forfeiture and other fines which have not been collected
ever!! Du Page County hired several collection agencies
and within 2 years was able to collect $5,000,000.00 in
unpaid fines at NO cost to the taxpayers. By
extrapolation one could infer that we may be owed
$1,000,000,000.00 here in Cook County. As Circuit Court
Clerk, in tandem with the State’s Attorney, I
would establish an “Out Of Compliance Matters Office” to
make sure that every fee and fine owed to our County was
collected and do my best to cut back on the waste which
is epidemic in the Clerk’s Office. Another way to cut
back on costs is to move to a paperless system which has
been promised to go online but no action has ever been
taken to enact it. Imagine how simple it could be
for attorneys to file motions, set dates and check the
status of cases without having to leave the office.
Fines, fees, costs etc. could be paid online by citizens
with a credit card or PayPal as it is being done now in
Du Page County. I will secure the implementation of
E-filing with the Pacer System as quickly as can be
done.
When I am
elected Circuit Court Clerk I promise to be a pro-active
public servant who is involved in legislation,
networking with my peers both locally and nationally to
improve the running of my office,
and to work closely with The Chief Judge, Presiding
Judges in all Districts as well as all sitting judges.
The main job of the Clerk is to maintain all court
files, preserve the record and make certain that all
entries are accurate. I intend to be hands on and to be
a fair, trustworthy leader. I plan to lead by
example and inspire my Deputy Clerks and other
subordinates to be the finest, most exemplary employees
possible. I will go to the different courthouses on a
regular basis and work side-by-side to assist with data
entry and filing of documents. I will not use taxpayers’
money to pay for a chauffeur. It is not beneath my
dignity to drive my own vehicle or to take public
transportation. I will make certain that the Security
Detail is disbanded, The Chauffeur’s job eliminated, the
fuel inefficient Ford Explorer purchased by the hard
working taxpayers for Dorothy Brown is sold with the
money refunded to Cook County. Cost cutting will be done
from the top and the bottom in the name of efficiency
and fiscal responsibility.
When financial
times are tough raising taxes is not the answer. It is
the time to reduce spending, curb waste, find more
efficient ways of doing things and be conscious of other
ways to conserve money and resources. The time has
come for a new leader to forge the way into the future
for Cook County, and I plan to be that leader. The old
guard needs to be removed and in its stead new
leadership, with sound fiscal and ethical values will
replace it. I am in the vanguard, and look forward to
the challenge of making the Cook County Clerk’s Office
the best in the nation. I have the experience, the
intelligence and the ability to do the job of Circuit
Court Clerk , and serve the public honorably.
Diane Shapiro