Will County recorder ballot boasts experience
The incumbent and the daughter of her predecessor are vying to become the next Will County recorder of deeds.
Laurie McPhillips, 41, a Republican from Plainfield who is a licensed real estate agent, has been in charge of the office for nearly four years.
"If re-elected, I will continue to give 110 percent, and move technology forward, for the best interests of our customers," she said.
Karen Stukel, 42, a Democrat from Shorewood, worked in the office when Mary Ann Stukel, her mother, was the recorder. She is a deputy clerk for Will County Circuit Clerk Pam McGuire. Stukel works in a courtroom that handles aggravated traffic cases.
"The reason I am running is because I can do a better job than the current recorder," she said.
If elected, both women promise to enhance the office's Web site. McPhillips would continue the massive project of digitizing the county's records back to 1836. During her nearly four years in office, she has organized the scanning of documents from 1989 to 1965 that are either on microfilm or in old-fashioned books.
"All this information goes on the Internet so (customers) don't have to come to our office to get a copy of a document," McPhillips said.
Stukel thinks the site needs a different update.
"I would raise the level of security on the system while also making it easier to navigate," she said. "It's important that we protect the privacy of homeowners."
"I am very proud that during the past three years and the slowdown in the housing market ... I have voluntarily reduced the size of our staff by full- and part-time positions through attrition," McPhillips said, adding that she returned $172,000 from her budget to the county's coffers.
Will County Auditor Steve Weber recognized the achievement and gave her a special award earlier this year for being thrifty.
"I got rid of all the temporary workers as well," McPhillips said. "We used to have summer workers and Christmas workers."
But Stukel thinks the roster is a little thin. McPhillips spends too much time out of the office, she claims.
"The employees in the office and the public deserve to have the recorder there," she said.
If Stukel wins the election, she would bring in some new staff.
"I will have with me a financial developer - to analyze how the budget should be spent - a financial supervisor, a former title company insurance agent and a grant writer," Stukel said. "I am a former small business manager, and when you put all those qualities together, it will make an experienced and knowledgeable staff."
If she returns for another term, McPhillips wants to find a system that would allow the public to actually record deeds using the Web site. That isn't possible with the current system, she said. If the property is within a municipality - the village of Plainfield, for example - a stamp from the town must be on the document.
Sun-Times News Group
