Clarendon Hills Reconsiders Elected Clerk Job

CLARENDON HILLS, IL — The village clerk's job may soon become an appointed position in Clarendon Hills.

The role is now an elected one held by Dawn Tandle. Last month, Tandle announced she would not seek a sixth term next spring, after serving more than two decades.

Tandle told Patch she believes it was time for her to step down.

In light of the announcement, Clarendon Hills is now reconsidering the clerk's position.

During a Village Board meeting last month, Village Manager Kevin Barr presented the trustees with two options.

The first one would keep the elected clerk position, but it would transition into more of a figurehead role. Many of the duties would be assigned to village staff instead. Reducing the clerk’s salary would also be considered

The second option would be for the Village Board to pass a referendum that would ask voters for an appointed clerk. The referendum would be held during the November general election.

During Monday’s board meeting, Barr told members a referendum must be approved no later than the board's Sept. 19 meeting to make it on the November ballot.

Barr also presented survey results from the DuPage Mayor and Managers Conference that compared the compensation of clerks in neighboring towns. Based on the results, he recommended cutting the clerk’s salary to around $5,000.

In early 2019, the board authorized a $13,000 salary for Tandle.

Board members on Monday generally agreed to vote on a referendum resolution at their Aug. 15 meeting.