The office of Madison County Circuit Clerk will see Republicans Stephen Adler and Patrick McRae vying for the seat in the March 19 primary election, as no Democrats have thrown their hats in the race.
Early voting began in select locations across Madison County on Monday.
As the competition between Adler and McRae heats up, both candidates submitted answers to a questionnaire provided by the Record to help voters make an informed decision in the ballot box.
What is your background?
Adler
I am a life-long Republican. I consider myself a Conservative. (Pro-Life and Pro 2nd Amendment) I have resided in Godfrey for over 30 years. I retired as an administrator from the State of Illinois a few years back; for the last few years I consider myself a semi-retired investor. My last full-time role was at the Metro-East Sanitary District. (MESD)
McRae
Married to my wife, Marissa (Meyers) McRae. We have twin six year old boys and live in Rosewood Heights. I’m currently employed as Chief Deputy Treasurer in the Madison County Treasurers Office. As an elected Township Trustee I have a proven record of cutting taxes and wasteful spending. In addition to being a Township Trustee I also serve on the Agency for Community Transit board of directors, member of Catholic Charities advisory board, and Chairman of the Wood River Township Republicans.
What makes you qualified for the position?
Adler
I am uniquely qualified for this position. I served 3 terms on the Madison County Board as an elected official. I have over 30 years’ experience as a government administrator in successively more responsible roles with different agencies. My last assignment was reforming the Metro-East Sanitary District. (MESD) In 3 years, our management team turned the agency around 180 degrees.
When we arrived, MESD was bankrupt, The MESD levees were rated by the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as “Unacceptable” and Pontoon Beach was under a foot of water. We fixed the pumps, balanced the budget, cut the deadwood, taught the staff how to manage the watershed and brought the MESD levees to “Acceptable” grade by the USACE. We did all of this in time to weather the 2nd highest crest of the Mississippi River in 2018. Our reward for this success was a Democratic bill in the Illinois legislature approved by Michael Madigan himself, giving a seat on the MESD board to the Mayor of Granite City. This bill passed, and the good government was doomed. I have no regrets, and would do it again in a heartbeat; it was the right thing to do. I believe my management experience makes my candidacy the most qualified in this race.
McRae
I have more than a decade of management, leadership and budgetary experience. In addition, I have the interpersonal skills necessary to interact with the various stakeholders within the office. This includes nearly 80 employees, judges, lawyers, and the general public.
Why should the voters choose you?
Adler
My candidacy combines education, maturity, 3 terms on the Madison County Board as an elected official, and over 30 years’ experience as a government administrator in successively more responsible roles. I have ample labor relations experience, serving as Chair of the Madison County Board’s Personnel Committee for 10 years. In a year when several candidates on this ballot have no Republican credentials, I have over 30 years in the Republican Party. I am a founding member of the Madison County Conservative Caucus (MCCC); a Pro-Life, Pro2nd Amendment and Pro-PTELL property tax caps conservative organization. When taxpayers look to fill an office on short notice, (as in this case) look at the candidate’s accomplishments. My record suggests that mine would be an ethical and pro-taxpayer administration.
McRae
As a Township trustee I have voted each year for ten consecutive years to cut the tax levy or hold it flat. In my role as Chief Deputy Treasurer for Madison County, I have worked to streamline operations, make the office more responsive to constituents, and have come in under budget each year. This has been accomplished without any controversy whatsoever. In contrast, my opponent Steve Adler is the definition of the swamp and what is wrong with many in politics today. While on the county board, he voted to increase taxes for 8 consecutive years, voted in favor of a sales tax increase, and voted to increase fees. Adler was later hired as an administrator for Madison County and was investigated for abusing his position and resigned amidst controversy. He now collects both a state and county pension as a “retiree” but is now looking to collect a third taxpayer funded six figure paycheck.
If elected, what are your goals for the office?
Adler
Good question…Government organizations have no profit motive; they need goals to thrive. I have 3 goals at this juncture that I would propose to the Chief Judge; should he concur, I would propose the following to the Madison County Board. The Circuit Clerk’s office brings in over $800,000 in revenue per month. No tax increase should be sought to achieve these goals.
My Goals as Madison County Circuit Clerk:
- Serve the Judiciary through the Chief Judge‘s Office and Illinois Supreme Court directives. The Circuit Clerk is…first and foremost, a servant to the judicial system.
- Modernize the Clerk’s 1970’s era computer systems. Madison County is one of the few jurisdictions that still must file many cases in person, not electronically. Why should taxpayers pay an attorney $250 an hour to stand in line at the Clerk’s office?
- Digitize More Documents not of historical significance now held in combustible paper form in accordance with the Chief Judge’s directions and the Illinois Local Records Act. Documents not in electronic form must be searched for; i.e., why are you paying your attorney $250 an hour to search for documents in Edwardsville?
McRae
My goal is to run the best Circuit Clerk’s office in the state of Illinois and be an example for other counties to follow. Applying the best in training, technology, and customer service are all incredibly important to me. Madison County already has a reputation as an industry leader. The office has recently began a large scale digitization initiative to store microfilm and paper records that would otherwise take up considerable storage space. I’m excited to continue these digitization efforts, and improve them, to streamline operations within the office.
I plan to implement new training platforms, utilize the latest in technology, and will hold the courthouse staff to the highest possible standard in customer service. Everyone who walks into the courthouse should receive white glove treatment, whether they are an attorney with hundreds of filings, or a person paying a simple traffic citation. I would also plan to implement new and cutting edge technology to help taxpayers better utilize the court system. Text reminders, push notifications, and live on-line chat are just a few of the processes I’m interested in exploring. Although the office currently has a texting service, there are many ways to expand that platform.
What do you think is failing within the office you seek, and how would you change it?
Adler
Make no mistake about it…at this juncture, I see no smoking gun that would provoke an MESD style management response. I believe the Circuit Clerk’s office is fairly productive; it has to be if the judiciary is to be productive as well. The most compelling need in the office is modernization, and upgrades in technology. I have a simple management philosophy:
Find the best Circuit Clerk’s office in Illinois, and adopt their best practices; create an office judges, taxpayers, employees and perhaps even their union will be proud of. Only then can you innovate for your team’s performance.
McRae
I do not believe the office is “failing”, but in every operation there is room for improvement. As we all know, technology is rapidly changing. Electronic filing is becoming more common in every case type, and the Illinois Supreme Court has encouraged a move toward advancing technology within county courts. I represent a new generation of leadership that will embrace technology in order to add efficiencies wherever possible.
On the other hand, what do you think is succeeding in the office you seek, and how would you see those positive movements grow?
Adler
As I said above: Find the best Circuit Clerk’s office in Illinois, and adopt their best practices; create an office judges, taxpayers, employees and perhaps even their union will be proud of. Only then can you innovate for your team’s performance.
McRae
Madison County has built a reputation as a leader in innovation. Recently the office launched a texting program for court date reminders. This is an excellent program that has tons of potential for future expansion. E-Filing has also helped to streamline operations. This is a requirement for civil and family courts, but is optional in other case types including criminal cases. Roughly 35-40 percent of criminal cases are filed through e-filing, and it is gaining popularity. This is a program we should be encouraging and building on for the future.
Madison County is fortunate to have a talented staff of deputy clerks who are dedicated to serving the various stakeholders within the court system. I’m confident that with the help of the courthouse staff, we can make Madison County the model for Circuit Clerk’s throughout Illinois.
How will you cut costs or ensure the voters’ taxes are being spent properly?
Adler
Those decisions require insights that can only be learned by observation. I’m a believer in goals and objectives.
There is no profit motive in government!
In private industry, if we miss our profit goals, the company can no longer be considered a going concern. In government, if we have no goals or benchmarks to pursue, then the goal becomes get paid every two weeks. At MESD, one of the innovations we introduced was compensation linked to goals which were approved by The MESD Board.
McRae
Throughout my career I have been tasked with setting goals and attaining them, while coming in on time and under budget. By embracing technology, streamlining processes, and eliminating waste- I’m confident in my ability to make the office more efficient.