2 former clerks, 1 newcomer seek election to DeKalb’s long-suffering City Clerk’s Office

DeKALB – Two former DeKalb City clerks and a newcomer seek DeKalb’s long-suffering City Clerk’s Office in April.

DeKalb voters in November backed keeping the Clerk elected, the third such failed referendum since 2006. And this spring, they’ll get a chance to do just that.

The catch? None of the three candidates' names will appear on the ballot. No one’s name will be on the clerk’s ballot, in fact. Not a single person filed for the seat before the window closed in November.

Three filed to run as write-in candidates, however: Former Clerk Lynn Fazekas, who notably completed her appointed term in 2021 after suing the city; former Clerk Steve Kapitan, who as the city’s last full-time clerk resigned in 2012 before his term was up; and newcomer Bradley Hoey, a retired Northern Illinois University communications staffer. The Clerk’s office is a four-year term.

Hoey criticized former Clerk Sasha Cohen, who was forcibly removed from office by a judge’s order in early 2024. Hoey said he’s running to bring stability to the troubled office.

“Most recently, the last person to hold this role as an elected official essentially did not do any of the duties, was derelict in those duties and had great disdain for government and for democracy,” Hoey said to voters Sunday at a crowded candidate forum hosted by the DeKalb Election Group and WNIJ Radio. “And we cannot have that in municipal government. We cannot have that in any government.”

Fazekas famously butted heads with city leadership, refused a hushed request by a former mayor to resign and then filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging the City Council overstepped its authority by getting rid of her deputy clerk. Fazekas said she’s running because she has a special interest in city government and knows how to be Clerk. She calls herself “a city watcher” and since 2005 writes a watchdog blog focused on municipal government.

“The next clerk will be the 10th since 2012, and I want to help address the causes of that extreme turnover,” said Fazekas, a DeKalb resident of 40 years. She said she was inspired by the referendum results.

Kapitan said the DeKalb City Council “created conditions for this election,” when they got rid of the clerk’s salary. He works at the Sycamore Jewel-Osco as a file maintenance clerk.

“I have the experience to fulfill the duties of this now part-time office,” Kapitan said. “[...] Because I am retiring this spring, I will have the time to serve as City Clerk while relying on my retirement income to live on and while working at a job with no pay.”

A brief history of the DeKalb Clerk’s Office

Like many before her, Fazekas was not elected into the Clerk’s Office.

April 1 won’t be the first time a ballot lists zero City Clerk candidates' names. Since the role was made part-time, voters for years have often been left with little or no choice on the ballot.

DeKalb’s City Clerk’s Office has faced a revolving door since 2009. Peggy Hoyt notably served in the elected role from 1977 to 1997. Donna Johnson followed for more than a decade, according to city records.

After Kapitan, elected in 2009 and resigned in 2012, the role was made part-time. Diane Wright briefly filled Kapitan’s unexpired term until May 2013. Liz Peerboom was elected Clerk as a write-in candidate but served only from 2013 to 2014. Peerboom resigned via email after alleging lack of support from then City Manager Anne Marie Gaura. Next came appointed Clerk Suzanne Pupino, who lasted about two weeks, according to city records. In July 2015, then Mayor Jerry Smith appointed Jennifer Jeep-Johnson to the role, who served until Susanna Herrmann was elected in 2017. Herrman resigned about a year later.

In August 2018, Smith appointed Fazekas to the role, which she served until the term was up in 2021.

Unlike Sasha Cohen, Fazekas while in office attended City Council meetings. She kept regular minutes and office hours during her time as clerk. Friction between the clerk and city leadership continued to plague the office, however.

Contention hit a public peak in mid-2019 when Smith accused Fazekas of impeding city business by refusing to let anyone else use the city seal – a stamp used by the clerk to verify documents – when she was not in the office.

In a closed executive session of the DeKalb City Council on July 22, 2019 – later determined by the state to be a violation of the Illinois Open Meetings Act – Smith and alderpersons ruminated on asking Fazekas to resign. Growing tension between Fazekas and then-Deputy City Clerk Ruth Scott affected the office, City Manager Bill Nicklas said at the time.

After the meeting, Smith asked the clerk to resign. Fazekas refused. The City Council eliminated the deputy clerk position soon after, giving the duties to Scott through her employee role in the city manager’s office.

On Oct. 15, 2019, Fazekas sued the city, asking a judge to rule that changes to her office were unconstitutional. That lawsuit, and Fazekas' attempted appeal, were dismissed by Chief Circuit Court Judge Bradley Waller. He ruled the city acted within its authority.

Meet the (write-in) candidates

Outside of the office, Fazekas said she’s recently retired.

She hadn’t planned a return to public office, she told voters Sunday. She’s not stopped her online commentary of city business either. Her posts often focus on fiscal or policy critiques, opining on city leadership. She is a frequent critic of Mayor Cohen Barnes, who seeks reelection.

During Sunday’s forum, Fazekas did not mention her previous tumultuous term, nor was she asked about it. Her goals for a full term, she said, include overseeing local elections and pushing for DeKalb clerks to undergo training by the Municipal Clerks of Illinois.

“Almost all of my jobs have had a very strong customer service component,” Fazekas said. “I would like to see the City Council ... make the commitment to ensure the clerk gets that professional specialized training through MCI no matter whether they’re elected or appointed, full time or part time.”

Kapitan’s stint as City Clerk also was not without controversy.

He represented the 3rd Ward on the City Council from the late 1990s until 2007. In 2009, Kapitan was elected City Clerk by just over 200 votes, defeating then-Deputy City Clerk Liz Peerboom.

Like most of those who followed him as Clerk in the years after, Kapitan did not finish his full term. His 2012 resignation cited “personal reasons.” In the full-time role, he’d had a $61,001 salary. He received about $10,165 in severance pay. He ran a failed election bid in 2019 seeking the 3rd Ward seat again.

Kapitan also did not mention the manner in which he left the Clerk’s Office during Sunday’s forum, nor was he asked. Instead, he said knowledge he learned during that time gave him a leg up.

In the Office more than a decade ago, Kapitan served with a part-time and full-time deputy clerk. He also processed public records requests.

“I did some positive things when I was City Clerk,” Kapitan said.

Hoey has not held elected office, though he’s touted experience wearing several hats in DeKalb. He’s frequently worked with multiple DeKalb area organizations, including the DeKalb County Convention and Visitors' Bureau. He’s an active and longtime DeKalb resident, helps plan community events and sits on service agency boards.

An NIU graduate, Hoey said he spent his early career years as a journalist.

“My goal is to bring some continuity, some respectability and some knowledge and experience to that role and to serve the citizens of DeKalb to the best of my ability,” Hoey said.

The three write-in candidates said they decided to run after learning no one filed to be on the ballot for the clerk’s race.

The next person to serve will enter a DeKalb City Clerk’s Office that looks much different than in 2021.

Former Clerk Sasha Cohen, who ran unopposed in 2021, faced public scrutiny for frequent absences at city meetings, alleged incomplete record keeping and views of fellow city officers. He also unsuccessfully sued the city.

Citing repeated turmoil in the Clerk’s Office, the City Council has taken steps to ensure duties still get done. In 2023, Ruth Scott was named Recording Secretary for meetings and also processed election candidate filing. In September, the City Council eliminated the Clerk’s $8,000 annual salary. The council voted unanimously for a referendum asking voters if they wanted an appointed clerk. And in November, 8,705 DeKalb voters said no, more than double the 4,145 yes votes.

Fazekas, Hoey and Kapitan told prospective voters they’re aware that, if elected April 1, they’ll be working for free.