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Name: Lynn Fazekas
What office are you seeking? DeKalb City Clerk
What is your political party? None - Independent
What is your current age? 65
Occupation and employer: I am retired.
What offices, if any, have you previously held? When it comes to public offices, I was appointed to a vacancy in the Office of DeKalb City Clerk in August 2018 and I completed the rest of the term to May 2021. I also served on DeKalb’s Citizens Environmental Commission 2006-2008.
City: October 2025 will mark the 40th anniversary of our arrival in DeKalb from NW Indiana.
Campaign Website: www.facebook.com/fazekas4clerk
Education: B.A. in Psychology, NIU
As clerk, I did receive some training from Municipal Clerks of Illinois.
Community Involvement: Member, DeKalb Area Women’s Center
Member, League of Women Voters of DeKalb County
Volunteer, Community Empowerment Campaign
Voluntary proprietor of City Barbs Blog and administrator of City Barbs Blog on Facebook
Marital status/Immediate family: I am married and we have one grown child.
Questions:
Why are you running for this office?
There are two main reasons. First, I am delighted and inspired by the clerk referendum results of last November, which showed 67% of DeKalb voters prefer to keep the elected city clerk rather than switch to an appointed clerk. It’s a mandate for a clerk who answers to the people, and I’m fully committed to this. My second reason for running also happened in November, when the city chose to place an unelected staffer on the Municipal Electoral Board to hear an objection to a candidate’s nominating petitions. I believe this violated the Illinois Election Code, and I want to prevent it from happening again.
What is the duty of the DeKalb City Clerk? How do you plan to execute these duties to the best of your ability if elected?
It’s important to consider the reality in this. The mayor declined to appoint a person to the vacancy left by the last clerk, so DeKalb has been without a clerk for many months. The city council reduced compensation for the clerk to zero, and re-assigned the clerk’s duties to the executive assistant. Much of the job, then, will come down to the elected clerk’s judgment, as well as whatever can be negotiated in good faith with the city council, all based on an understanding of the expectations of the public. My top priorities are to oversee and administer the nominating petition process as the local elections officer and to attend all city council meetings -- and the DeKalb Municipal Code does currently support both these functions dually for clerk and assistant. Additionally, if elected I plan to make reports to the public on a regular basis, review licensing records, and schedule office hours as I did during my first term of office.
The DeKalb City Council in 2024 got rid of the part-time $8,000 annual salary for the DeKalb City Clerk’s Office. If elected, as it stands now, the work you do will be unpaid. Do you agree with this? Why or why not?
No, I do not agree. The elected clerk will make nothing for four years, while an appointed clerk would have been paid regular city compensation. It’s an extreme show of contempt for the voters, and it’s also -- obviously -- one of the main reasons for the extreme turnover of city clerks over the past decade.
The DeKalb City Clerk’s Office has been at the center of controversy for a number of years related to the duties of the office, who performs them, attendance and legal disputes. Most recently in early 2024, the sitting clerk was ousted from his office by a DeKalb County judge. The City of DeKalb has not filled the role since, instead allocating the duties to a city staffer, citing a need for more consistent and reliable performance of duty. Do you agree with this decision? Why or why not?
What I heard the mayor say is that he wouldn’t fill the office because he didn’t see the need. However, he ignored state law in that he had a statutory duty to fill the vacancy within 60 days.
If elected, how would you work with existing city staff and fellow elected officials toward an efficient, professional and productive clerk’s office?
I have a long track record of being able to work with anyone who is dealing in good faith with me. If existing city staff and fellow elected officials actually want a professional and productive clerk’s office, we will make it happen.
DeKalb voters in November voted down a referendum which asked if they supported changing the office from an elected to an appointed clerk. Do you agree with the voters? Why or why not?
I 100% agree with the result, both from the standpoint of supporting direct democracy and because the elected clerk’s office, in all of its turmoil and controversy, has played an important role in exposing a flawed and often toxic leadership culture in DeKalb -- a culture that has its foundation in a long-running imbalance of power. Acknowledging and respecting the wisdom of the voters is the first step in correcting the imbalance.