Will County Clerk Staley Ferry resigns to become Joliet city clerk

Will County Clerk Lauren Staley Ferry is leaving just three months before the general election, creating what will be a new race in November for county clerk.

The city of Joliet announced Wednesday that Staley Ferry has been hired as the city clerk.

Staley Ferry will leave the county clerk’s office later this month and start with Joliet on Aug. 21, a move that means a $46,000 increase in annual pay.

She will leave the office that manages elections in Will County. But Staley Ferry said her departure will not create any problems in the process as voters turn out to elect the next president and other federal, state and local offices.

Staley Ferry described her office as “a well oiled machine” with a staff in place capable of carrying on the election process without her.

“I am beyond confident that we are prepared,” she said, adding that the office continuously prepares for the next election. “This is what we do. We don’t get a break.”

However, her departure does create at least one big development for November.

The county clerk’s job now will be on the ballot.

Staley Ferry is leaving in the middle of her second four-year term after having been elected in 2022. The clerk’s office was not slated to be up for election again until 2026, but that changed with Staley Ferry’s resignation on Wednesday.

The person who will serve the remaining two years will be decided by voters in November, she said. “For the rest of my term, this office will be on the ballot in November to be chosen in the general election,” Staley Ferry said.

She said the Democratic and Republican parties will be able to slate county clerk candidates for the November ballot.

Until then, an interim county clerk will be appointed by Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant and the County Board, Staley Ferry said.

Bertino-Tarrant issued a written statement on the replacement process.

“It is my responsibility to nominate an individual to serve as county clerk, pending approval by the Will County Board,” the statement said. “This individual will serve until the next general election. My goal is to ensure continuity in that office ahead of their management of the November general election.”.

Staley Ferry said she will leave her job on Aug. 15.

Her departure had been rumored for months, although Staley Ferry and Joliet officials would not confirm that she was a top candidate for the city clerk job.

In April, Staley Ferry would not comment when asked by the Herald-News whether she was seeking the job. “I’m the county clerk right now and am committed to the office,” she said then.

City Manager Beth Beatty also would not comment in April on whether Staley Ferry was a candidate for the job, saying she would not discuss personnel matters.

In the city news release on Wednesday announcing her hire, Staley Ferry is quoted saying, “I am beyond excited about this opportunity to work for the city I was born and raised in, where my son and stepdaughters go to school, and where I see so much progress and growth.”

The new job means a $46,000 annual boost in pay for Staley Ferry. Joliet will pay her a salary of $139,510, according to city spokeswoman Rosemaria DiBenedetto. As county clerk, Staley Ferry is making an annual salary of $93,116.

“Money is a factor,” Staley Ferry said when asked about the pay hike. “But it was a very hard decision to leave the county.”

Staley Ferry will replace Christa Desiderio, who has been serving a dual role in Joliet city government since being hired for the newly created deputy city manager job in January.

Unlike the county clerk’s position, which is an elected office, Joliet city clerks are hired employees appointed by the city manager.

In the release announcing Staley Ferry’s hire, Beatty pointed to her background, saying she “interviewed a number of candidates for the job, but no one could start day one with this much experience except Lauren.”

Staley Ferry has been county clerk for six years since first being elected in 2018. Prior to that, she was an elected county board member. Her experience in government work has been solely through elected office.

The city said her start date is Aug. 21. Staley Ferry will “finalize her role with the county” before starting as city clerk, Beatty said in the release.

Beatty was not available for comment on Wednesday.