Will County clerk candidates include school board president, county board member

A Joliet school board president and a current Will County board member plan to compete in the November election for Will County clerk.

Michelle Stiff, president of the Joliet Township High School District 204 Board of Education and Democrat, and Annette Parker, a Crest Hill Republican on the county board, are seeking to fill the remaining two years of the clerk’s term.

Parker is the president and CEO of the Lockport Chamber of Commerce. Stiff currently serves as the director of the Workforce Center of Will County.

Former Will County Clerk Lauren Staley Ferry, who now goes by Laura O’Hara, left her office in the middle of a four-year term. She is now serving as the Joliet City Clerk.

Charles B. Pelkie Jr. has been serving as the interim county clerk since O’Hara left the office.

On Friday morning, Stiff sent an email with a news release announcing O’Hara has endorsed her as the next county clerk. In a statement, Stiff said she could “not be prouder to have Lauren’s support.”

“People know and trust her because she transformed the Will County Clerk’s Office, saving taxpayers hundreds of thousands while making it more responsive and efficient than ever,” Stiff’s statement said.

Parker told The Herald-News on Friday that she thinks it will be a great opportunity to run for county clerk and she does have some ideas for it.

“I think voter integrity and the documents are very important. I think this is a very important race that a lot of people should be taking a look at,” Parker said.

O’Hara’s planned departure as county clerk was announced July 31.

O’Hara left her county clerk position for a city job that pays more. Her city salary is $139,510, while county clerk and most other countywide elected officials are paid a salary of $93,116.

Pay for elected county officials has not been increased in 16 years.

The County Board considered a pay increase earlier this year, but an apparent agreement fell apart in June when Democrats and Republicans accused each other of trying to change the deal just before it came up for a vote.