Clarendon Hills voters will decide on Nov. 3 whether to strip the village clerk position of its elected status and hand appointment power to the village president instead. The measure would take effect in May 2027, and it lands just weeks before candidates begin filing for that spring's municipal election.
The ballot question mirrors one Clarendon Hills voters narrowly rejected in 2022, when 51% opposed the change and 49% supported it, according to the Chicago Tribune. Village staff recommended putting the question back on the Nov. 3 ballot, per the same report, arguing that the clerk's duties have narrowed over time and that the seat has become harder to fill with willing candidates.
Current Village Clerk Lynn Dragisic told the Tribune she does not intend to seek re-election when her term expires in May 2027. Dragisic, who handles village board meeting minutes and also serves as secretary for the fire pension board, does not vote on measures at board meetings and does not currently have an office at village hall, the newspaper reported. Her predecessor, Dawn Tandle, served as clerk from 2002 to 2023, winning four five-year terms and spending an average of 10 hours a week in her village hall office before deciding not to seek re-election in 2023, when Dragisic was elected to succeed her.
Why State Law Forces a Public Vote
Clarendon Hills cannot simply vote as a board to make the switch. Under Section 3.1-25-90 of the Illinois Municipal Code, municipalities with 5,000 or more residents must win voter approval through a referendum to convert an elected village clerk into an appointed one, while smaller villages can make the change with a two-thirds board vote, according to the Illinois General Assembly. Census figures put Clarendon Hills at 8,702 residents in 2020, with 2024 American Community Survey estimates at 8,659 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau — comfortably above the threshold that triggers the mandatory public vote.
State law also addresses who can hold the job if voters approve the switch. Section 3.1-10-6 of the Illinois Municipal Code exempts appointed village clerks from local residency requirements, allowing non-residents with professional qualifications to serve, per the Illinois General Assembly.
Who Would Take Over the Job
Village Manager Paul Dalen told the Tribune that future clerk vacancies would be filled by appointment from the village president, with the advice and consent of the board of trustees. Village staff have indicated the assistant village manager would likely be appointed clerk, absorbing duties like meeting minutes and roll call into the existing administrative structure, the paper reported.
Assistant Village Manager Mera Johnson, who would take on the clerk duties if the referendum passes, said the change should produce savings for the village, according to the Chicago Tribune's report. Deputy Clerk and Executive Assistant Vicki Pries received a $2,500 salary increase for absorbing additional duties after Tandle's departure, while the clerk position itself was paid more than $15,000 annually during Tandle's tenure; Dragisic's compensation as clerk was later reduced to $5,000 annually, per the same account.
A Tight Election Calendar
The timing leaves little room for error. Petition filing for the April 6, 2027 municipal election runs from November 16 to November 23, 2026, according to official election notices from the Village of Clarendon Hills. That schedule places the referendum just months before the municipal election.
Clarendon Hills is not alone in reconsidering this office. The Lake County villages of Round Lake and Wauconda are also asking voters to convert their elected clerk positions to appointed ones on the Nov. 3 ballot, as reported by the Lake County Clerk, suggesting a broader trend among northeastern Illinois suburbs toward reworking administrative roles.
A Different Kind of Ballot Question
Local voters have shown they are willing to say yes to spending measures even as the clerk question has proven divisive. Clarendon Hills voters approved an $8 million park district bond referendum with 70.1% support to fund pool and park infrastructure upgrades, per Village of Clarendon Hills records. The village's financial reporting was also discussed in June 2026 board proceedings.
Folding clerk duties into existing staff would extend the village's administrative approach to an office whose duties are mainly records-keeping.
