Citing Greek philosophers and promising to “drag the workplace into the trendy age,” Mariyana Spyropoulos was ceremonially sworn into her new position as clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court on Monday.
Spyropoulos beat incumbent Secretary Iris Martinez within the Democratic main on guarantees to be extra clear, moral and fiscally accountable than earlier clerks, cruising to a simple victory in November. The workplace of about 1,400 staff is the recordkeeper for felony, civil, juvenile and visitors courts all through the county. It has lengthy been criticized as a den of patronage that’s troublesome for the general public to navigate.
“The clerk’s workplace is the entrance door to our justice system. I pledge at the moment to maintain that door open to all: not simply those that know navigate the system, but in addition the lady looking for safety from her abuser, the person hoping for an expungement to begin a brand new life, and the household simply arrived navigating an unknown world,” Spyropoulos stated Monday in a short speech within the foyer of the Daley Center.
It stated it will take a look at shorten queues, guarantee clear instructions and compassionate assist for individuals looking for paperwork or navigating county courts. The extra paperwork, he stated, is “drowning” legal professionals, victims, defendants and the general public.
He was formally sworn in Sunday, however obtained the ceremonial therapy from Chief Justice Timothy Evans on Monday.
A longtime member of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District board who has gained the backing of the county Democratic Party, Spyropoulos largely financed his personal marketing campaign to defeat Martinez. He leveraged his time as an assistant state’s legal professional and his reform credentials, saying he helped convey MWRD below the unbiased oversight of the county inspector basic. She pledged to do the identical on the clerk’s workplace, which is at present overseen by an inspector appointed by the clerk.
Committing to adhering to the best moral requirements has turn out to be a well-known chorus for court docket staff. Martinez made the identical promise in 2020 when she changed Dorothy Brown, whose tenure was marred by corruption allegations and the taking of marketing campaign cash from her personal staff.
Martinez additionally obtained donations and assist with the marketing campaign from his personal staff.
“I’m dedicated to creating a robust, unbiased inspector basic to establish and root out corruption,” Spyropoulos stated Monday. “We deserve no much less in our justice system and our workplace won’t be a paper tiger. I’ll maintain all workers to the best moral requirements. There might be no favorites. Mark my phrases: nobody is protected against the implications of their actions. The chancellery is just not a political operation, it’s a cornerstone.”
On the marketing campaign path, Spyropoulos additionally stated he would push for a change in state legislation to make the workplace topic to Freedom of Information Act requests and, within the meantime, would voluntarily launch data on worker spending and case statistics . Martinez made the identical FOIA promise in 2020, however backtracked after the judges’ rejection.
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