A Sangamon County elected official is proposing to merge the office with another.
Current Springfield City Clerk Frank Lesko, who is running as the Republican candidate for the Sangamon County Recorder position this November, is proposing to merge the office with the Sangamon County Clerk’s office. According to a press release on Wednesday, Lesko says the merger would make the county government more accountable, efficient, and responsive to taxpayers.
Lesko says it will will reduce bureaucracy and save more than a quarter million dollars in taxpayer money every year, right away. Over time, the proposal would save even more taxpayer money, including as much as $400,000 every year, as current employees retire and positions are not filled. Lesko says the merger would not require the elimination of any county workers’ jobs.
Lesko says if he wins in November he plans on placing the proposal on the November 2026 General Election ballot as a referendum.
Lesko says he got the idea out of conversations he’s had with voters in the county since becoming Springfield City Clerk in 2015.
In Illinois, the position of County Recorder is elective in counties with a population of 60,000 or more. In counties with populations below 60,000, county clerks serve as ex officio county recorders. Many counties, by referendum, consolidated the two offices since 1963.
Lesko is running against Democrat incumbent Josh Langfelder for the county recorder position this November.