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Appointment of full‑time deputy clerk sparks hours‑long, sometimes heated debate in University Park
Summary
Trustees debated an ordinance change to shift hiring/appointment authority for a proposed full‑time deputy clerk from the elected village clerk to the village manager; the clerk and several trustees said the motion would strip a statutorily protected duty and the board tabled the item to draft a compromise and workshop.
The Village of University Park’s board spent more than an hour debating a proposed change to the ordinance that governs appointment of the municipal deputy clerk, with trustees, the village manager and the elected clerk sharply divided over who should control the hiring and whether a deputy should be a nonunion, full‑time position.
The item on the agenda would amend the village code to make the deputy clerk a full‑time position hired through the village’s human‑resources process and, for some proposals discussed, subject to the village manager’s appointment authority. Supporters said the clerk’s office is overwhelmed—FOIAs and licensing often queue for weeks—and a full‑time, nonunion deputy clerk would provide essential, consistent capacity.
“We need a deputy clerk that is full time that can do the job,” Trustee Jenkins (speaker 5) said, arguing the village had grown and clerical support alone would not be sufficient.…
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