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Clerk Defends Historic Records Stewardship and Routine Memorial Purchases
Summary
Ackerman said preserving historical and genealogical records is a statutory duty of the clerk's office and defended routine purchases including a missing WWII veteran nameplate, a floral wreath for a remembrance ceremony, and a picture frame for a USS Tazewell portrait.
John Ackerman told the board the auditor had questioned his office's historical and genealogical activities as unrelated to statutory duties; Ackerman countered that the clerk's office holds county historical documents and vital records (birth, marriage, death) and is responsible for military discharge records and public access to minutes and archives.
He gave concrete examples the report questioned: adding a missing nameplate for a Tazewell County World War II veteran to the courthouse memorial at the family's request; purchasing a floral wreath for a Korean War remembrance service (which he said the chairman authorized on behalf of the board); and buying a picture frame for a USS Tazewell portrait in the courthouse. Ackerman also addressed questioned costs for "I voted" stickers, saying the local vendor price matched prior national-vendor pricing.
Ackerman framed these items as routine stewardship and argued the report overstated their significance while omitting relevant context about board authorization and historical responsibilities.
