The Will County Board voted 20-0 Thursday to appoint Charles B. Pelkie Jr. as county clerk, filling the vacancy created when former Clerk Lauren Staley Ferry resigned.
Pelkie will serve until Dec. 2 or when the winner of the November election for clerk is sworn in.
Staley Ferry, first elected clerk in 2018 and reelected in 2022, stepped down in July to become Joliet city clerk. Her last board meeting was Aug. 15, and Pelkie, who was the chief deputy clerk and chief of staff, has been interim clerk since.
By law, County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant must nominate an individual within 60 days of the vacancy to serve as county clerk with the approval of the County Board.
Pelkie said he has been with the clerk’s office for six years and has supervised eight elections.
“I appreciate her confidence in me to lead our staff in the November election,” he said.
Pelkie also worked with Staley Ferry, who now goes by Lauren O’Hara, when the county purchased new state-of-the-art election equipment. The Will County Board last year approved $7.8 million to replace older election equipment with new poll books, tabulators and equipment compliant with the American with Disabilities Act.
Election judges have been trained on the equipment, which was first used in this year’s primaries.
Pelkie said there are many checks and balances to ensure elections are safe and secure.
County Board Chair Judy Ogalla, a Republican from Monee, said it made the most sense to appoint Pelkie.
“He knows how the election process works,” she said.
Bertino-Tarrant said his experience will help guide the county in the upcoming election.
Since Staley Ferry would have served until 2026, both the county’s Republican and Democratic leadership have nominated candidates to run for clerk on Nov. 5 to fill the remainder of her term. In addition to handling elections, the county clerk takes care of vital records such as birth, death and marriage certificates.
The Will County Republican Central Committee selected County Board member Annette Parker, who represents the Crest Hill area, to be its candidate for clerk while the Will County Democrats selected Joliet Township High School District 204 President Michelle Stiff as their candidate.
Parker, a Will County Board member since 2014, is the president of the Forest Preserve District of Will County, comprised of all members of the Will County Board. She is executive director of the Lockport Chamber of Commerce.
Stiff, a Joliet Township High School Board member since 2019, is the Will County director of workforce services. Staley Ferry, a Democrat, has endorsed Stiff.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter.
