County Officials Achieve Training Goal
Chicago – Nineteen county officials have achieved Certified County Officials (CCO) status in a University of Illinois Extension-directed educational program for local officials. The officials were recognized during the annual fall meeting of the Illinois Association of County Officials in Chicago on November 23.
Each of the county officials completed at least 24 hours of credit in the program, part of the Certified County Officials program, a joint effort of U of I Extension and the Illinois Association of County Board Members and Commissioners.
G.W. (Bill) Carle of Macomb is serving his first term on the McDonough County Board. Carle believes it is a responsibility to serve if a person has the time to this commitment.
Carle is retired from the McDonough Telephone Cooperative after 33 years of service. He held the position as Staff Engineer and his last eight years as Plant Manager. He has been a NCAA and IHSA basketball official and a Certified Football Official for 22 years. Carle has been active in many civic, community, and professional telephone groups the past several years.
“I have been proud to be involved in helping to develop McDonough County ‘Comprehensive Plan’ and serving as the Chair of the committee,” said Carle.
“This CCO program is very educational about the various issues that may be encountered in government,” commented Carle.
John Coffman of Oregon has been the Ogle County Treasurer for nine years. Prior to being treasurer, he was on the County Board for eight years.
“I have always been interested in government and wanted to work to make our local government run more efficiently. My family's prior public service was also an inspiration to run for office,” said Coffman.
Coffman’s proudest accomplishment while in office was to enhance service to the public while reducing staffing. He accomplished this by implementing new technology with a highly productive staff. In his spare time, Coffman helps work this family’s sesquicentennial farm.
“The CCO program affords opportunities for continued learning and knowledge sharing on topics of importance to county government. I am happy to have benefited from many of these sessions and look forward to future participation,” commented Coffman.
Rick Faccin of Edwardsville has served nine years as the Madison County Auditor. Prior to becoming auditor, he served six years on the Madison County Board.
Faccin was inspired to run for office because he had served as the director of a social service agency (Catholic Charities) for 22 years, and his entire professional career has been dedicated to public service. As an Elected Official, he sees this as an extension of public service from the private sector to the public sector.
“In my capacity as a County Board member, I was able to secure funds approximating 2-3 million dollars for much needed projects for my community. As the Auditor, I am proud of the quality and professional service I am providing, evidenced by achieving national and local acclaim for services to my constituents,” commented Faccin on his proudest accomplishment while in office.
“I am proud to enhance my skills which enable me to provide quality service to the constituents of Madison County,” said Faccin on participating in the CCO program.
Darlene F. Hook of Morrison started in the Treasurer's office in May 1988 and took office as the Whiteside County Treasurer on December 1, 2006. Hook’s predecessors and mentors (Janet Buikema and Karen Mulnix) inspired her to run for county office. Hook says her proudest accomplishment as a county official is that she has maintained the integrity and professionalism of the office.
“Becoming a Certified County Official has had many benefits, such as keeping up on current events that are affecting our government procedures and policies. Learning from other County and government officials has been a great experience. Advancing in knowledge can only prove to be advantageous to my responsibilities as an elected official,” commented Hook.
Don Lamps of Ottawa has served as the LaSalle County Treasurer for seven years. Lamps was inspired to run for county office because he believes serving as County Treasurer provides the best possible opportunity to positively serve the people of his community.
Lamps has multiple accomplishments while in office. He has streamlined the collection of taxes by utilizing credit cards and automatic withdrawal along with numerous more traditional methods. Lamps has established more frequent and timely distributions using electronic deposits for speedy credit to tax district accounts, which has saved taxpayers. He has also maximized security and convenience for taxpayers and their payments with an excellent staff, security cameras, financial courier, and armed bailiffs. Lamps has provided revenue and cash flow information to County Officials, which facilitated financial management decisions. He has also made his office available to all taxpayers by utilizing mail, media and personal contact.
Lamps passed careers have included a high school teacher of accounting and business, production agriculture, and involvement in real estate. According the Lamps, the CCO program enables him, educational opportunities and background to provide better service to the people of LaSalle County.
Will County Recorder, Laurie McPhillips of Plainfield, served four years as the Will County Recorder of Deeds and worked for Will County government for almost 24 years, including County Board Administrator and Director of Operations to the County Executive.
Currently, McPhillips professional career is in real estate sales for Coldwell Banker and property management. She is currently running for the Will County Board.
McPhillips ran for county office because of her almost 20 years of experience working at the County. The Office of Recorder of Deeds appealed to her because of her county management experience and her 17 years experience as a licensed real estate agent.
Her proudest accomplishment as a county official was developing an internet system to search public records, which was particularly important in a large suburban county of 846 sq. miles with many traffic issues. McPhillips also consolidated a 14-year-old computer system with three other systems into one state of the art system. She also established a satellite office for the convenience of customers.
“The Certified County Officials program is a wonderful opportunity for those that want to expand their knowledge of county government and offer more to their constituents. It was very enlightening to learn from the experiences of other officials and their ‘best practices’. It was also a great networking opportunity,” commented McPhillips.
Orick “Corky” Nightlinger was appointed to the Vermilion County Board Member on July, 2003. He started attending county board meetings after his retirement and was encouraged to run for office by his family.
Nightlinger’s proudest accomplishment is a county tax referendum established to support the Vermilion Manor nursing home, a county owned facility. His second proudest accomplishment is presenting the third consecutive county budget without a tax increase.
Nightlinger ended his professional career ended on May 1 2000 when he retired from University of Illinois Printing Services. Currently, he is a driver for Danville Township Senior transportation.
“I am very appreciative of the CCO program because it gives me opportunities to learn about many local government issues. The more I know, the more I can be of service to my community,” commented Nightlinger.
Tim C. Pankau, Piatt County Treasurer, of Monticello became Piatt County Treasurer on December 1, 2006. Pankau spent over 30 years in the accounting and banking fields. After his retirement, he felt he had experience to offer the constituents of Piatt County. Pankau wanted to give back and serve his community by running for office. He loves his position and appreciates the opportunity to serve Piatt County.
“Coming from a banking background, customer service has held a very important role in my career. My two Deputy Treasurers are an excellent staff and I am very proud of our office’s strong commitment to customer service. Another proud accomplishment is that the Treasurer’s office provides very efficient and courteous service to the public while operating on a minimal budget,” said Pankau.
“The CCO program offers educational and developmental opportunities to County officials. Being a new Treasurer in my first term of office, I appreciate the opportunity to expand my education with training on the current issues facing local government. This program has assisted me in better serving my constituents and developing into a better steward of our County’s resources. It also has provided me the opportunity to develop a valuable networking resource that is useful in the execution of my responsibilities as an elected official,” commented Pankau.
Juanita R. Randklev of Savanna, has served for three years on the Carroll County Board. She intends to run again in 2010 for another four-year term in 2010.
Randklev ran for office because of the devotion of the chairman and his wife (Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Bork), along with the belief in the concept of a group of people all working together for the same cause to promote the principles of enrichment for Carroll County.
A personal aspiration for Randklev is to up-date and revamp the Carroll County Courthouse for public safety purposes. She is also a semi-retired Licensed Practical Nurse.
“The Tele-Institutes have offered a broad range of information. I appreciate having access to the many subjects to help in decision making. I am extremely gratified with the mission of being a County Board Member. In this arena there is also a sense of a goal to achieve the finest for the County,” commented Randklev.
L. Scott Schwerer of Blandinsville has served three years as the Macon McDonough County Board Chairman. He was inspired to run for office because of wanted to serve his community while providing quality leadership to McDonough County.
His proudest accomplishment while in office is the passage of a wind farm ordinance to advance winds farms within the county. Schwerer is also a farmer and Auction Company manager.
“I think it is crucial to our job to stay abreast of the changes that are constantly taking place. Certified County Official Program offers a wonderful venue for continue education as well as orientation for newly elected officials. The session also offers great networking opportunities,” commented Schwerer.
Ford County Board Member, Elynor Stagen of Gibson City, has served on the board for 11 years. She was appointed to the position in 1999. Her proudest accomplishment while in office was becoming the board’s vice chair.
“You receive knowledge in various areas of a county official through the CCO program. It is an ongoing learning experience,” Stagen commented.
Bruce A. Troutman of Marion will start his 24th year of serving as Williamson County Treasurer. He worked in the Treasurer’s office for four years before being elected. Troutman was encouraged to run by his predecessor, William Brown. Brown felt Troutman’s concern and desire to serve the public, along with his financial abilities made him a perfect fit for the office.
Troutman was very proud to be able to serve as President of the Illinois County Treasurer’s Association and to be chosen as the Treasurer of the Year in 1999 by his peers.
“I have always looked for ways to educate myself since first being elected so as to better serve my constituents. The continuing education that you provide for elected officials helps us continue to improve ourselves and our offices. I am proud to achieve the Certified County Official Bronze Level,” commented Troutman.
Georgia Volm of Quincy is in her second term and has served as the Adams County Clerk and Recorder for seven years. Volm has a degree in accounting and taught accounting and computer courses at junior college prior to running for office.
“The program assists newly elected officials with the basics of government, but it also makes available topics of interest for counties trying to meet the many challenges they face,” commented Volm.
Susan Wynn Bence of Watseka is in her second term and has served as an Iroquois County Board Member for six years. She was inspired to run for office because of her love for her community and the want to leave it better than she found it.
Wynn Bence’s proudest accomplishment as a county official is writing a lighting grant for the county buildings which included the courthouse, administration center, county jail and Old Courthouse museum. They were awarded $140,000 to upgrade the lighting for these buildings.
Wynn Bence is the Executive Director of Kankakee County Center Against Sexual Assault and Iroquois Sexual Assault Services. Wynn Bence loves to learn and the Certified County Officials program has provided her with this opportunity.
Greene County Clerk and Recorder, Deborah Banghart; Wabash County Circuit Court Clerk, Angela Crum; Tazewell County Auditor, Vicki Grashoff; and Moultrie County Board Members David McCabe and Cheryl Rich also received their Certified County Official certificates.
“Today's county government officials must possess a broad array of skills to lead effectively,” said Jeri Marxman, U of I Extension local government specialist who heads the education program. “The Certified County Officials program is designed to strengthen the leadership capacity of county officials by providing core educational and professional development opportunities.”
To learn more about CCO program, please contact Jessica Wandless, Program Coordinator for Extension’s Local Government Information and Education Network at 217-244-3735 or at tinevan@illinois.edu.
