County Officials Achieve Training Goal
Springfield – Eleven 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 spring meeting of the Illinois Association of County Officials in Springfield on May 3.
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.
Larry J. Alexander of Jerseyville has served as the Jersey County Coroner since December 1, 1992. He was inspired to run for office because he felt that his community deserved to be served in a way that they had not been served in the past. He believed his community deserved much more.
Alexander is proud to have his fellow Jersey County voters elect him to five consecutive terms in office. Alexander is also the owner and operator of Alexander & Gubser Funeral Home in Jerseyville.
“I was honored to be able to work with the University Of Illinois Extension of Jersey County to receive this achievement over the past years,” commented Alexander.
Knox County Supervisor of Assessments, Chris Gray of Galesburg, has worked in that office for 15 years. Gray has taken classes annually to become a Certified Illinois Assessing Officer and has passed the Supervisor of Assessment exam. She continues to take classes annually for continuing education.
Gray enjoys serving the taxpayers of Knox County. One taxpayer Gray had served wrote a letter to the editor of the local paper praising Gray’s extraordinary kindness in solving a property purchase problem.
“I think the Certified County Officials program is a wonderful program and would encourage any county official to get involved in it. It is very informative and I have learned many things through the teleconferences that I have attended. I am very proud and honored to become a Certified County Official,” commented Gray.
Bob Grogan of Wheaton has served as the DuPage County Auditor for 18 months. Grogan’s proudest accomplishment while in office was that DuPage County was the first in the state to place its entire county’s checkbook online and did it with no additional cost to the taxpayers. Prior to becoming the county auditor, Grogan was in public accounting where he specialized in audits of governments, benefits plans, and nonprofits.
Sheryl “Sheri” Higginbotham of Marshall was first elected as Clark County Treasurer in 2002. Higginbotham was working in the Treasurer’s office when her predecessor and other co-workers encouraged her to run for office.
Higginbotham’s proudest accomplishment while in office was to bring automation to the Treasurer’s office. This made their jobs more efficient and reduced the number of employees required to serve county government and the public.
“The Certified County Official program is an excellent educational opportunity for county officials to learn information that helps in our decision making and keeps us current on the changing laws and requirements that affect county government thus allowing us to better serve our county and constituents,” commented Higginbotham.
Pat Laramore of Chester has been the Randolph County Clerk/Recorder for eight years. Before running for office, Laramore worked in the courthouse for nine years.
Laramore’s proudest accomplishment while in office was lowering the cost of voting after the punch card voting mandate was removed. Laramore and her husband have also owned and operated two grocery stores for 12 years.
“It is important to keep up on your education. Through this program I learned many useful ideas and different answers to questions on topics for all elected positions. This is a well balanced program for all areas of county government,” commented Laramore on the CCO program.
Mary Sue Ruot of Vandalia was appointed as the Fayette County Circuit Court Clerk in August 2008 and was then elected in November 2008. Prior to becoming the Circuit Clerk, Ruot served as a Deputy Circuit Clerk for 26 years. Ruot was inspired to run for office because she believed that public service is truly a calling. It was her way of contributing to her community.
Ruot’s proudest accomplishment as a county official was implementing digital scanning of all paper documents. While Ruot devotes most of her time to the position of Circuit Clerk, her leisure time is dedicated to her family and grandchildren.
“The Certified County Official program is an excellent way to keep informed about issues that other counties have encountered and solved. I am proud that I have achieved the bronze level and I am grateful to the U of I Extension Office for providing this opportunity,” commented Ruot.
Richard E. Scott of Ottawa has been on the LaSalle County Board for three and a half years. Scott was inspired to run by several individuals in his District who asked if he would run for the County Board seat that was going to be vacant. In addition to serving on the county board, Scott is a Field Instructor for the University of Illinois Fire Service Institute.
Scott says his proudest accomplishments while in office include “holding taxes in check by protecting tax dollars with increased oversight and fiscal responsibility and working with wind farm companies to manage orderly growth, bringing increased tax dollars to LaSalle County, and insuring the protection of our farm land.”
Scott also helped developed an attachment to the LaSalle County subdivision ordinance requiring developers to work with fire departments in the jurisdiction they are building a development, mandating in the ordinance that a fire protection water supply, pull off area, and road width accessible for fire apparatus be established for any subdivision with twenty or more homes upon the jurisdictional Fire Department’s request.
“I have learned a great deal about County Government that I would not have without the County Officials Program. Programs on the Development of Wind Farms in Illinois, taxing issues in Illinois, and how property and land is assessed in Illinois are a few of the excellent programs over the last three years,” commented Scott.
Bob Skidmore of Waukegan has 26 years of working in the Lake County Treasurer’s Office with the last 11 years being the elected county treasurer. Skidmore is following in the footsteps of his father and uncle who were county treasurers in the 1970s and 1950s, respectively.
Skidmore’s proudest accomplishment while in office was updating office procedures to include today’s technology of on-line payments, collection lockbox, and the website. All of these have resulted in faster and larger distributions to the taxing districts.
Skidmore has been married for 37 years, has three grown daughters, and publically supports many civic and non-profit organizations.
“As an elected official, I think that it is essential to keep up with current education opportunities that will make you’re a better person, by improving your professional skills and leadership abilities,” commented Skidmore.
Donald G. Wiseman of Paris is completing his first term as the Edgar County Treasurer. Prior to becoming treasurer, Wiseman worked in the sheriff’s department for more than 21 years. He wanted to utilize his formal education of business administration and accounting, along with being more accessible to his wife and three boys. Wiseman is also the director of the local historical society.
Wiseman’s proudest accomplishment while in office has been to focus on communications between the different offices and the public. He says, “Customer service is a MUST in our office where giving 100% is the minimum. We have also utilized our computer system more and more to improve tractability and research.”
“It never fails that something comes up at work that I need some guidance on. Having said that, more times than not, the topic I am looking for answers to ends up being discussed as part of the CCO program. This lets me know that the program is recognizing and responding to what we officials need in these ever-changing and sometimes turbulent times,” commented Wiseman.
Dawn M. Young of Morrison has worked in Whiteside County Recorder’s office for almost 30 years, 14 of which as the elected recorder following the retirement of her predecessor. “My staff and I work diligently to provide friendly service and up to the minute data retrieval capabilities,” Young said.
While in office, a group of Russian bankers visited the Recorders office in 2003, where Young explained how they keep the land records and the various ways the public uses them. In 2009, Young had the opportunity to travel to Russia. “It was very interesting to see a country whose private citizens have only had the privilege of land ownership since 1991,” said Young.
In her spare time, Young enjoys reading, bicycle riding, and traveling with her husband now that her three boys are grown.
“I would like to thank the University of Illinois Extension for offering the Certified County Officials educational program. The CCO classes I have participated in have been informative and address current issues. I appreciate the opportunity they provide to public office holders to increase our knowledge and advance the skills we use daily to efficiently perform the duties of the office,” Young commented.
Arratta Znaniecki of Ottawa is in her fourth year as a LaSalle County Board Member. She retired from working 35 years in a public high school and she felt that she wanted to get involved in county board activities. Znaniecki said her most rewarding moments in office are working with the entire board as a team to make decisions that are for the good of all LaSalle County citizens.
“I believe these CCO seminars are beneficial to me as they are varied topics that all relate to government issues; they keep me up-to-date on everything from rural transportation issues to the latest laws, rules, and regulations,” Znaniecki said.
“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.
Logan County Board Member, Terry A. Carlton; Winnebago County Auditor, William Crowley; and Ogle County Board Member Bob DeAvril 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.
