Candidate profile
Richard Boykin
Running for: Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County
Political/civic background: I began my career in public service as a Lyndon B. Johnson Intern for U.S. Representative Bobby Rush. I went on to serve as a Congressional Black Caucus Fellow for former U.S. Senator Carol Moseley-Braun, the first African American woman elected to the United States Senate.
I then went on to serve as Legislative Director and then Chief of Staff to U.S. Representative Danny K. Davis. I served as Congressman Davis’ Chief of Staff for nine years, where I was responsible for a staff of twenty-two and a $1.4 million annual budget. I was instrumental in the Congressman’s health care, energy and utility, and appropriations accomplishments.
I then served four years (from 2014-2018) as Cook County Commissioner for the 1st District. As Commissioner, I was a champion for human rights. I demanded a Department of Justice investigation into allegations of Human and Civil Rights violations at the Homan Square Police site. I led the initiative to place referendum question regarding expanded funding for mental health treatment on the November 2014 ballot. The referendum was county-wide and passed with over 1.4 million votes. I also led the effort to encourage Facebook to be more responsive in removing horrific and vile videos from its platform.
I was the sponsor of numerous ordinances that benefited the residents of Cook County, including: a “no choke” ordinance that bans Cook County Law Enforcement from using chokeholds on suspects; an ordinance that created stiffer financial penalties for individuals caught carrying illegal handguns; an ordinance that created a Cook County Commission on Youth; an ordinance placing a tax on ammunition; an ordinance creating a Cook County Gun Violence Coordinator and Task Force; an ordinance that removed the tax on Feminine Hygiene Products and an ordinance that urged Cook County Law Enforcement to adopt the ACLU’s Stop and Frisk recommendations. Further, I stood with the people and voted “no” to the 1% sales tax increase and voted “no” on the beverage tax increase.
Occupation: Attorney
Education: I am a proud graduate of Chicago Vocational High School, Central State University and the University of Dayton School of Law.
Campaign website: richardrboykin.com
Facebook: Richard Boykin
Twitter: @richardrboykin
The Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board sent candidates for Cook County Circuit Court Clerk a list of questions to find out their views on a range of important issues. Richard Boykin submitted the following responses:
What reforms would you institute to bring the technology of the office up to the standards of the clerk’s office of the U.S. Northern District of Illinois? Given budget restraints, where will you find the money to upgrade the workings of the office, making it more efficient and transparent?
It’s imperative that we upgrade the technology of the Clerk’s office to meet the needs of litigants and advocates and increase access to justice for people of all backgrounds. To that end, I will prioritize the following:
• Enhancing the Clerk’s website with a more user-friendly interface to make electronic docket searches easier and more intuitive.
• Creating a pathway to access Circuit Court records through digital application technologies (smartphones).
• Working with Chief Judge Timothy Evans to put the Cook County Circuit Court on the path to becoming a completely paperless system by 2030.
• Working with the Chief Judge to make the state-mandated e-filing system more affordable and accessible.
The revenue to fund these changes should first and foremost be found through partnerships with other county agencies that can increase our purchasing power in the marketplace. There are a number of other grants at the state and federal level that I intend to pursue as well for purposes of making our system more transparent and accessible the right technology will undoubtedly help us to achieve this goal. By cooperating with the all of the stakeholders’ information technology departments, we can find a cohesive, affordable way to implement these reforms. Though they will certainly need an up-front investment, I am confident that over time a stream lined process will pay for itself as the financial burdens related to a paper-based system begin to dissipate.
A new case docketing system has been rolled out, but the office continues to move so slowly that companies that do criminal background checks say they often can’t complete those checks in time to allow young adults to be hired for seasonal jobs. Similar delays occur elsewhere in the system. What will you do about it?
By streamlining the process, these time delays will begin to disappear. This will take cooperation with the other stakeholders in the court system, of course. It will also require the next clerk to make this priority No. 1, no excuses about it. For years, the County Board has had frequent hearings to get updates about the status of bringing the courts into this century. Time and time again, we were told of various delays here or there. Much of it boiled down to failure to communicate. My IT staff will meet regularly with the stakeholders. I will personally partake in these meetings to make sure milestones are being reached. More than that, I’ll make sure that as these systems are rolled out, we’re not just claiming they’re complete when really they lead to longer lines and more frustrations for the public that depends on the office. These applications will be user friendly and jargon free. That is my pledge.
Large insurance institutions, including banks, reportedly have been moving cases to suburban counties where it is easier to deal with court clerk’s offices. This has had an impact on Cook County’s budget because court filing fees fund not only the court clerk’s office but also help cover expenses in the chief judge’s office and initiatives in the sheriff’s and public defender’s offices. What will you do to reverse the trend?
The suburban counties, with rare exception, have been much quicker to adopt technologies that make it easier to process the large filings these companies do on a regular basis. Making functioning technology – and staff trained to use it – the top priority will lead to an increase in filings. These companies are based here. Their lawyers are downtown. They don’t want to drive to Joliet or Wheaton or Waukegan. They want a system in the Daley Center that they can use. And when I’m Clerk, that’s what they’ll have.
Lawyers complain that court files often are incomplete. They say there are sometimes two or three separate files for a single case because things get lost. To what extent do you believe this is really a problem? What will you do about it?
I believe, like with many things, the truth is in the middle. But it does not take a trained lawyer to see the stacks upon stacks upon stacks of files in the Clerk’s office to imagine things go missing from time to time. When the only copy of even a simple probate case is in an expandable folder and stored in an off-site warehouse, needing to be transferred when someone orders it, it’s no wonder that sometimes only one of two files is grabbed. It’s not surprising that one file headed for Skokie ends up in Rolling Meadows, where it disappears. This, again, boils down to technology. I won’t claim that PACER or other systems are perfect, but when the files are accessible digitally, we don’t have to cart around the only copy on a regular basis. There are backups upon backups
In some counties around the country, the clerk of the circuit court is an employee of the chief judge’s office rather than an independently elected official. Would you support such a reorganization for Cook County? Why or why not?
I understand the knee-jerk reaction to make certain offices appointed rather than elected. I would not support that for the Clerk of the Court in Cook County, one of the largest court systems in the world. First, I believe the public deserves someone who answers directly to them leading this crucially important office. Second, one needn’t look far to find issues in offices with appointed rather than elected leaders. Financial mismanagement still happen. Leadership issues still exist. I think what’s important is giving the public the say in electing the right person rather than vesting all of that authority in one person, such as the chief judge who is elected into that position by fellow judges rather than the public
What would you do to improve the office’s ethical standards and public image?
The office needs to come out of Shakman oversight. And new leadership coming in is the perfect time for that to happen. Sheriff Tom Dart moved his office out of oversight shortly after he was elected. The county has moved out. There are a small handful of offices still funneling taxpayer money into federal monitors because of failed reforms. This is unfortunately one of them. Along that same line, though, the staff must be well trained. They must be expected to arrive each day and greet the public in a responsible, respectful and efficient manner. I’ve been to the courthouses as an attorney, as a commissioner, and as a citizen. I know that there are many dedicated employees. Most of the employees want to do their jobs and do them well. I’ve had them reach out to me and suggest ideas. These people have expertise, and I will hear them out as I begin to overhaul the office. For the rare individual who may not meet those standards, maybe they need to be retrained. Maybe they were never effectively trained in the first place. I’ll be doing a complete audit of staffing and determining how make sure the Clerk’s employees are best equipped to deliver for the public. Once citizens know they can walk into a courthouse, ask a deputy clerk a question, and get the right answer, the public image will improve.
What will you do to reassure taxpayers that patronage hiring and firing have no place in the office?
There is no need to reinvent the wheel here. The federal monitors are clear in what they expect. Other elected officials – Sheriff Dart, Treasurer Maria Pappas, etc. – have moved their offices out of oversight quickly and effectively. There will be no donations for jobs in the Clerk’s office under my leadership. There will be no questionable fundraising going on. These are not political jobs. Employees will be expected to deliver in their job, not for the Clerk or the party.
What do you see as the core function of the office?
The Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County is not just the official custodian of records for one of the largest unified court systems in the nation. The Clerk of the Court’s office is also the front door of our justice system, the first point of contact for so many individuals who pass through the courthouse door. We need to make sure that front door is open, welcoming, and equally accessible to Cook County citizens of all backgrounds. The Clerk of the Court bears a responsibility for serving the people who use the court system with integrity, compassion and patience. What happens in the Clerk of Courts’ office can impact the entire trajectory of a case, for better or for worse. It’s an enormous responsibility.
What historical figure from Illinois, other than Abraham Lincoln (because everybody’s big on Abe), do you most admire or draw inspiration from? Please explain.
The late Mayor Harold Washington is one of my heroes. He was a coalition builder, whose first obligation wasn’t to any special interest or party organization, but to the people of the City of Chicago. That is how he campaigned and that is how he governed. He knew that the Mayor’s office was a public trust that belonged to the people. If everyone approached their public service the way Mayor Washington did, the City of Chicago would be a better place
What’s your favorite TV, streaming or web-based show of all time. Why?
Good Times. As a child growing up in Englewood we used to watch Good Times daily. A story of an African American family struggling in the projects to make ends meet is a story that so many of us growing up in Cook County can relate to.
