Name: Thomas M. Hartwell
Position for which you are a candidate:
Kane County Circuit Clerk
Why are you seeking this position?
I am Tom Hartwell and I am your elected Kane County Circuit Clerk. I have unique legal and management experience which is an asset as Circuit Clerk. I am running for office to serve. I want to use my talents, knowledge and experience to make Kane County a better place. We all want safe neighborhoods, fairness and justice.
I remember the day my life changed. I was a young lawyer with my new practice. A mother sat across the desk from me – crying. Her son was in Cook County Jail because he joined a gang. I felt helpless because there was nothing I could do. That young man did the crime and the law required judgment.
I realized that it was important to reach young people before it was too late. I teamed up with Joel Perez Jr. a former gang member who had a heart for young men seduced by the gang lifestyle. I served as the first Chairman of God’s Gym in Elgin and Aurora. I supported Joel as he got 30 young men to quit the gangs.
I have also volunteered for other Service Organizations:
Rotary International where I was a Paul Harris Fellow.
American Heart Association
South Elgin Lions Club.
I am active at New Life Covenant Church
When my kids were old enough I coached all kinds of youth sports. I was
President of Elgin Continental Little League and managed the 2007 State Champion team. I still coach Little League today.
FAMILY
I raised my two sons, David and Danny in Kane County.
What experience and background do you have which qualifies you for this position?
My goal is to provide quality service and cost efficiency. I represent the taxpayers of Kane County.
The Circuit Clerk is part of the Judicial Branch of government. Legal experience is an asset. As your elected Circuit Clerk, I am responsible for over 100 employees and 275,000 court files that are heard in 30 Kane County courts each year. Through innovation and taking advantage of technology I have saved the taxpayers millions of dollars. I have made my office more efficient and reduced head count by 10%. I am attorney with 34 years experience and MBA.
I pursue operational efficiencies and increases in productivity. To start, I requested that Kane County research and install LED lighting to reduce the use of electricity. In my first year I came in under budget by over $ 1 million. Since 2012 we have saved taxpayers over $7.5 million.
My office has achieved the following:
Acquisition and implementation of a state of the art case management system which keeps and organizes all the information in the case files.
eFile IL for civil cases – allows litigants (or their attorneys) to file documents remotely
Research IL – allows subscribers from other counties access to our case information
Fileless courts – eliminates the cost of creating and transporting paper files to court
Limited criminal eFile – allows litigants in criminal cases to file remotely
Cooperation with other government office is a priority. We work closely with our Judicial Partners.
What will be your highest priorities if elected?
My priority is the safety and wellbeing of my employees and the public. I instituted Pandemic Emergency Initiatives. Throughout the entire pandemic my office was fully operational and open for our customers. The doors never closed and we continued all statutory responsibilities and customer service to all customers.
For a start, to both the public and employees, we provided masks, hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies, plexiglass barriers, and tape on the floor to mark six feet. For peace of mind I gave every employee 15 Covid days off in addition to the vacation days and personal days they had coming. In this way every employee knew that the pandemic was not going impede their pay. Since limiting person to person contact was our goal, I negotiated with the union a work from home program. I gave employees with immune deficiencies and school age children priority. About sixty percent of my staff could work from home.
The diligent protection of our staff and the public is ongoing.
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