Turner announces she will not run for County Clerk in 2018

[December 11, 2017] 

LINCOLN

Sally J. Turner announced on Friday that she will not seek re-election to the office of County Clerk and Recorder of Deeds of Logan County and will retire at the end of her term in 2018. The six-term clerk is the longest serving woman in an elected official capacity in Logan County’s history.

Turner was elected as Sally Litterly in 1994 when her son, Michael was six, and daughter Morgan 3. Reflecting on her past campaigns, she recalled “It was such a humbling experience traveling the county and meeting so many good people.

That was over 24 years ago, and now Michael is 30 and farming with the family and working in product development at aNH3 in Elkhart, and Morgan is in her 3rd year at DePaul Law School.” Turner said that the experience for her young family was one they will carry with them their entire lives. “They helped me every election – from prepping the equipment, testing, helping at the polls, and with returns on the chalkboard on election night. Those are memories that will always be dear to my heart. So many people helped on my first campaign, and I am truly grateful to them for their friendship and support all these years.” Turner has had no competition since that first election cycle in 1994.

Turner stated she has several reasons for choosing not to run for re-election to the post, but most of all so she can be more present in the lives of her parents, Wayne and Pat Tetley of Mount Pulaski. “This is a tough decision because I love what I do, but it is time for a new innovative mind to take the reins. There is always a project in the wings waiting to be done, or mandated to be done”, she added.

Turner started her work as County Clerk on the heels of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 which began registrations in all Motor Vehicle Facilities, boosting registration enrollment and changes, as well as the requirements that went along with that Act.

She stated her experiences at the clerk’s office have been many. “We went from physically microfilming and hand recording real estate documents to digital storage and scanning. All accounts payable and receivable were also done by hand, as well as hand calculated tax extension for tax rates and tax redemptions. I am starting to sound ancient,” Turner chuckled.

In 2002 the Help America Vote was implemented bringing many new changes and challenges to the election system. Turner brought us into the world of optical scan paper ballots and moved away from punch card ballots as directed by the Act. “This was a huge undertaking, and I went to every library, club, school, and event to demonstrate the new equipment to voters. It has been an excellent system for us and I am pleased we continue to use optical scan with a backup paper ballot.”

Turner graduated from UIS in 1983 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Legal Studies, and received her Master’s Degree from Lincoln Christian University in Organizational Leadership. She began her work with Logan County in 1984 as a Juvenile Probation Officer, then as a paralegal in the State’s Attorney’s Office before being elected to County Clerk.

During her tenure as the six term Clerk, she served as her association’s President, as a member of the Illinois State Board of Elections Advisory Committee, the Illinois Association of County Clerks and Recorders Legislative Committee, the Election Cyber Security Committee, and is the chairman of the State Tax Manual Committee. She was also chosen to serve as an Election Observer for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and has received various awards and recognitions within her community and the state. “I cannot say enough about my fellow 102 county clerks and the pleasure of knowing them throughout my years in this elected office. They have a special place in my heart and I’ll never forget their support and friendship. They are a great group of people. I am also privileged to have worked with such fine public servants in Logan County. We have established lasting friendships and I have had excellent working relationships throughout my tenure with the county.”

Of her staff, Turner gushes about their work, support, and friendship. “When I started as the clerk in 1994, I had Pete Frantz to bounce things off of, as well as a great staff. Through the years I have had wonderful people and great role models at my side. I will always be grateful to them for welcoming me into Pete Frantz’s office.”

Today, her office has more duties and unfunded mandates than ever before and she compliments her outstanding staff for keeping up with all the new changes throughout the years. “They are well-trained in all aspects of the office and work hard every day to get the job done – together. They truly act as a team. Without them, our office would not function with the ease and competency that it does. They are fantastic people and wonderful public servants. We are all pleased that Chief Deputy Clerk, Theresa Moore will be running for the office of County Clerk. Theresa has been training for this position for many years, and knows it inside and out. She will serve our county well and our entire team is behind her and her candidacy.”

“It has been my honor, privilege and pleasure to serve as your County Clerk and Recorder these many years. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity. It has truly been a blessing to me and my entire family. My term will be complete on November 30, 2018. My husband, John, and I look forward to my retirement because I will be less grumpy each time an election rolls around!” said Turner.

[Office of the Logan County Clerk Sally Turner]