Your Next Recorder

Ideas for Kankakee

County’s Next

Recorder of Deeds

by

Kelly McLaren

kellymclaren.com

yournextrecorder.com

Published by

lulu.com

Copyright © 2008 by Kelly McLaren

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

Paid for by Citizens for Kelly McLaren A copy of our report is on file with the

Kankakee County Clerk

kellymclaren.com

yournextrecorder.com

ISBN 978-1-4357-5276-4

This book is dedicated to my wife and our children.

Table of Contents

Introduction:

Why on Earth did I Write a Book?

When I began thinking about running for Kankakee County Recorder of Deeds a friend of mine suggested that I put in writing why I wanted to run for the office and what I could offer the voters of Kankakee County. I took my friend up on that suggestion. I began writing about what I knew about Kankakee County government and the ideas I would implement if I was fortunate enough to become our county’s next Recorder.

During the process of writing, what was essentially a “position paper” on the office; I came to the conclusion that I could actually put these writings into a book format and demonstrate to the voters the seriousness of why I seek this office.

Perhaps, just as importantly, I also discovered this was a great process to better understand the importance of what I am trying to achieve and why I feel I am thoroughly qualified to run the office.

It has taken me nearly a year to research and write this book. In it I briefly cover my life in business and politics and write extensively about how I want to implement the changes the Recorder of Deeds office needs. This book does not cover every issue the office tackles, but explains my grasp of Kankakee County politics, knowledge of the office I am seeking and my ability to make changes needed for our county.

While this book is available for purchase, I am more concerned that people actually read the message the book is trying to convey. Therefore, I have made it available for free to download on my website; www.kellymclaren.com.

In addition to explaining my grasp of the Recorder’s office I also wanted to give voters extra information such as, polling places, proposed legislation and websites. This explains the length of the appendixes.

After reading this book I hope the reader better understands the office as well as my ability to make a positive difference in the Kankakee County Recorder of Deeds office. As always, if you have any questions, or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Chapter One

Biography

There is no feeling more gratifying than being a public servant. The ability to help people and communities is one of the most rewarding experiences anyone can have. Knowing that your vote or your phone call just helped one of your fellow citizens improve his or her quality of life is truly a remarkable emotion. That is why I run for public office. I want to help people.

I was born and raised in Kankakee County to Anna and Robert McLaren on January 26, 1960. My father Bob worked for Bell Telephone Company and owned and operated the B-Back-N in Bradley along with my grandfather Bud McLaren. Both of these gentlemen were very hard working individuals. My father worked full-time for the telephone company and my grandfather started the new business at the age of 60. It was in 1950 when my grandfather and grandmother, Rose McLaren, bought the B-Back. Bud and Rose lived on the premise at the time to keep a strong hand on the business. My mother Anna also worked on and off in between raising her children.

I grew up in Kankakee in the Riverview area. We were brought up in a strict Irish Catholic household with my mother and father both being the disciplinarians. I remember always addressing my parents or any elders with a “Yes, Sir,” or “No, Ma’am.” This was just a part of what was taught to me about respect for other individuals. I lived to play ball with Beckman Park being so close. It didn’t matter what kind, as long as a ball was involved. The number of kids didn’t matter either. There could be two, five, ten or twenty. We adjusted to what ever it was. If there wasn’t anyone around, I could play for hours by myself.

I attended grade school at St. Patrick’s Academy in Kankakee where I received an excellent education. I participated in different forms of extra curricular activities including several years as an alter boy at the Family Parish of St. Patrick’s. Basketball, which was the only sport offered at the time, was my favorite, even though I wasn’t that good at it. From there I attended Bishop McNamara and Eastridge High schools. I participated in football and baseball as well some intramural sports. I also attempted basketball my freshman year but was cut before the season started. It was devastating to me, but a good lesson learned. Like I said before, I really wasn’t that good at it, but it never stopped me from playing on my own. When I turned 16 I started working for Jewel Food Stores in Kankakee when I wasn’t participating in sports. I started out as a bagger and taking groceries out to the cars for the customers. I remember a friend who also worked there taught me a valuable lesson. He told me if I wanted to get a better position, with more money, to run in with carts, stay busy and ask for things to do when not taking out the groceries. Within two weeks I was promoted to the grocery department with the older employee’s. Between my upbringing and my first job, I’ve never lost that work ethic. I always said that if I was going to grow up a ditch digger, I’d be the best darn ditch digger there was.

In the fall of 1978 I lost my father due to a nine-month battle with cancer. I’ll never forget the strength and courage he showed during his fight. I hope I never have to endure that type of illness, but one thing’s for sure, I’ll never stop fighting.

After high school I continued to work and took a few classes at Kankakee Community College, a wonderful junior college. I married at the young age of 20 and in July of 1982 I was blessed by the birth of my daughter April. During this time I continued to work at Jewel. Although I was never a permanent full-time employee, the money was very good. These times soon changed and the hours continued to spiral downward due to changes in company policies. I was forced to leave so I could find full-time employment I could count on. I worked for several employers including some part-time work at the B-Back Again.

In 1988 I had the opportunity to buy a piece of the B-Back and partnered with my mother, Anna. Over the years the B-Back saw quite a few changes, from a small working class bar to its expansion in the late 1960s. The expansion brought a different look where patrons could cook their own steaks in a family atmosphere.

I loved operating the B-Back. It gave me the opportunity to literally meet thousands of interesting, good people. From factory people to construction workers to lawyers, judges and doctors; I was fortunate to meet a lot of great people. I enjoyed working with the delivery people and hiring those who needed a job. There was nothing more fun than having customers in to watch a Chicago Bears game or Michael Jordon when the Chicago Bulls ruled the National Basketball Association. Our establishment was full of sports fans enjoying the game and friendship. The friendship continued even during baseball season when the Chicago Cubs and White Sox seasons got underway. I was able to see first hand the growth of NASCAR into a fully-fledged major sports franchise and, of course, there was always the Indy 500 on Memorial Day weekend. I am proud of my years at the B-Back Again. It was a respectable fun place to own, operate and visit.

The B-Back Again was also great political experience. Having the opportunity to meet so many great people and working to keep them as happy as possible taught me a lot of things. I know that some people have dismissed me as nothing but a bar-owner who stumbled into politics. While there is a hint of truth to that sentiment, the fact is there are fewer jobs in the world that can prepare you for the world of politics the way running your own business can, and in particular a tavern.

Chapter Two

Running for Elective Office

During my years of running the B-Back I was approached several times by family and friends about running for public office. At first, I dismissed the idea immediately. “Who would vote for a bar-owner?” I thought. As time went on and I observed the operations of our local governments then I thought, “Why not me?” I had witnessed decisions being made that made no sense to me. Why, for instance, were we not trying to unify certain aspects of services with our taxpayer’s money? Why couldn’t we operate a unified 911 system? Why were we the largest metropolitan area in the State of Illinois without a transit system? Why did we need 28 people to represent a county with a population of less than 110,000 people? Why couldn’t people on a fixed income make their property tax payments in four installments instead of two?

Finally, in late 1999 I was approached to run for the Kankakee County Board in a district which included the Village of Bradley and a few outlying rural precincts. This time I agreed. The voters of Kankakee County could do a lot worse than me. Besides, I had a good business sense and had never intentionally steered anyone wrong in my life. I felt I was as good a person as anyone else to represent the Bradley area on our county board.

I ran as a Republican simply because if I wanted to be on the county board I wouldn’t have a chance to get the nomination as a Democrat. The Democratic incumbents at the time were two experienced hard-working veterans, Leonard “Shakey” Martin and Elmer Stump, both two fine men. However, I felt their longevity in their offices had allowed them to be less responsive than they should have been to the needs of Bradley and our county.

In those days two people ran on the same ticket against two members of the opposite party. I was fortunate to be teamed up with Jerry Stam. Jerry ran for the office before and made a great showing. It was an uphill election to say the least. I had told friends and family that while I was technically running as a Republican, I was my own person. I was only going to talk and debate issues that were relevant to our community and not to worry about whether those issues were towing the party line. A decision, to this day, I believe my grandfather rolled over in his grave with my Republican choice.

There were three issues which I felt strongly about in 2000. The first was the number of county board members that represented our community. Then, as now, there are twenty-eight members on our board representing a county of about 103,000 people. There are only eighteen members on the Cook County Board which comprises the City of Chicago and outlying communities that has a population of over 5,000,000 people!

The second issue of concern was the number of board members who were taking health insurance premiums. While being a board member is a lot of work it is still only a part-time job and a public service. I was not aware of any part-time jobs in our area that offered fringe health benefits. With our budget mess at the time, I felt any incoming new members should not be allowed to take health insurance. I thought the county chairman, which is a full-time job, should be the only member to reap the benefits of health insurance.

The third big issue I wanted to impress upon people was the opportunity to allow people on fixed-incomes to make their property tax payments in four installments instead of two. While I would like to claim credit for this idea I cannot. My father-in-law actually suggested the idea. My in-laws are on a fixed income, like many seniors today. He mentioned to me how it would ease the burden him and my mother-in-law feel twice a year. His feeling was that as long as the county ultimately received its money, what was the difference if it was twice or four times a year? He was right. When I had a press release on this issue, the Kankakee Daily Journal agreed and even suggested that it should not be restricted to seniors or people on fixed-incomes, but to all homeowners.

My campaign was off and running. Because my name recognition was not nearly as high as my opponents’ I felt I needed to do something dramatic to make myself viable in this election. A friend had suggested I do a television commercial to gain attention. After seeing how cost-effective cable television ads were to get my message to the voters, I readily agreed. We produced two commercials for the fall campaign. The first ad focused on the issues I just described and projected a positive image for myself and my running mate. The second was an ad reminding voters how the current administration had botched several opportunities to secure state funding for badly needed local projects.

More important than the television ads we used was meeting the citizens of the district. I knocked on practically every door in the Village of Bradley. I explained my positions and why I thought I could be a better representative for the voters of the district. People welcomed me and the ideas I was advocating. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. At the time I remember thinking that even if I didn’t win the election I had gained an invaluable experience by meeting and talking to the great citizens of our county.

Election Day was November 7, 2000. While the entire country was transfixed on the historic battle between then-Governor George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore, I was fortunate enough to garner enough votes to oust one of my opponents. The final results were 3035 votes for me, 2796 for Leonard Martin, 2774 votes for my running mate Jerry Stam and 2425 vote for Elmer Stump (see Appendix A). For the first time since directly electing county board members, a Republican would be representing the Village of Bradley.

As I stated earlier I always felt that the men I ran against were good honorable people. I just thought I would be a better representative for the community. Unfortunately, since that time both of these good men have passed on. However, during my time on the board with my former opponent, Shakey Martin was nothing short of a gentleman and an outstanding advocate for his party.

Chapter Three

Kankakee County Board

Now the hard part began. Evidently, I had upset more than a few members on the board about my stances on the issues of cutting the county board and stripping away health insurance for board members. I got a lesson early on about the ways of entrenched politics. While I basically had the support of the media and many of the voters in my district, it was not enough to turn back the decades-old tradition of giving our part-time board members the same benefits for health insurance that our hardworking full-time employees enjoyed. That was one against me, even though I’m still an advocate for this issue and still try to gain support to phase this benefit out.

The same was true about cutting our county board. I again learned quickly that few politicians would take the chance of finding out if their constituents needed as many representatives as they currently enjoyed. Again, while many people, probably a majority, thought we could use fewer members, the board thought otherwise. My second campaign idea was shot down. That was two against me. To add to the frustration of the non-support was the fact there was a very small window to implement the cutting of the county board. This opportunity only arises every ten years after the census is completed. Once this takes place, the redistricting of the political boundaries begins. The next redistricting for the county board will be in 2012

The third issue I was passionate about, Quarterly Property Tax payments, must surely be passed. While it has yet to pass, it is an issue the county is looking at and could still be a reality in the near future.

Another passion of mine is public safety. Upon my request after being elected in 2000, I was fortunate enough to be placed on the Criminal Justice committee.

This committee overlooks the Courts System, Sherriff’s Department, States Attorney, Probation, Public Defender, Coroner and the Circuit Clerk’s offices. My interest on this committee, along with my devotion, did not go unnoticed. I remember one of my first tasks was to do a study on an average felony court case. The purpose of this was to understand the complexity of the court system and all the entities involved. Veteran Board member George Washington and I were assigned to do the research. I felt it was an exciting opportunity for me to be involved in this process. This also was a very educational tool, in more way than one. First off, I learned about all the entities involved in this process. It was amazing to me the number of offices involved. These offices included the arresting police agency, the Circuit Clerk, The States Attorney, usually the Public Defender, the Judges and eventually the Probation department and on occasion the Coroners office.

The second opportunity this assignment brought was working with a prominent senior Democratic Board member. To embrace and have the ability to walk across the political aisle was something I thought every one should be able to do in order to do the best possible job. Unfortunately this is not always the case. In this instance, George was very receptive. We even originally met at my Bradley home to form a game plan. I remember him joking about being seen walking into my Republican household. It’s probably the fastest I’ve ever seen him walk. A friendship was formed that I treasure to this day I believe my work ethic propelled me to chair this committee upon the resignation of committee Chair Pam Lee in 2004.

During this time I also served on two other committees. These included the Community Services committee and the Automation, Personnel and Insurance committee. Community Services were in place with the task of overlooking, understanding and directing the Recorder, Treasure and Assessor’s offices.

On the Personnel, Automation and Insurance Committee, I served as Vice-Chairman. This was certainly an honor, to say the least, as a freshman board member. I looked forward to serving in this capacity. Approximately three to four months of serving, the Chairman of this committee moved out of his district forcing him to step down from the County Board. This change moved me up to the Chairman. Although this was the appropriate chain of command, I remember discussing this with the Chairman of the County Board. I told him since I was the new kid on the block and he wanted to appoint a more experienced board member, I would completely understand. The Chairman said he had complete confidence I was the right person to serve and to Chair this committee. I was off and running in a very short time.

One of my biggest challenges was gaining a better understanding of the insurance of this assignment. With over 400 employees, it was a very important part of this committee. Soon after taking over as chairman, the employee’s health insurance was up for renewal. At the time the County employed a broker for our health insurance needs. One of the first things I mentioned to our broker was my lack of experience in this field and that I would be relying on him for my education on this issue. He assured me he had nothing but the County’s interest in mind and would happily be there for me.

This was a time when insurance rates were sky rocketing, which was certainly a major concern of mine. I remember meeting with our broker to discuss some preliminary issues. During this meeting he indicated it looked like our employee health insurance rates were going to jump approximately over 90%! This was very shocking news that did not set well with me or the Chairman of the County Board. Soon thereafter, our broker came into my place of business on a Wednesday night requesting to meet with me. After informing him I wouldn’t be able to break away for another hour or so, he said he would be glad to wait. I figured whatever he needed to discuss with me was of the utmost importance, so I scrambled to free myself. When the time permitted, I met with him and he informed me he needed a signature on a ‘Letter of Brokerage’ because I was the proper authority as Chairman of the insurance committee. I didn’t completely understand the ‘Letter of Brokerage’ and was not comfortable with signing this with out more information. I asked him if he could send this to me electronically as I would have more time to comprehend this request after work. It seemed strange to me that this was being handled in this form. Upon completing my work day/evening, I went home to get the email and tried to make heads and tails of the request. As it turns out, signed ‘Letter of Brokerage’ would basically allow only our broker to get a quote from interested providers. By the time these quotes would come into the County, his commissions were essentially already built in. It is my understanding the County would not have a good picture of what the actual quote was before commission.

Upon further inquiry and research within the County, I found this ‘Letter of Brokerage’ had been presented to the Chairman of the County Board, the Vice-Chairman of the County Board as well as the Human Resource Director for signature. After lacking the needed signature, the broker went to work on me. Needles to say, I didn’t sign this letter and upon discussing the matter with a couple Board members who were in the insurance field and the Chairman of the County Board, we discontinued service with the said broker. We were confident that we could do these services in house. The overall result was an increase of about 30% compared to the early quote more than 90%. This was my first case of deception in the political world, one that I would remember well. I guess this confirmed my approach to the many issues; it is far wiser to sit back and evaluate things, and get the necessary information before making any rash decisions. This philosophy has stayed with me to this day.

In December 2004, with the resignation of Ms. Lee, who also served as the County Board Vice-Chairman, this left yet another position to be filled. After many discussions, my fellow board members approached me to fill that position. After careful thinking and a clear understanding of the duties, time constraints, and what was to be expected of me, I accepted the position of the Vice-Chairman of the County Board in December 2004. I presently serve in this capacity and continue to learn and understand the needs of our community.

The main duty of the Kankakee County Board Vice-Chairman is to serve in the absence of Chairman. In order to carry out these duties, I now serve on most every standing committee of the County Board. In addition to the previous committees I spoke of, I serve on the following:

G.I.S. – Geographic Information Systems - The GIS system is truly an amazing program. Every four to five years the County does an aerial fly over the entire County. Basically this consists of taking snapshots of the County. The purposes of these were to collect data and form countless layers of information that can be placed on a map. The municipalities of Kankakee, Bourbonnais, Manteno and recently Bradley merged with the County as foundation members of the GIS system. Financial participation with membership gave these municipalities an official vote on all matters presented at the committee level. As mentioned before, the layers of information that can be used in the system is pretty much unlimited. Information that the layers can represent range from public safety, transportation, assessments, property cards, legal descriptions and the list goes on. It’s been a cooperative relationship with the municipalities. I believe these relationships to remain important as not to lose opportunities to combine services where applicable. Proper implementation of the GIS system will be an integral part of upgrading the Recorder’s office.

PZA – Planning and Zoning - The majority of the planning and zoning committee deals with the many zoning laws, variances, subdivision plats and some transportation needs.

Highway and Bridge - The highway and Bridge committee oversees the highway department. The majority of this committee approves the bidding and letting of our county highway projects. It would be a mistake not to mention the man who runs the County highway system. Our County Engineer, Jim Piekarczyk, is the department head. Jim, in my opinion, ranks a one of the most knowledgable, well spoken and efficiant department heads on the County team. His past expirence in this position is known around the state. The residents of Kankakee County should feel very fortunate to have this individual running this department.

Executive – County policies and procedures, insurance matters and board appointments also receive reports from the School, Health and Veterans Assistance boards. The County Board Chairman runs this committee and I serve as Vice-Chair. This committee deals with the various board appointments around the County. Some of these boards are, but not limited to the Fire protection districts, Drainage districts, Health board, Workforce board, Ethics Commission, etc.

Finance - The finance committee overlooks the Treasure, Auditor and the finance department. This includes working on and passing the annual budget. This is a seven to eight month process to include setting the tax levy and any new project request that aren’t in the the orignal budget.

Economic Alliance – Serving as Vice-Chairman of this committee was instrumental in the development of this board. This group is made up of seven county board members as well as seven from the public sector. The public sector members are made up from people all around the county and from various backgrounds. Together we have a unique board to form one voice for economic growth in Kankakee County.

Development and Operations - This committee over looks the maintenance department and any new building projects.

Safety - This group handles day to day safety needs of out employees and customers to the County buildings.

Mayors Association - The Mayors Association is the group of all the mayors in the county. The County Board chairman is invited to these bi-monthly meetings. I’ve had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to attend many of these meetings. This has allowed me some wonderfull networking opportunties with our local leader’s, regardless party affiliation.

Department Head – I run this monthly meeting for the Chairman. I address Department Head comments and concerns in order to keep a well-maintained communication line open.

Animal Control Ad Hoc – This committee was formed to rewrite the Animal Control Ordinance. This group is made up of four county board members as well as an advisory, non-voting group from the public sector representing various entities.

Along with these committees I’m also instrumental in the day to day operations of Administration. This department’s made up of the County Board Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Director of Human Resources, Executive Coordinator, Employee Benefits Coordinator as well as the Administration Assistant. I’ve been directly involved in many new hires the County has experienced. I have directly handled personnel issues as well making informed decisions in the absence of the County Board Chairman. I believe my presence and devotion has enabled the County Board Chairman to be more available to the outside entities as needed.

Chapter Four

Looking Forward: Your Recorder’s Office, the Internet and E-government

I have written the previous material to give you a background on why I have ran for public office in the past. Now I want to tell you why I want to be Kankakee County’s next Recorder of Deeds. I have not taken the decision to run for this office lightly. I know that, regardless of the election results of November 4, 2008, the next Recorder will have an enormous job in front of them. Dennis Coy, our current Recorder, has worked hard to give the citizens of Kankakee County what he feels is the best Recorder’s office can provide. While I would never question him, his party’s intentions or integrity, I truly feel I offer the best option for your next Recorder.

First, let’s look at the duties of the Recorder of Deeds Office. The Kankakee County Recorder of Deeds serves the people of Kankakee County by receiving, filing and maintaining all records related to real property in our county. These documents range from all types of conveyance deeds, mortgages, releases and assignments, property liens, as well as, assorted federal, state and local liens. The Recorder’s office is responsible for the recordation and storage of plats of subdivision, land surveys and monument records. Many other types of miscellaneous documents are recorded, such as; foreign birth certificates, foreign marriage licenses, and military discharge paperwork to name a few.

County Recorder’s of Deeds are an integral part of property ownership. The foundation of what was to become the Recorder’s office was laid in 1215 A.D. with the signing of the Magna Carta which provided for state protection of land ownership.

The goal of the Recorder’s office now, as it was in the past, is the accurate, secure and efficient indexing and maintenance of documents reflecting chain of title to land within Kankakee County.

Now, I’d like to examine the use of the Internet and how it can work for your Recorder’s office. I applaud the fact that the current Recorder Denny Coy has listed the contact information and fees associated with the office. However, that is where it ends. The Internet is the single-most important communication device since television and has presented itself to governments and office holders. It has allowed citizens the ability to transact meaningful business in thousands of communities across our country cheaply, efficiently and securely. Yet, our Recorder’s office offers only the fees he charges for transactions. It’s great we can find out what those fees are prior to conducting business or that there is a fax, phone number and mailing address in which to contact the office. However, try and find a simple blank Quit Claim or Warranty Deed to download and you will be left searching. It does not exist. Nearly everything else, besides the fees the office charges, can be found in the phone book.

When I was first elected to the county board in 2000 I purchased the Web address www.kellymclaren.com. I was a little hesitant of making this commitment because of the small district I represented, but I did understand how this tool could be used to communicate with the voters of my district. I always favored more interaction with my constituents. Soon I was setting up mass e-mails and informing voters of important issues. I set up interactive polls to find out what issues voters were interested in learning more about. I conducted “Live Chats” to further understand what voters wanted their representatives to do.

After several months I began posting Kankakee County Board meeting minutes. At that time, no one had posted such information-not the local media nor the county itself. Several media members approached me and thanked me for doing this. It’s not that I wanted the approval of the media. I wanted the voters of Kankakee County to be given the opportunity to see what their government was up to. Today, the county publishes all the minutes of the full board as well as many committee meetings. I feel my Web site and making the business of the county more transparent helped push the board toward publishing the minutes on its own.

Honesty and transparency are very powerful tools, particularly for the government. One of the most important lessons I have learned is to keep the public informed and do the right thing as one sees it. It is best for the candidate and more importantly for the community.

Something else I have learned from the county board, regardless of party or politics, is that all Kankakee County elected officials want to give better government service at less cost to make it a better place to live and do business. That’s the bottom line. I believe electronic government (e-government) is a great, forward-thinking way for Kankakee County to do this. By implementing an e-government system, citizens and companies can easily do business with Kankakee County’s government and get what they need to make smart, informed and secure decisions. I know some people will always prefer to do business in person; that way of conducting business would also improve under my watch. However, e-government is here to stay and the citizens of Kankakee County will need an elected official who can make those informed, cost-effective and secure decisions for taxpayers. The following are some of the reasons I believe that implementing a more internet-friendly Recorder’s office would benefit the voters of Kankakee County.

More Convenience to Citizens

Everyone expects more services online. You don’t want to wait in a line for an hour to spend five minutes at a counter. We could save you time and energy by putting those services on the Internet. You shouldn’t have to miss work to do business during "government hours." You can do business anytime you want, anywhere you want.

The county can come to you so you can even do business from the privacy of your own home.

Better Customer Service

You rarely need help with routine transactions. E-government will let the Recorder’s office focus on things you usually need help with. These include:

Explaining complex policies

Providing assistance for disabled or otherwise challenged people

Providing up-to-date news and alerts such as Property Fraud

More Information Access Not all decisions are made between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. If you are looking for a house, you may want information about an area during a weekend. E-government can give you 24-hour access to this and other information. Using the Internet also makes finding the information easier. By using a standard look and feel, you know where to find specific types of information on a Web page, such as contact information.

Lower Business Costs E-government saves companies’ money. Whenever your employees must drive to a government office or wait in a line, you lose productive time from them. Lost productivity is spent money. If your employees need more than one trip, then each trip is money spent. Putting services on the Internet eliminates the driving time and time spent waiting in a line. With Kankakee County’s e-government system, return trips are just a few clicks away and employees have more productive time in the office. Most companies have Internet access. You wouldn’t need to buy any more equipment or software to use the Recorder’s office e-government system. You wouldn’t even need any training. More Information Access Your Company must have information to make wise business decisions for its future. Kankakee County’s government collects a great deal of information on economic, demographic and other trends. Much of this information is available on the state Web site. Access to this information can help you make decisions for your company that will lead to greater success.

Increased Efficiency Online transactions are faster than face-to-face transactions. Paper processing is automated, reducing time and the risk of clerical errors. This allows the office to focus on providing better service for the customer.

How much is all this going to cost the Taxpayer? The best part about implementing most these ideas are that the cost will be virtually nothing or certainly within even the current recorder fees (see Appendix D). The documents the office can make available to the public is simply a matter of scanning those documents and posting them on Kankakee County’s website. That’s all there is to it!

If you visit www.kankakeecountyrecorder.com, a website I set up and paid for myself, you can get a hands-on look at functional documents which you can download. On this site you can download several State of Illinois Real Estate Transfer Declaration forms which can actually be utilized. All the documents that you can physically get at the Recorder’s office will be available online if I am elected and those documents will be available within the first month of my taking office at no extra cost to the taxpayer!

Chapter Five

Property Fraud

My work in the real estate market has also made me aware of another important issue facing homeowners, which directly affects the Recorder’s office, and that is Property Fraud. Recently, the booming real estate market has helped increase property values, but also has led to unprecedented mortgage fraud and other spurious real estate related schemes. The perpetrators of these white –collar crimes range from mortgage brokers looking to make a fast buck to drug dealers laundering their ill-gotten gains. Every year, these fraudulent schemes victimize individuals and businesses from many walks of life, including struggling low-income families lured into home loans they can’t afford, legitimate lenders saddled with over-inflated mortgages and honest real estate investors fleeced out of their investment dollars. But that’s not all…This could happen to you…and your Recorder of Deeds should be at the forefront of this important issue. That is why I vow to take the initiative in alerting property owners of fraudulent activity in our community if I am elected your Recorder of Deeds.

The following case summaries are listed on the IRS website and are on public record court documents on file in the judicial district in which the cases were prosecuted:

April 24, 2003, in Indianapolis, Ind., Paul A. Dailey, owner of Platinum Mortgage Brokerage Firm of Indianapolis, was sentenced to 105 months in prison, followed by three years supervised release, and ordered to pay $3.7 million in restitution. Dailey pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and money laundering. He operated Platinum Mortgage in Indianapolis from 1998 until May 2001, during which time the company brokered more than 100 fraudulent residential mortgages on properties principally in Center Township in Indianapolis. Dailey and other members of the conspiracy, 13 of whom have been convicted, recruited several real-estate appraisers and closing agents to assist in the fraudulent scheme. Basically, the properties were appraised for two to three times their true value. Straw purchasers obtained loans on the property well in excess of their true value, the members of the conspiracy shared the profits and the purchasers defaulted on the loans, leaving the properties abandoned and boarded up. After mortgage lending companies refused to lend money to the Platinum Mortgage customers, Dailey moved to Detroit and opened another mortgage brokerage company, Monumental Mortgage, and continued the scheme there. The total amount of loss attributed to the schemes is more than $8 million.

February 21st, 2006 – Oakland County, MI – Mortgage fraud losses in Michigan jumped from nearly $9 million to $26 million over a two-year period in what has become one of the fastest-growing white-collar crimes in the nation. “These criminals are literally trying to steal the homes out from underneath citizens,” said Oakland County Clerk Ruth Johnson.

June 7th, 2007 – Walworth County, WI – At least 11 Walworth County properties connected to a real estate fraud scheme had “buyers” whose identities were stolen, according to federal documents. Another man was pressured into signing a document that indicated he was going to live in a home he never intended to buy, and another man was paid $3,000 for use of his identity to secure a mortgage loan, according to a federal search warrant affidavit.

July 17th, 2007 – Detroit, MI – Wayne County officials today announced the convictions of two major property and deed fraud cases in the past three weeks.

September 25th, 2007 – Wayne County, MI – Calling them “heartless and cruel,” Wayne County officials announced charges Monday against three men accused of swindling three senior citizens out of $600,000 through deed frauds and identity theft. “This case is about acquiring real property through fraud against senior citizens. It appalled me when I found out how much of this is going on,” said Prosecutor Kym Worthy. “This is a huge, huge problem everywhere.”

We can not allow this to happen in our county!

• According to the FBI, fraud for profit accounts for 80% of all mortgage fraud cases.

• Most cases of real estate or mortgage fraud involve allegations of forgery, altered documents or identity theft.

• Most victims don’t find out their property has been stolen until the tax bill does not arrive or unless the new lender tries to foreclose the property.

• 2006 losses due to mortgage fraud were estimated to be btw $946 million and $4.2 billion.

Types of for-profit mortgage fraud

• Home Equity/Identity Fraud: A forged deed is recorded to give the appearance that the perpetrator has acquired ownership of a property. The perpetrator uses the equity in the property as collateral to borrow money. No payments are made on the new loan(s), and the new owner could face foreclosure.

• Fake/Stolen identity: stolen identities – along with credit histories-are used on a loan application.

• Nominee loans/Straw buyers: The identity of the borrower is concealed by using the name and credit history of a willing accomplice.

• Inflated appraisals – An appraiser acts in collusion with a borrower and provides a misleading appraisal report to the lender. The report inaccurately states an inflated property value.

• Equity skimming - An investor may use a straw buyer, false income documents, and false credit reports, to obtain a mortgage loan in the straw buyers name. Subsequent to closing, the straw buyer signs the property over to the investor in a quit claim deed which relinquishes all rights to the property and provides no guaranty to title. The investor does not make any mortgage payments and rents the property until foreclosure takes place several months later.

• Property flipping - A buyer pays a low price for property, then resells it quickly for a much higher price. While this may be legal, when it involves false statements to the lender, it is not.

Documents to look for that are commonly forged

• Deed

• Satisfaction or Re-conveyance

• Power of Attorney

• Mortgage and notes

• Affidavits

• Identification

If I am elected you Recorder of Deeds, one of the first things I will do will be to present a plan to the County Board to help alert the citizens of Kankakee County of possible property fraud. In terms of implementing such a program there are several options the office would be able to explore, such as contracting out the service or provide the service in-house. I will have a report to the full county board within 4 months of my taking office,” McLaren added.

Chapter Six

Digital Signatures

On January 8, 2007, House Bill 0227, sponsored by Illinois House members Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie and Mark H. Beaubien Jr., was introduced (see Appendix E). This, I believe could be a great piece of legislation for Illinois. This bi-partisan bill would create the Uniform Real Property Electronic Recording Act. Specifically the bill authorizes “a recorder to receive, index, store, archive, and transmit documents eligible to be recorded in the recorder's land records in the form of electronic documents, subject to specified requirements. This provides that, if a law requires a document eligible to be recorded in the recorder's land records to be an original, be on paper or another tangible medium, or be in writing, the requirement is satisfied by an electronic document satisfying the Act. Provides that, if a law requires that such a document be signed, the requirement is satisfied by an electronic signature. Provides that a requirement that a document or a signature be notarized, acknowledged, verified, witnessed, or made under oath is satisfied if the appropriate electronic signature and other required information is attached to or logically associated with the document or signature. Provides that the Secretary of State shall adopt standards to implement the Act. Contains provisions regarding recording, conversion of documents, administration, standards, application, construction, other laws, and other matters.”

In plain English this allows your Recorder of Deeds to allow digital signatures, instead of hand signatures, to conduct the daily affairs of the office. But what are Digital Signatures? SearchSecurity.com defines a digital signature as an electronic signature can be used to authenticate the identity of the sender of a message or the signer of a document, and possibly to ensure the original content of the message or document has been sent is unchanged. Digital signatures are easily transportable, cannot be imitated by someone else and can be automatically time-stamped. The ability to ensure the original signed message arrived means the sender cannot easily reduplicate it later.

A digital signature can be used with any kind of message, whether it is encrypted or not, simply so the receiver can be sure of the sender's identity and the message arrived intact. A digital certificate contains the digital signature of the certificate-issuing authority so anyone can verify that the certificate is real.

Give me an example!

This is how it would work: You have been given two keys. One of your keys is called a Public Key; the other is called a Private Key. Anyone can get your Public Key, but you keep your Private Key to yourself. Your Public Key is available to anyone who needs it, but you keep your Private Key to yourself. Keys are used to encrypt information. Encrypting information means "mixing it up," so only a person with the correct key can make it readable. Either one of your two keys can encrypt, or make secret, data. The other can decrypt, or read, that data.

Someone else can encrypt or decode a message using Your Public Key. You use your Private Key to decrypt, or read the message. Any of your friends or co-workers might have access to the message. Someone else may have encrypted it, but without Your Private Key, the data is worthless.

With your private key and the right software, you can put digital signatures on documents and other data. A digital signature is a "stamp" you place on the data which is unique to you, and is very difficult to forge. In addition, the signature assures any changes made to the data that has been signed can not go undetected.

To sign a document, your software will crunch down the data into just a few lines by a process called "hashing." These few lines are called a message digest. (It is not possible to change a message digest back into the original data from which it was created.)

Your software then encrypts the message digest with your private key. The result is the digital signature.

Finally, your software attaches the digital signature to the document. All of the data that was hashed has been signed. You now pass the document on to someone else. Let’s call that person Jim.

First, Jim’s software decrypts the signature by using your public key, changing it back into a message digest. If this worked, then it proves you signed the document because only you have your private key. Jim's software then hashes the document data into a message digest. If the message digest is the same as the message digest created when the signature was decrypted, then Jim knows the signed data has not been changed.

Problems

Sally, our disgruntled employee, wishes to deceive Jim. Sally makes sure Jim receives a signed message and a public key that appears to belong to you. Unbeknownst to Jim, Sally fraudulently sent a key pair he created using your name. Short of receiving your Public Key from him in person, how can Jim be sure that your Public Key is authentic?

It just happens that Julie works at the company's certificate authority center. Julie can create a digital certificate for you simply by signing your public key as well as some information about you.

Now your co-workers can check your trusted certificate to make sure his Public Key truly belongs to him. In fact, no one at your company accepts a signature for which there does not exist a certificate generated by Julie. This gives Julie the power to revoke signatures if private keys are compromised, or no longer needed. There are even more widely accepted certificate authorities that certify Julie.

Let's say you send a signed document to Jim. To verify the signature on the document, Jim's software first uses Julie's (the certificate authority's) Public Key to check the signature on your certificate. Successful de-encryption of the certificate proves Julie created it. After the certificate is de-encrypted, Jim's software can check if you are in good standing with the certificate authority and that all the certificate information concerning your identity has not been altered. Jim's software then takes your public key from the certificate and uses it to check your signature. If your public key de-encrypts the signature successfully, then Jim is assured the signature was created using your private key, for Julie has certified the matching public key. And of course, if the signature is valid, then we know Sally didn't try to change the signed content.

So what are the benefits?

There are three common reasons for applying a digital signature to transactions: Authentication, Integrity and Non-repudiation.

Authentication

Public-key cryptosystems allow encryption of a transaction with a user's private key. The transaction itself doesn’t need to be sent in ciphertext. If a hash of the transaction is generated and then protected via encryption, the transaction cannot be altered in any way without changing the hash to match. By decrypting the hash using the Public Key, and checking the result against a newly generated hash of the alleged plaintext, the recipient can confirm (with high confidence) the encryption was done with the private key, and the transaction hasn't been altered since it was signed.

Integrity

A transaction is completed and a dispute arises over whether the transaction has been altered since it was signed. If the digital signature hash is regenerated and it matches the original digital signature, then it is certain the transaction hasn't changed.

Non-repudiation – “It wasn’t me!”

In a cryptographic context, the word repudiation refers to the act of disclaiming responsibility for a contract (i.e., claiming it was signed by some third party, certainly not me; "I repudiate this contract and its contents!"). A transaction has signatures attached to a document in order to make later repudiation more difficult, since the one can show the signed contract to a third party (i.e., a court) to reinforce a claim as to its origin.

It does not take long for one to see that if implemented properly, digital signatures can save taxpayers and businesses a lot of time, money and energy. Imagine not having to physically go to the Recorder’s office to transact deeds or military discharge papers. One can simply do it online at a very inexpensive cost. Lawyers and Real Estate agents could conduct business over the Internet and cut costs to their clients. I believe, if implemented properly, digital signatures are a win-win situation for the voters of Kankakee County. If you visit the website I mentioned earlier, www.kankakeecountyrecorder.com, you can interact with a sample digital signature demonstration.

SUMMARY

As I look back, I believe many things in my upbringing and life’s journeys prepared me for the challenges of being a public servent. The discipline instilled by my parents, to always give respect to another human being, has veen invaulable. My years of playing ball taught me many life-long lessons. The ability to play as a team memeber, learning that sometimes you have to fail in order to learn how to succeed.

Attending both a private and public high school allowed me to see, know and many times understand the different aspects, wants and needs of the diverse population that makes up our great county. My years of working at the grocery store brought on a work ethic that has never left me. The time I spent at the meat packing plant reminds me of the extremely tough jobs that are out there. The 20+ years I spent in private buisness gave me the opportunity to understand how the whole machine works. From cleaning of the floors and bathrooms to the ordering goods and serices, to budgeting, personel, and customer care also taught me what dedication and hard work can do to deliver a successful product. My eight years serving on the County Board has provided me with how the county buisness is ran. To have the ability to listen first, then comprhend, and discuss the many issues have fined tuned my decision making process. I’ve always said there was a reason the good Lord has given us two ears and one mouth. I try to listen twice as much as I speak. I believe I have the capability to have an understanding that there is always more than one side to the story, and some times more than two. Finally, I have discovered a humbleness to be able to change my stance on an issue when the new or proper evidence is presented. I’ve had the ability to learn, understand, and accept the new technologies that will continue to grow and advance us into the future for years to come. This is a definite reality for Kankakee County as well as the Recorder of Deeds office.

I’ve tried to give you a personal look into my life. Although this is just a peek, I could probably go on forever, thanks to the Irish gift of gab. Most importantly, I wanted you to understand why I feel I’m the best candidate for the Recorder of Deeds office.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my family and friends that have brought me to this part of my life. Without the total support of my wife Tammy, none of this would be possible. She has sat through countless evenings discussing issues, stuffing envelopes, walking door to door and attended many social events. For this I’m grateful and full of thanks. A big thank you to my children, April, Natalie, Nathan and Nichole for their patience, understanding and participation in my past and present campaigns. A special acknowledgement and thanks to my brother Kevin McLaren, sister, Karen and Brother in-law Paul Miller. Their assurance, understanding, time and gratuity have truly been a blessing. I’d like to thank my mother Anna, for the many times she’d give me that look and maybe scratch her head to ask, “so why are you putting yourself through all of this?” This has always kept me grounded, because my responses were always, “Because I always believe, in some little way, I can make a difference.

Appendix A

District 22 Election Results

Year Candidates Votes

2000* Kelly McLaren 3035

Leonard Martin 2796

Elmer Stump 2425

Jerry Stam 2774

2002 Kelly McLaren 487

Mike Smith 335

2006 Kelly McLaren 448 George Dagnan 433

* The 2000 election was before re-districting and encompassed the entire Village of Bradley as well as a few precincts outside of the Village. The district was then known as District 5.

Appendix B

2004 Kankakee County Recorder of Deeds Election Results

Candidates

Mary Jo Dennis

Snyder Coy

Precinct #

Yellowhead 1 397 164

Yellowhead 2 419 185

Sumner 232 93

Manteno 1 283 187

Manteno 2 410 261

Manteno 3 315 228

Manteno 4 350 293

Manteno 5 607 351

Manteno 6 432 348

Rockville 271 159

Momence 1 247 202

Momence 2 272 210

Momence 3 268 164

Ganeer 1 292 224

Ganeer 2 47 188

Ganeer 3 303 248

Limestone 1 253 204

Limestone 2 341 268

Limestone 3 301 179

Limestone 4 206 174

Limestone 5 321 245

Salina 441 269

Essex 339 317

Pembroke 1 29 388

Pembroke 2 34 258

Pembroke 3 35 230

St Anne 1 247 183

St Anne 2 234 129

Aroma 1 78 260

Aroma 2 325 296

Aroma 3 380 224

Aroma 4 264 222

Aroma 5 284 235

Otto 1 179 196

Otto 2 219 221

Otto 3 95 118

Pilot 1 319 128

Pilot 2 383 166

Candidates

Snyder Coy

Precinct #

Norton 1 154 116

Norton 2 160 100

Kankakee 1 84 176

Kankakee 2 282 359

Kankakee 3 267 217

Kankakee 4 309 282

Kankakee 5 92 208

Kankakee 6 314 313

Kankakee 7 321 231

Kankakee 8 128 174

Kankakee 9 286 355

Kankakee 10 65 151

Kankakee 11 182 268

Kankakee 12 271 238

Kankakee 13 197 281

Kankakee 14 21 274

Kankakee 15 29 546

Kankakee 16 119 369

Kankakee 17 48 382

Kankakee 18 94 436

Kankakee 19 105 303

Kankakee 20 30 305

Kankakee 21 31 252

Bourbonnais 1 238 320

Bourbonnais 2 364 282

Bourbonnais 3 314 239

Bourbonnais 4 144 233

Bourbonnais 5 192 328

Bourbonnais 6 205 344

Bourbonnais 7 118 207

Bourbonnais 8 151 267

Bourbonnais 9 249 248

Bourbonnais 10 234 267

Bourbonnais 11 228 316

Bourbonnais 12 191 236

Bourbonnais 13 181 211

Bourbonnais 14 270 108

Bourbonnais 15 189 150

Bourbonnais 16 317 288

Bourbonnais 17 237 220

Bourbonnais 18 351 265

Candidates

Snyder Coy

Precinct #

Bourbonnais 19 288 292

Bourbonnais 20 370 270

Bourbonnais 21 312 273

Bourbonnais 22 225 276

Bourbonnais 23 195 212

Bourbonnais 24 283 244

Bourbonnais 25 461 281

Bourbonnais 26 444 288

Bourbonnais 27 445 335

Total 21231 21742

Appendix C

KANKAKEE COUNTY POLLING PLACES

NOVEMBER 4, 2008

Yellowhead #1 Grant Park Community Building

Dixie Highway, Grant Park

Yellowhead #2 Grant Park Community Building

Dixie Highway, Grant Park

Sumner Zion Lutheran Church

11456 N 11000 E Rd.,

Grant Park

Manteno #1 Manteno Middle School

250 N. Poplar, Manteno

Manteno #2 Manteno Middle School

250 N. Poplar, Manteno

Manteno #3 Leo Hassett Community Center

211 N. Main St., Manteno

Manteno #4 Manteno Christian Church

401 E. Third St., Manteno

Manteno #5 Leo Hassett Community Center

211 N. Main St., Manteno

Manteno #6 Manteno Township Hall

1030 Boudreau Rd, Manteno

Rockville Rockville Township Garage

4235 W 9000 N Rd., Manteno

Momence #1 Momence Township Hall

203 E. River St., Momence

Momence #2 Momence Community Center

125 Gladiolus, Momence

Momence #3 New Life Christian Fellowships

115 N. Locust St., Momence

Ganeer #1 Ganeer Township Hall

120 W Washington, Momence

Ganeer #2 Sun River Terrace Village Hall

7267 E. Chicago St., St. Anne

Ganeer#3 First United Methodist Church

111 W. Fourth, Momence

Limestone #1 Limestone Township Hall

5030 W Rt. #17, Kankakee

Limestone #2 Church of the Nazarene

863 N 5000 W Rd., Kankakee

Limestone #3 Limestone Township Library

2701 W Tower Rd., Kankakee

Limestone #4 First Assembly of God Church

27 N. Monterey, Kankakee

Limestone #5 Limestone Township Library

2701 W Tower Rd., Kankakee

Salina Lions Club

148 S. Stanford, Bonfield

Essex Essex Village Hall

219 W. Main St., Essex

Pembroke #1 Church of the Cross

13043 E 2260 S Rd., Momence

Pembroke #2 Pembroke Township Hall

4053 S. Main St., Hopkins Park

Pembroke #3 Pembroke Senior Citizen’s Hall

4019 S. Wheeler, Hopkins Park

St. Anne #1 St. Anne Village Hall

190 W. Station St., St. Anne

St. Anne #2 Wichert First Reformed Church

7697 E 4500 S. Rd., St. Anne

Aroma #1 Taylor Chrysler (Former Location)

2400 E. Court St., Kankakee

Aroma #2 Goselin Park

300 S Bridge St., Aroma Park

Aroma #3 Aroma Township Garage

3869 S 4500 E Rd., St. Anne

Aroma #4 Aroma Fire Station

6435 Warren St., St. Anne

Aroma #5 Congregational Church

2861 Waldron Rd., Kankakee

Otto #1 Joint Armed Forces Reserve Ctr.

1191 E 4000 S Rd., Kankakee

Otto #2 Wolfe Burial Vault*******

310 Oak Street., Chebanse

Otto #3 St. James Hall

4330 Main St., Irwin

Pilot #1 Herscher Village Hall

272 E. Second St., Herscher

Pilot #2 Herscher Christian Church

30 Tobey Dr., Herscher

Norton #1 Norton Township Garage

2^nd & Willow St., Buckingham

Norton #2 Lions Club

114 Wabash, Reddick

Kankakee #1 Beckman Park Field House

1605 Cobb Blvd., Kankakee

Kankakee #2 Westbrook Church of Nazarene

900 West Jeffery, Kankakee

Kankakee #3 Kennedy School

1550 W. Calista, Kankakee

Kankakee #4 Civic Auditorium

W. Charles St., & 8^th Ave.,

Kankakee

Kankakee #5 Provena St. Mary’s Franco Ctr.

485 W. Merchant St., Kankakee

Kankakee #6 Kankakee County Health Dept.

2390 W. Station St., Kankakee

Kankakee #7 Bird Park Field House

893 W. Station, St., Kankakee

Kankakee #8 YMCA

1075 N. Kennedy, Kankakee

Kankakee #9 Civic Auditorium

W. Charles & S 8^th, Kankakee

Kankakee #10 St. Paul’s Lutheran Church

348 E. Merchant, Kankakee

Kankakee #11 St. Paul’s Lutheran Church

348 E. Merchant, Kankakee

Kankakee #12 Old Police Substation

1063 E. River St., Kankakee

Kankakee #13 Beckman Park Field House

1605 Cobb Blvd., Kankakee

Kankakee #14 Proegler School

710 N. Chicago, Kankakee

Kankakee #15 Pioneer Park Community Bldg.

N. Hobbie Ave., Kankakee

Kankakee #16 Kankakee Housing Authority

185 N St. Joseph, Kankakee

Kankakee #17 Edith Nelson Krueger Annex to

YWCA

1056 E. Court St., Kankakee

Kankakee #18 Stueben School

520 S. Wildwood, Kankakee

Kankakee #19 Provena Heritage Village

901 N. Entrance, Kankakee

Kankakee #20 Senior Citizen’s High Rise

340 N. Dearborn, Kankakee

Kankakee #21 Kankakee County Com. Srv. Inc.

657 E. Court St., Kankakee

Bourbonnais #1 Exploration Station Museum