Keith Brin took office as Clerk of the Circuit Court in 2012, and since then, he has made it a priority to continue the Lake County tradition of fiscal responsibility.
"If honored to be re-elected to another term, I pledge to continue being a true fiscal conservative by seeking out ways to be even more efficient,” Brin said, adding that he will remain accountable to the citizens of Lake County for every dollar and every decision.
“I decided to run for re-election to continue the work and success we’ve had for the people of Lake County,” Brin said.
Brin said he understands that residents’ money has to be spent in a responsible and transparent way.
“To that end, in just my first term in office, we have reduced our office’s operating budget by over 20 percent while simultaneously expanding and improving the services we provide,” Brin said.
No taxpayer money was spent on the operations of the Clerk of the Circuit Court's Office.
“We operate solely on user fees from the services we provide,” Brin said.
Brin said that when he ran for office the first time, his main campaign promise to voters was that he would modernize the office.
“I am proud to say that we have made great progress in this important effort," Brin said. "In fact, our office earned national attention when we used technology to create round-the-clock access to the courts without using a dime of taxpayer funds,” Brin said.
The improvements include a state-of-the-art real-time electronic filing system that allows court documents to be filed and viewed remotely from any time of day from any location, as well as free public access to court and case information.
Additionally, Brin led an electronic-transfer-payment initiative in the county and expedited payments to every Lake County municipality and taxpayer, which he said avoids wasting 4,500 pieces of paper each month.
The courts’ website also was revamped and won an award from Interactive Media for “Outstanding Achievement” in the government category.
Brin said that if he's re-elected, he will continue to effectively utilize technology to improve communications, further improve efficiency and security, and vastly improve services.
“I want to reach a point where we are completely paper-on-demand in and out of our courtrooms, which will improve efficiency while further reducing waste,” Brin said.
Brin said he understand that he and his team work for residents.
“It is our responsibility to serve you to the best of our abilities,” Brin said.
Furthermore, Brin said the courts have the additional responsibility of representing and championing Lake County.
“We take the responsibilities seriously," Brin said. "As the grandchild of two Holocaust survivors, I am grateful for the opportunities my family has found in our community,” Brin said.
Brin said he recognizes it is simply not enough to work in the office to which he was elected, but that he must also support the whole community in his efforts. He and his office are supporters of many charities and programs in and out of the courthouse.
“Moving forward, we will continue to make Lake County proud as we seek to be worthy of your trust and support,” Brin said.
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