Will County Clerk Lauren Staley Ferry will become Joliet’s new City Clerk. The position has been open since the former clerk took on the role of Deputy City Manager earlier this year.
Staley Ferry resigned on July 31st as Will County Clerk after 1.5 terms. She was first elected November of 2018 and is leaving in the middle of her second term.
Joliet City Manager Beth Beatty made the final decision to hire Staley Ferry and offered her the position. “Lauren will bring her knowledge and expertise to the position and allow for this to be a much smoother transition to such an important position in city government,” Beatty stated. “We posted the position months ago and I interviewed a number of candidates for the job, but no one could start day one with this much experience except Lauren.”
Staley Ferry expressed excitement in accepting the job and coming to the city she loves. “I am beyond excited about this opportunity to work for the city I was born and raised in, where my son and stepdaughters go to school, and where I see so much progress and growth,” stated Staley Ferry. “I welcome the opportunity to utilize my experience and skills to serve the 3rd largest city in Illinois. I look forward to working with City Manager Beatty, Mayor D’Arcy and the City Council along with my future colleagues in leadership to continue the good work we are tasked to do on behalf of the residents we serve.”
Staley Ferry has been in elected office in Will County since her election to the county board in December of 2014 where she served as a County Board Member for District 9 and Forest Preserve Commissioner serving Joliet, Crest Hill, Lockport and some areas of New Lenox. As Clerk, she modernized the office receiving unanimous support for new, state of the art voting equipment and a new voter registration system for the 2024 Presidential Primary Election.
She also initiated an automated Vote by Mail program following the COVID-19 pandemic while expanding early voting to 25 locations throughout Will County. In 2021, Staley Ferry was chosen by the Illinois State Crime Commission to receive its honor for Transparency in County Government award.
Beatty expects Staley Ferry to begin her new role August 21st, her salary will be $139.510. “Lauren has to finalize her role with the county and once that is complete, she will start with the city.”
The City of Joliet is in Will County 30 miles southwest of Chicago it is the County Seat of Will with a population of 150,362 and the third largest city in Illinois according to the 2020 census. News@thetimesweekly.com
