Michelle Stiff, the Democratic Candidate for Will County Clerk, has wanted to be in politics to serve for most of her life.
“It actually started when I was a kid growing up on the South Side of Chicago. My mom would always talk to me about the importance of voting, and I had an aunt who would take me to the polling places to see the electoral process firsthand.”
Stiff is running in the Tuesday, March 17 General Primary Election for Will County Clerk. After a narrow defeat to Republican Annette Parker in the Special Election of November 2024, she once again faces Parker in the General Primary. She hopes her second attempt will be a vindication.
“I lost by less than one percent of the total vote. That slim margin made me more motivated than ever to run again.”
The fact that Republicans in general have been running a strategy of voter suppression tactics around the country is another motivating factor.
“My primary goal is to make sure that everyone has full access to the vote in a free and fair election.”
One of her first goals as County Clerk is to ensure that everyone is informed about the electoral process.
“My first job will be to streamline the entire process by modernizing it. The current system is severely antiquated.
“My next goal is to make sure that everyone is informed about the voting process. A lot of people don’t even know that there’s an election coming up.
“The current administration relies too heavily on social media in their voter outreach, but not everyone is on Facebook. That’s a huge number of potential voters out there who aren’t even involved.”
Stiff believes that she is uniquely qualified to hold the office because of her commitment and experience.
“As the Director of Will County Workforce Services, I am already helping a large portion of the people I will be serving in public office. So, I am already well versed on their needs.”
A graduate of Chicago’s South Shore High School where she ran track and was a star student before attending Western Illinois University for two and a half years, Stiff says she returned home to Chicago to seek employment.
“Being raised in a single parent household, college became a financial burden. Ironically, I got my start by going through Workforce Services, the very program that I now head.”
Stiff also has extensive experience in the corporate world and financial management. She spent five years at Arthur Anderson; the prestigious accounting firm formerly headquartered in Chicago.
“I started in the mailroom” Stiff recalled, “and quickly rose to become Executive Assistant.”
From there, Stiff became an educator, serving as a Special Education teacher for 17 years. She is currently an elected official on the Joliet Township High School District 204 Board of Education and has served as board president. There, she has made her mark as a financially competent administrator.
“My district was given “Aa3” and “AA” credit ratings from both Moody’s Investors Service and S&P Global,” she said of her achievements.
Stiff is currently Director of the Workforce Services Division of Will County, overseeing programs for unemployed and disadvantaged residents. She is also a board member on the Workforce Investment Board of Will County.
“As Director of Workforce Services, I saved taxpayers over $100,000 annually and expanded business partnerships. As County Clerk, I intend to continue exercising fiscal discipline and saving taxpayer dollars.”
Married, with three adult sons, the 58-year-old says her political career was started by a single act of happenstance.
“It all started when I received a cold call from Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, asking me if I wanted to serve on a committee of the Will County Board. My political career evolved from there and I haven’t stopped since.”
“Voting and election services must always remain accessible to working families. We will not give up the fight against voter suppression.
Republican efforts to stifle voting opportunities have already begun to rear its ugly head.
“They’re already restricting the hours and locations for Early Voting. Currently, the voting locations in Governors State and Monee are only open until 3 pm, while the location in Manhattan, a primarily red district, remains open much later. Also, a number of lock boxes for Mail-in Ballots have been removed in areas of heavy Black and Hispanic populations.”
During the last election, Stiff says there were several questionable moves to limit access to Black and Brown voters at polling places.
“For example, the polling place within the Spanish Community Center was mysteriously shut down.”
Stiff says these obstacles have only steeled her resolve.
“As a mother of three, I know that people living paycheck to paycheck need a public servant who understands the needs of the working class. I intend to meet those needs as County Clerk.”
Early Voting in the General Primary Election begins Thursday February 5th and ends Monday, March 16.
For more information on the General Primary Election, Early Voting, Voter Registration and Mail-in Voting, visit willcountyclerk.gov.
