On July 22, the DeKalb City Council voted unanimously to place a referendum on the Nov. 5 ballot asking voters if the City Clerk should become an appointed position. Below is information on the role of the City Clerk in DeKalb government.

The City Clerk is a member of the City Council.

False. The City Clerk is not a member of the Council which is the policy-making body of the City. The Clerk has no vote or speaking role in Council meetings.

The City Clerk has authority over the City Manager.

False. The City Manager serves the City's corporate authorities which include the Mayor and City Council. Only the corporate authorities can formally evaluate the performance of the City Manager, who is an at-will employee.

The City Clerk functions have not been performed since Sasha Cohen forfeited his position.

False. The City Clerk functions have been assumed by the Executive Assistant and Recording Secretary, Ruth Scott, in Sasha Cohen's chronic absence.

The City Clerk can never be an appointed position.

False. The trend in municipal government is to move toward skilled, appointed positions because of the growing complexities of City governance.

The City has never before transferred the duties of an elected position to an appointee.

False. In the election of April 1979, DeKalb voters overwhelmingly supported a referendum to abolish the elected position of Treasurer with 1,227 voting "yes" and 435 voting "no." Voters decided it was more fiscally responsible for the Treasurer's duties to be performed by a trained professional.

The City Clerk is an independent voice in the City administration.

False. The City Clerk has no official voice in Council deliberations.

The City Clerk only votes on City financial matters.

False. The City Clerk does not vote on City business.

DeKalb has a history of long-serving City Clerks.

This was true until 2009. There were just seven City Clerks to serve from 1907 to 2009. However, since 2009, there have been nine City Clerks and none of them served their full term. The last Clerk, elected in 2021, was removed from office by the DeKalb County State's Attorney in early 2024 for forfeiting the office.

The elected City Clerk can be removed by the voters for malfeasance or a failure to perform.

False. Even if an elected Clerk is convicted of committing a felony, there is no recall authority in state statute for city clerks (only the Governor).

If the referendum passes, the City Clerk duties would be performed by the Executive Assistant.

True. When Sasha Cohen abandoned his duties in 2021, the Executive Assistant was made Recording Secretary by the Council and assumed all Clerk duties in Sasha Cohen's absence.

The City Council and the Mayor, our 8 elected officials, are the "checks and balances" for the City.

True. There is only one branch of local government. The Clerk office is not a separate branch and has no management responsibilities.

Other municipalities have eliminated the City Clerk position because professionals with strong office skills bring knowledge and interpersonal skills needed in the digital age in a first-class office environment.

True. The elected clerks have only had three job requirements: 21 years of age, a resident of DeKalb, and a citizen.

If someone stole the City seal and applied it to a document, that document is now legal and binding.

False. The Executive Assistant attests city documents with a stamped seal and their legal signature which can be verified.

State law mandates that DeKalb must have a City Clerk.

False. Voters may mandate an appointed clerk through a city-wide referendum.

Sycamore has a similar referendum scheduled for the November election.

True

Three informational meetings on the City Clerk referendum have been scheduled for Aug. 7, Aug. 14 and Aug. 21. The meetings will be held in the Second Floor Training Room at the DeKalb Police Department, 700 W. Lincoln Highway.

A community group is being formed to share information on the referendum with voters. Contact information on joining this group will be made available on this page in the future.

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