After this month’s verbal kerfuffle over filling the city clerk position, Springfield City Council members may revamp how they fill future vacancies. And community activist Calvin Christian III has filed a lawsuit seeking to undo the appointment of Chuck Redpath to the clerkship.
On Jan. 7, Redpath, a longtime Springfield alderperson, was appointed clerk by a divided council during an unruly two-hour meeting that left at least one member wiping away tears. Critics attending the meeting contended the process was hasty, underhanded and corrupt.
The final vote for Redpath was 5-3, with two members voting “present,” to fill the clerk position vacated Dec. 31 by Frank Lesko. Redpath was allowed to vote for himself, as well as voting on several previous amendments.
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Corporation Counsel Greg Moredock said the council abided by state law and the city charter in how it went about filling the position. But he added the City Council can choose to revamp the process if it stays within those parameters.
Ward 6 Ald. Jennifer Notariano, Ward 2 Ald. Shawn Gregory and Ward 5 Ald. Lakeisha Purchase are cosponsoring an ordinance to change the way the council fills vacancies for mayor, clerk or treasurer. It is on the agenda for first reading Jan. 21 and will be discussed at the committee-of-the-whole meeting Jan. 28.
The process being considered would require:
• The public be notified within one business day of the opening.
• At the next council meeting, the City Council would vote on the criteria perspective candidates must meet.
• Based on that criteria, candidates could submit applications during a period of at least 13 days.
• The council would select three finalists who would be interviewed in a committee-of-the-whole meeting.
• Following the interviews, comments would be solicited from the public attending.
• An ordinance would be drafted and voted upon selecting the person to fill the position.
Mayor Misty Buscher told Illinois Times her only reservation about this plan is that there needs to be someone appointed in the interim to fulfil the position’s duties while the council goes through the process.
She said she hopes to see an amendment to allow for this at the Jan. 28 council meeting.
Buscher bristled at the contention the appointment of Redpath was unfair. She noted that discussion on filling the expected vacancy began in November.
“To me, to say you’re surprised by it, is either grandstanding or playing political games,” she added.
Redpath told IT that he has big plans for the $89,685-a-year position.
“There are two girls left there, and they’ve been doing the job of five,” he said, noting that there are typically six employees in the office, counting the clerk. “…it was down to two girls for the last couple months. They were doing double duty: the FOIA request, the recordkeeping, the licenses and the vital records.”
Redpath said he plans to reorganize the office.
“I’m bringing back the deputy clerk. …I’ll be the registrar. There will be a deputy registrar, just to reestablish a chain of command, because there is not one there (now). It was employees supervising employees, and that just doesn’t work.”
Redpath said the city receives between 20 and 50 FOIA requests daily.
“You’ve gotta have some leadership in there, and I’ll reestablish that. I’ve already put in for a FOIA records position,” he said.
Redpath said no one on the City Council should have been surprised by his candidacy for clerk.
After Lesko was elected Sangamon County recorder, he held onto the city clerk position until it became clear that his opponent, Josh Langfelder, would not seek a full recount.
“Clerk Lesko was working at the county and at the city, which was not a conflict, but it was tough on our staff over here,” Redpath said.
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Because of this, Redpath said he wanted to fill the position quickly.
“Of the aldermen I called, I told them my intentions, gave them my resume and told them what I wanted to do for the office. And I had eight commitments that were going to vote for me. And then politics kicked in where somebody got nominated at the last minute … it was Josh Langfelder. And he lost and then they voted on me and I got voted in, but we followed the rules.”
Calvin Christian, who has a history of litigating against the city, questions whether it was proper for Redpath to vote for himself.
“When I saw that he had voted for himself, I thought that’s kind of weird because in past votes (when) any alderman had a conflict of interest, they would always vote “present” or they wouldn’t vote at all. … But for him to vote for himself to gain a higher position … that seems completely illegal to me,” Christian said.
Moredock told IT after the Jan. 7 vote that such a vote was legal.
He cited the 1987 federal consent decree that changed the city to an aldermanic form of government from the commission form. The court document says an alderperson is eligible to fill a city clerk vacancy and “may participate in the vote taken to fill the vacancy.”
But Christian remains skeptical of this interpretation of the law and is seeking a court order to have the council action reversed.
“Based off the laws that I have researched, I think I will prevail,” he said. “I know he’s in office until 2027, so if I don’t prevail in the trial court, then I believe that I will prevail in the appellate court, and I’m prepared to take it all the way up to the Illinois Supreme Court.”
Moredock declined to weigh in on the merits of Christian’s legal action citing a long-standing city policy to not comment on pending litigation.
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This article appears in Healthy, wealthy and wise 2025.
The whole legal system in Sangamon County is corrupt. Judges should uphold the law not treat the disabled like crap. Oh but don’t forget, you can try to appeal since they system doesn’t want to do what is right…
What are the ages of the “girls” working in the City Clerk’s office?
Would it be a surprise that they are adult women?
Would it be a surprise that, regardless of their adult status, the new Clerk treats them like children?
Redpath’s repeated reference to city employees who are apparently competent enough to do the work of more than one person as “girls” makes me believe he’s the wrong boy for the job.