Clarendon Hills residents will keep electing their village clerk after voters shot down a referendum to scrap the position on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

According to unofficial results first reported by Patch, 63% of voters opposed the measure, 2,094 to 1,237. Had it passed, the village president would have gained the power to appoint the clerk with Village Board approval.

The outcome was decisive. In 2022, officials put the same question to voters and it barely failed, with 51% opposed and 49% in favor, according to the Chicago Tribune. This time, opposition widened by 12 percentage points.

The measure would have taken effect when the term of current Village Clerk Lynn Dragisic expires in May 2027. Village Manager Paul Dalen told the Tribune in September that Dragisic does not intend to seek re-election. Village staff had recommended placing the referendum on the ballot.

Dalen told the Tribune that village staff determined the clerk's duties could be absorbed by current employees.

The clerk position in Clarendon Hills is part time, paying $5,000 a year. Village clerks maintain public records, answer public records requests and take meeting minutes. Full-time village employees already handle many of those responsibilities.

Assistant Village Manager Mera Johnson told the Tribune that the clerk does not have an office at Village Hall and does not vote on board measures. She said Dragisic handles minutes for Village Board meetings and serves as secretary for the Fire Pension Board.

Johnson told the Tribune the position "has become increasingly difficult to fill, as residents have busy lives and sometimes want to participate more in the process by giving their opinions."

The role's scope has shrunk over time. Dawn Tandle served as village clerk from 2002 to 2023, averaging 10 hours a week in her Village Hall office and earning more than $15,000 annually, according to the Tribune. When Tandle's term ended, most of her duties passed to executive assistant Vicki Pries, who received a $2,500 salary increase for the added work. Dragisic's compensation was reduced to $5,000.

No reaction from Dragisic or village officials about the outcome has been reported. With the referendum defeated, the clerk seat will appear on a future Clarendon Hills ballot.