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Experience, Integrity, Trust for a growing Will
County
"Vote Voots" in 2010 for Will County Clerk!
Nancy Schultz Voots balances family life and
a job serving Will County.
By Annie AllEman
Recreated From A Joliet Herald News Article April 10,2005
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Will County Clerk Nancy Schultz Voots |
| Nancy Schultz Voots was elected to the
office of county clerk in 2002 with the endorsement of outgoing clerk
Jan Gould.
Daughter of Joliet Mayor Art Schultz, she started working at the
county clerk's office when she was 17 years old. She has two daughters
afflicted with a fatal illness; one died from it in 1991.
Balancing her home life and her professional one isn't easy. Thanks
to her family and her faith, she does it. Discover more about this
straightforward woman behind the office through these 20 questions.
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1. What's difficult about your job?
2. So when you started,
what did you do?
3. How has
Joliet changed from when you were a kid?
4.
What kind of father was your dad while you were growing up?
5. What were you like as a kid?
6. What did you want
to be "when you grew up"?
7. Did being the mayor's daughter affect your decision to go into politics?
8. What about the optical scan and some of the other things you've implemented
since you've been in office?
9.
What were the best and worst parts of the campaign trail?
10. Other than the election, what does the Will County clerk do day in and day
out?
11. What
about being County clerk has most surprised you?
12. How do you balance being county clerk and being a wife and mother?
13. Is it difficult to remain neutral while putting on an election?
14. Do you have future political aspirations -- Congresswoman Voots,
perhaps?
15. What
would people be surprised to learn about you?
16. If
you weren't county clerk, what would you be doing?
17. What was
your best day ever? What was your worst?
18. Do you
want to talk more about Jennifer and Sarah?
19. What
are some of your favorite movies? TV shows? CDs?
20. What do you do in your
free time?
1. What's difficult about your job?
| This is a hard job. Not hard that it's difficult,
just accuracy is the key. You're dealing with 346,281 active voter
registrations in the county. You figure that's so many people you have
to deal with to make sure ... their voter's card is spelled correctly,
when they go vote they're given the correct ballot, educate the election
judges, open up the polling places ... so not only do you have to do
your job, but you're at the mercy of the people helping you to make sure
they're doing their jobs. But so far, so good. And I truly do love it. I
love my job here.
I've been here since I was 17. A lot of people don't know that about
me. I went to St. Francis (Academy) in the morning ... and then I went
on this work co-op program. I'd go to school in the morning and then
come here from 12:30 to 5 Monday through Friday. When I graduated, Clara
Hartley Woodard asked if I wanted a full-time job. I said yes, and I've
been working here ever since. |
2. So when you started,
what did you do?
| Basic things. Just gather things, get ready for
elections. I started right at the bottom and worked my way up. I mean,
when I first started I was just learning the whole office. That ... (is)
how I have the knowledge now, because I've worked in almost every
department in this office. And that's what helps me, why things are
going well for me, because of the experience. The people, when they
elected me into office, they elected someone with experience. |
3. How has
Joliet changed from when you were a kid?
| Basically, it's just grown. Being born and raised
here in Joliet, and my mom (Fran Schultz) and dad (Art Schultz) are very
strong Joliet people. My dad is so proud of Joliet. My siblings still
live here in Joliet. We love that you go to the store and you run into
people you know. It's a big town, but yet it's small. I think now it's
so different because there's a lot more to do. It's different than when
we were kids. |
4. What kind of father was your dad while you were growing up?
| My father and I have always had a good
relationship. We're close. Growing up, he was strict and ...
kept a pretty close eye on us. But I think it was mainly because
of his line of work. He was a police officer for 30-something
years before becoming the mayor. So he knew what was going on
out there.
Having five children, my mom was at home with us ... he
always had two jobs to support his family. He was always a hard
worker. I think that's where I get that from. He's taught me a
lot. Plus I'm just so proud of him, what he had accomplished
when he had his throat cancer. Instead of feeling sorry for
himself, he ran again and he won. And it's not easy, getting up
and speaking and being a public servant. I think you have to
have the attitude (that) if you have stuff going on in your
life, you just keep going.
That's how it was when Jan Gould decided to retire. I have a
daughter with special needs. Sarah can't talk or walk or
anything; you have to do everything for her. She's probably like
the equivalent of a 4-month-old child. At that time, when Jan
decided to retire, I had to make that decision, whether I could
do it or not. I have a lot going on with Sarah, but you can't
keep holding off on your life. You just have to do it, and I
did. And it's the best thing I ever did. I truly love it. But it
was a hard decision. Having a child with special needs takes so
much of your time. You just can't walk out the door. If you want
to go somewhere, you just can't call a neighbor down the street
... you have to have qualified people there watching her. |
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5. What were you like as a kid?
| We lived over there by Garnsey
Park. A lot of our childhood days were (spent) going to
the park. We had a tennis court there; there was a
Mitchell's grocery store there, so we would walk to the
store. It was just like, those were the days you just
played outside. It wasn't like now. People don't go
outside anymore. I don't know if they're busy with
computers or they're busy with games, but that was
pretty much my childhood.
I was pretty shy. I have an older sister, Debbie, and
I have three younger brothers. I was kind of a quiet
kid. I think what really helped me was when I started
working here. I worked the front counter. So working
with the public every day kind of brings out your
personality. I think that's what really did it for me,
and I realized how much I liked it. Now it's like, `Do
you ever stop talking?' |
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6. What did you
want to be "when you grew up"?
| Will County clerk, of
course. Besides my parents' traditional
influence, working for former county clerks
Clara Hartley Woodard and later Jan Gould had a
big impact on me. I really admired their
leadership and strong work ethic. I knew that
whatever I did, I would carry that with me.
When Clara Hartley Woodard hired me (in
1975), she would always tell me, `Someday you're
going to be the county clerk.' Maybe she saw
something in me when she hired me or when I
worked for her. This is my only job; I haven't
had any other job. |
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7. Did being the mayor's daughter affect your decision to go into politics?
| I think it helped
because I was always involved in my
dad's campaigns. I loved them. This is
his fourth term. But I worked in this
office while my dad was still a
policeman. I say I started a little bit
of it, but he's always loved politics.
So he followed in your footsteps?
(Laughs) No, I don't know about that! I
worked here before him, but I think it
helped being involved in all these
elections.
My father was the mayor, but I've
been in office -- this is my third year
-- and I feel like I've proven myself.
You're not running (as) the mayor's
daughter or (as) endorsed by Jan Gould;
now I've accomplished my own identity. I
implemented a new election system for
Will County; that was huge. I received
grant money to purchase the system. I
have purchased a new voter registration
system for Will County and our office
here, and that was one of the best
things I did because keeping up with
technology helps on your workload. I
really feel like in the last three years
I've kept my promises I (made) when I
said I was going to run. I feel like
I've done my job. |
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8. What about the optical scan and some of the other things you've implemented
since you've been in office?
| The Help
American Vote Act -- it's called
HAVA -- the president of the
United States signed that bill.
By 2006, everyone in the whole
United States has to be off
punch card.
I wanted to take advantage
because in order to receive the
grant money, you had to purchase
the system. So it wasn't like
they would say, `OK, Will
County, here's your money; take
your time and buy the system.'
You had to purchase the system
and then they would give you the
grant money. I wanted to make
sure that Will County benefited.
I purchased the system, and this
(was) the fourth election we've
used the optical scan system.
It's been great so far. The
reason we had to purchase the
system, we had to educate the
voters if they made a mistake.
The punch card never did that.
So say a particular office says,
`Vote for one,' and a voter
votes for two. This system will
alert that voter that they made
a mistake and they will have the
option to correct their error.
But you can still under-vote. So
say you can vote for three, but
you only want to vote for two;
it's still your choice to do so.
I wanted to implement in it
in the presidential primary
election ... because it was a
nice transition for my election
judges. I didn't want to do it
for the presidential because we
had a record turnout -- it was
over 74 percent. It was a nice
transition for my election
judges because they're the ones
in charge on that day of their
polling places.
Also, we had to implement a new
voter registration system that
was integrated with the state. I
also did that. So I've
accomplished two of my goals. My
third goal is that we have to
purchase a system for the
disabled. So if somebody goes
into the polling place who has
trouble holding a pen, they can
vote ... nothing is certified
yet so I can't even commit to
what we're going with, but we
have to have a system for the
disabled.
Do you see that happening --
2006. Probably by the next March
election, but we have to wait
because they have to certify a
system by the state. Nothing is
certified yet. That's the most
important thing because you just
can't go out there and decide
what system you want. It has to
be certified through the State
Board of Elections. We will
receive additional grant money
for purchasing the system, just
like we did for the optical
scan." |
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9.
What were the best and worst parts of the campaign trail?
| The best was
actually going out and meeting all these
wonderful people in Will County. It
sounds crazy, but I love going
door-to-door and meeting people, handing
out my literature and talking to them.
I guess the worst part ... to run a
county-wide campaign is costly. It's
very costly. There are 346,281
registered voters, so if you send some
type of mailing, one per household, you
can imagine what that costs. That's the
worst part; you have to ask people for
money, and I don't like doing that.
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10. Other than the election, what does the Will County clerk do day in and day
out?
| There's a lot. We
handle all the vital records. So if you
were born, died or married here in Will
County, you would come here to purchase
a copy of that. We type up all the
county board minutes. Basically, we are
the keeper of the records. We also
handle all the voter registrations, so
we process those 346,281 registered
voters in Will County that are active.
We have our accounts payable, where we
pay the bills throughout Will County.
They write the check at the treasurer's,
but we process the claim. We also have
back taxes. Then we have tax extension
department. Then we calculate the tax
rates to prepare for the tax bill. Even
when there's an election going on, we
still have all those other
responsibilities to keep going. It's not
like when there's an election,
everything else is going to wait. People
still come in for birth certificates;
people still come in for ... a change of
address in Will County. This office is
constantly moving.
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11.
What about being County clerk has most surprised you?
| There really hasn't
been that many surprises, maybe because
I've worked here for so many years. I've
just about seen it all.
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12. How do you balance being county clerk and being a wife and mother?
| I've got a
wonderful husband (Steve) -- we
started dating during our senior
year of high school. Then we
dated for four years before we
got married. He's great with the
kids. And my son Max, he's 17,
he helps out, too. With my
daughter, we have someone who
comes to the house when she gets
out of school. We have someone
who takes care of her until Max
gets home, and then he helps. So
it's a team effort -- everybody
pitches in. My mom and dad help,
and my family.
I can't say enough about the
schools my daughter's gone to.
Easter Seals, United Cerebral
Palsy. We almost lost my
daughter right before I was
going to run. She got real sick,
and the doctor at the time told
us to get Hospice involved. So
with Sarah's condition, unless
there's a miracle, there's not a
cure for her disease. So we've
been involved with Hospice, and
they're a wonderful
organization. I don't think
people know enough about these
organizations and how wonderful
they are for these kids. |
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13. Is it difficult to remain neutral while putting on an election?
| I don't have any
problems with that whatsoever. Because I
always do what's right. If you do what's
right and follow the laws, you don't get
yourself in any trouble whatsoever. I
remember when I was out there
campaigning, both sides elected me in
office, both Republicans and Democrats,
and I'll never forget that. I'm here to
treat both sides fairly, and as long as
I'm in office, that's how this office is
going to be run. And it should be that
way. You can't have someone in this
office who's partisan and favors one
side over the other. Because when people
walk through that door, they don't have
labels on their heads, `I'm Republican;
I'm Democrat.'"
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14. Do you have future political aspirations -- Congresswoman Voots, perhaps?
| (She
laughs.) Right now, this is all
I want to do. On the wall (are
framed photos) -- Clara Hartley
Woodard was the one who hired
me, and Jan Gould endorsed me.
I'm proud of those two ladies. I
have a lot of respect for both
of them. Clara was in office
from 1964, I think it was, until
1990. And her father was county
clerk. So there's only been --
Joseph Hartley Woodard, then
Clara Hartley Woodard, then Jan
Gould and now myself since the
1930s. All of us clerks worked
in the office before becoming
clerk. You can't say that for
every office in Will County, and
I think that's something we're
proud of, that we've had the
experience before becoming
clerk. And I think that's what
the voters want. They want
people in here that they can
trust.
So I have no future plans for
higher office. But you never
know what the future holds.
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15. What
would people be surprised to learn about you?
| I
think the biggest thing
people would be
surprised to learn about
me is my daughters.
(Both were afflicted
with a very rare and
very fatal degenerative
disease of the brain
similar to Alzheimer's
disease called Adult
Polyglucosan Body
Disease.) It's hard
enough to have one child
with disabilities, but
to encounter two ...
we've been dealing with
this since 1983. I think
it made myself and my
husband and my family
the people we are today.
Things weren't handed to
us. It gives you that
inner strength. You
can't say you can't do
something because if you
set your mind to do
something, you can do
it.
It's hard talking
about it sometimes. (She
tears up.) I remember
when she first got sick,
having to go to
Children's (Memorial
Hospital in Chicago) ...
you just get the
strength to do it. It's
been so many years ...
(roots in her purse for
a tissue). I'm sorry, I
don't mean to cry. I
always want to keep my
daughter alive. It's
happy tears ... because
we never want to forget
her.
I think that was the
most difficult thing,
was the health. She
(Jennifer) was 8 when
she died. She made me
the person I am today --
my kids. They're the
ones I give credit to.
Life is hard enough,
even when you can get
around, walk and talk.
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16. If
you weren't county clerk, what would you be doing?
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I'm not the kind
of person, if I
have a problem,
I just complain
about it. When
my daughters
first became
ill, I would
take my son Max
to the park. A
lot of the parks
weren't even
handicapped-accessible.
There was
nothing for
Sarah to do.
Instead of going
home and
pouting, I got
involved with
the village (of
Shorewood, where
she lives) and
went to the
Parks and
Recreation
meetings, and
now all the
parks in
Shorewood are
handciapped-accessible.
So I think it's
getting involved
that I really
like and making
a difference.
I'm proud of
that.
I think
community
service is one
of my biggest
things, but I
truly love to
landscape. I
love cutting
grass and
working in the
yard. I love
landscaping, and
I love
decorating. To
me, that's the
best therapy --
going out and
working in the
yard. |
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17. What
was your best day ever? What was your worst?
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The best
day was
when I
met my
husband,
Steve.
He's
wonderful.
I don't
know
what I'd
do
without
him. We
celebrated
our 25th
anniversary
last
July.
And then
my kids,
when
they
were
born.
And I do
have to
say, one
of the
greatest
days,
too, was
when I
won the
election.
Because
you
never
know --
it's a
big
county.
And
basically,
I was
never
involved
politically.
I was
involved
civically,
with my
church
and
working
here and
community
services.
It was
so nice
when I
won.
The
worst
day was
when we
were
told
about my
daughters'
illnesses
and that
they
would
never
grow up.
It was
terrible.
And one
thing
about
it, when
you go
up to
Children's
--
they're
wonderful
up there
-- but
they
don't
sugar-coat
anything.
They
just say
it like
it is,
which is
good
because
it makes
you
realize
it's not
going to
be easy,
and you
have to
toughen
up and
get
through
it, but
it sure
isn't
easy."
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18. Do
you want to talk more about Jennifer and Sarah?
| Jenny was our first child, and then she got sick, and ... she wasn't really diagnosed at the time. Because when you have kids that are (developmentally) delayed, they ... (call it) cerebral palsy. Well, cerebral palsy means that you have brain damage. Usually, you have brain damage one time. In Jenny's case, it was different. We spent years going to therapy, but she kept getting worse. That's the worst thing about it because you never know what to expect. With her not being diagnosed ... early on, you don't know what your life has in store for you. We went through four years of genetics. They did all this blood work and tests; she had all kinds of surgeries ... we went to numerous (genetic doctors). They all said it wouldn't happen again, so we had Max, and he's 17 now. He was healthy, and I always wanted a big family. So Max was fine; then we had Sarah. She was fine; then she started having seizures, and then she started getting sick. But you never know what could happen, with any of us.
But my Sarah; she is such a sweetie. She is the happiest child. She's not as sick as Jenny was. She's a gift. |
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19. What
are some of your favorite movies? TV shows? CDs?
| I only like detective movies, so I guess I must take after my father the policeman. I don't go out to the movies. It's hard to get a baby-sitter, and if we do, I'd rather go out and do something else than go to a movie.
This sounds funny, but I really don't watch too much TV. I like `Boston Legal' and `Everybody Loves Raymond' because that makes you laugh.
Music, I love Frank Sinatra. I'm also a big Jimmy Buffet fan. We go to his concerts. |
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20. What do you do in your
free time?
I don't have any free time. The last couple days when it's been nice, the
three of us -- my husband, Sarah and I -- took a walk. That's been really
enjoyable.
"Vote Voots!"
in 2010
for
Will County
Clerk |
