Sangamon County Recorder candidates split over future of office

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — The fate of one office in Sangamon County may be dependent on the election next month.

A candidate for Sangamon County Recorder announced Wednesday he's campaigning to allow voters to decide if his job should be dissolved. The official's job is to "record all documents transferring land in order to establish legal ownership," according to a fact sheet from the Illinois Association of County Board Members and Commissioners.

Frank Lesko, the Republican running for the office and current Springfield City Clerk, said the county will see a binding referendum vote in the 2026 election to merge the position with the County Clerk's office if he's elected. He believes eliminating the position is a common sense way to save county taxpayers money.

"My number one job as a public official is to find ways to deliver better services for taxpayers without raising costs," Lesko said. "I've done that as City Clerk, and I will do that as County Recorder."

Josh Langfelder, the incumbent Democrat running for reelection, called the idea "absurd" and believes the offices are better for residents if they remain separate as the recorder's responsibilities can be too much at times for county clerks.

How to find your Illinois polling place for Election Day

"What always seems to happen during election time is the Recorder's Office gets pushed aside," Langfelder said. "Documents get pushed aside and not recorded in a timely matter because the elections come first for them. And with regards to property fraud going currently, the Recorder's Office is a really important office."

Lesko believes other counties in the state have eliminated some bureaucracy like Champaign County, which eliminated the recorder position in 2022.

"Merging the County Recorder Office with the County Clerk will make county government more accountable, reduce county overhead and will save taxpayer money that can be used for critical needs in other areas." Lesko said. "Other counties have done it successfully, and as County Recorder, I will lead the effort to get it done in Sangamon County."

Langfelder believes any money that would be saved is a worthwhile investment.

"Everybody wants their property protected and secured and kept in their name," the incumbent said. "That's my focus; that's what I've been doing. If it's merged with the clerk's office, you're not going to get that same service."

Budzinski, Loyd square off in race for Illinois 13th Congressional District

For counties less than 60,000 people, the county clerk also serves by default as the recorder. The counties in Illinois with a population of more than that can choose to have a recorder.