Prepare dinner County Clerk Karen Yarbrough is within the hospital being handled for a medical situation her spokesperson described as severe however didn’t elaborate upon on Tuesday, citing the household’s needs for privateness.
The 73-year-old Maywood Democrat “has been hospitalized with a severe medical situation and is presently present process medical therapy,” stated Sally Daly, the deputy clerk of communications, in an emailed assertion. “Her household is requesting privateness, and we ask for prayers for the Clerk and her household at this troublesome time.”
Daly didn’t share when Yarbrough was hospitalized or what the situation is. Chief Deputy Clerk Cedric Giles is managing the workplace’s day-to-day obligations within the meantime, Daly stated.
Yarbrough is the primary Black individual and first lady to function Prepare dinner County clerk. She has served in elected workplace for over 20 years, together with because the Prepare dinner County recorder of deeds and a state consultant.
She’s additionally energetic in Democratic Occasion politics, working for each the Prepare dinner County Democratic Occasion and Democratic Occasion of Illinois. She is a Democratic committeeperson representing west suburban Proviso Township for the Prepare dinner County social gathering, the place she can be the treasurer. She’s a member of the state central committee for the Illinois social gathering.
Yarbrough has stated serving to individuals is what she finds most fun about elective workplace and her social gathering positions.
“I feel individuals get power from different individuals,” Yarbrough advised the Solar-Instances in a 2020 interview.
However her tenure has not been with out criticism.
Yarbrough has been scrutinized for her shut social gathering ties. A authorities watchdog accused Yarbrough of “an unlawful patronage employment system,” resulting in a federal monitor being ordered for the clerk’s workplace.
She has beforehand stated the allegations towards her are “purely private” and final yr a choose launched her from courtroom oversight of hiring and promotions in her workplace.
She advised the Solar-Instances in 2020 that she would not blur the traces.
“I stroll the road,” Yarbrough stated. “I do know what my job is, I do my job, and I don’t combine the politics with my job.”
However she clearly relishes her political roles.
When the Democratic Nationwide Conference needed to go digital in 2020 throughout pandemic lockdown, Yarbrough was a supply of power on Illinois delegation Zoom calls, providing enthusiastic waves and cheers for her fellow Democrats.
“I feel all of us need what Karen’s having,” then Mayor Lori Lightfoot joked throughout one of many calls.
Yarbrough’s duties as clerk embrace overseeing elections and safeguarding start, marriage and demise certificates and different public county information.
She usually presides over Prepare dinner County’s first marriage of the yr, carrying on the custom that began throughout David Orr’s time as county clerk. However she missed this yr’s ceremony as a result of she was out sick, her spokesperson stated on the time. It isn’t clear if her present well being points are associated to the January sickness.
Throughout her 2022 reelection marketing campaign, Yarbrough touted her efforts to modernize the voting course of within the clerk’s elections unit by including new contact display gear and introducing a brand new voter registration and election administration system.
She trounced Republican challenger Tony Peraica, 71.6% to 26.3%.
in her function overseeing elections in suburban Prepare dinner, Yarbrough labored with neighborhood faculties to have interaction younger voters and advocated for voting rights of the incarcerated by supporting laws to make Prepare dinner County Jail a polling place in Illinois. She additionally expanded the variety of languages ballots are printed in from 5 to 12.
“We’re dedicated to creating positive all people has entry to the poll, and if they’ll see that poll in their very own native tongue, that goes a great distance,” Yarbrough stated.
She advised the Solar-Instances on the time the “guiding mission of her workplace was accuracy, effectivity and advocacy.”
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