Merge offices: Yes

There’s a reason that efforts to merge the duties of county recorder and county clerk are gathering steam throughout the Chicago region.

It’s a good idea, though so far, only Cook County has mustered the will to put a proposal before voters. Kane County officials briefly flirted with the idea this spring but failed to put it on the ballot. It’s an issue for candidates for recorder in each of the DuPage, Lake and McHenry county races.

It’s a natural target for consolidation. Not that the duties of the clerk’s office — which primarily focuses on elections and managing diverse personal records — and the recorder’s office — whose dominant duties focus on records of real estate transactions — precisely overlap. But the two offices are linked by the function of handling public records, and there are natural opportunities to save money by consolidating management of the various documents.

In Cook County, supporters estimate the savings could be $1 million a year. That’s not an eye-popping figure in a county budget of nearly $3.5 billion, and it shouldn’t overshadow the $2.2 million that Recorder Karen Yarbrough says she’s already saved through various efficiencies.

But it’s nothing to sneer at, either. We all know that old saying in government “a million here, a million there, pretty soon you’re talking about some real money.” That applies in savings, too, savings that a sharp manager like Yarbrough could continue to produce in a less-political setting.

Consolidation is an important notion in a state with nearly 7,000 units of government. Cook County voters have an opportunity Nov. 8 to take a step in that direction. They should take it — and other counties should consider following close behind.

Cook Board of Review, Dist. 3: Patlak

It may be a bit extreme to say that Dan Patlak was born to serve on the Cook County Board of Review, but there is no question he is well suited to the job. He speaks with youthful energy and passion about the agency’s mission of assuring fairness to all three interests served by the board — the homeowners and businesses seeking tax reductions, the government bodies that depend on tax money and the broad general population of taxpayers whose tax bills ultimately are affected by the decisions the three-member board makes. He’s excited about technology advances the office has implemented in recent years enabling the board to handle thousands more cases in less time than ever. And he has thoughtful ideas about the board’s next challenge — improving its ability to succeed when its decisions are appealed to the state. In addition to all this, he approaches the job not so much as a politician — he’s the lone Republican on the three-member board — but as a commissioner whose responsibility is to rule the way the evidence and numbers tell him to rule. Patlak, a former township assessor who has been on the board since 2010, is challenged by Democrat Martin Stack, of Western Springs, an attorney and former information officer for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. Stack is a sincere candidate with a reasonable understanding of the Board of Review’s responsibilities, but his calls for reform seem vague and not well founded. In any case, he can’t match Patlak’s clear enthusiasm and level of expertise. Patlak is endorsed.

Water district board: Morita, Spyropoulos, Schumann

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District handles sewage, flood control and your tax dollars. A recent Better Government Association report shows that the average MWRD employee salary is almost $100,000. Board members are paid at least $70,000 a year for a part-time job. The report also detailed that the district is charging property taxpayers less than it did seven years ago. For that, we commend them. Three Democrats and three Green Party members are seeking two, 6-year-terms: The Democrats are Josina Morita, Mariyana T. Spyropoulos and Barbara McGowan. The Green Party candidates are Karen Roothaan, George Milkowski and Michael Smith. With a master’s degree in urban planning and public policy and experience on several government agencies, Morita would bring a knowledgeable voice to the board. Board president Spyropoulos has served on the board since 2009 and has continued the district’s efforts to complete its stormwater master plan. Morita and Spyropoulos are endorsed for two of the 6-year terms. We can’t endorse any other candidate in that race. In the race for a 2-year term, Republican Herb Schumann, a former Cook County commissioner, is running against Democrat Martin J. Durkan and the Green Party’s Christopher Anthony. Schumann is endorsed.