Journal & Topics Media Group

Preparing For A New Era In Park Ridge City Clerk’s Office


Sal Raspanti and Danielle Powers

For a generation of Park Ridge residents, Betty Henneman has been Park Ridge’s city clerk. After more than three decades, she is retiring, and it gives the city and its voters a chance to choose a new official to represent the city in handling some of its most important official paperwork.

Currently on the April ballot are Sal Raspanti and Danielle Powers. A third candidate, Jean Dietsch, withdrew from the race last month.

Sal Raspanti

Raspanti, grew up in Park Ridge and spent his career at FM Global in Park Ridge, working his way part-time through college, as an accountant and sales associate, retiring as vice president of global sales in 2017.

He comes to the task with experience in various areas of Park Ridge government. From 2003 to 2005 he was appointed to the Oakton Sports Complex Citizens Advisory Task Force. He was elected to the Park  Ridge park board for a four-year term, 2005-2009, serving as president, vice president and treasurer. He was a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission from 2009 to 2011.

He was elected 4th Ward alderman for a two-year term, 2011 to 2013, chairing the Public Safety Committee and serving as liaisons to the Economic Development Task Force, Police Chief’s Citizens Advisory Task Force and as intergovernmental liaison. He also served on the Mayor’s Advisory Task Force. He ran for an aldermanic position after moving to the 5th Ward.

Danielle Powers

Danielle Powers, an attorney, has governmental experience from the other end of the spectrum.

Prior to attending law school, she worked for the Illinois Department of Public Health in their policy, HIV/AIDS and regulatory units.

“My current law practice is dedicated to small businesses and individuals in the areas of corporate administration and residential real estate transactions,” she says.

She credits over 20 years of professional service as preparing her for the paperwork and responsibilities “directly related to the tasks of the city clerk. I have created and maintained record management systems, implemented licensing programs, wrote and reviewed regulations, served the public and supported boards of directors.”     

She moved to Park Ridge’s 5th Ward in 2009 and moved to the 6th Ward in 2017.

Powers’ community activities have included serving two years on the Executive Board of Washington School, coaching youth sports (softball and volleyball) and volunteering for parent positions at Washington School, from room parent to school dance and book fair committees, Scholastic Book Fair, donation coordination, local birding communities, local youth sports and service and donation projects.

A Vision For The Office

Due to limitations placed by COVID-19, City Hall was placed on virtual shut down during most of 2020. Longtime Deputy Clerk Cheryl Peterson retired in the spring and Brigid Madden, who had been a temporary deputy in the past, was appointed as the new deputy clerk.

The new clerk will inherit the tasks of understanding the city’s evolving Granicus online archiving system and a website being rearranged for the past year by other departments with links that are changing access to the online ordinances and meeting records. The duties also entail the evolving electronic voting systems used by Cook County.

Both candidates are promising to offer improved services to city residents. They want to communicate what services are available now and expand what additionally can be offered.

Both candidates plan to pursue a Certified Municipal Clerk designation with the IIMC (International Institute of Municipal Clerks) and subsequently a Master Municipal Clerk designation.

Raspanti believes it is important to improve services available from the office, An effort was made three years ago to eliminate the clerk as an elected position, but a majority of aldermen decided not to pursue hiring someone from elsewhere.

Powers says she plans to services across departments and agencies to streamline services and customer access, so the Clerk’s Office serves as an information center to residents. She wants to do extensive outreach to local agencies to provide information packets and online accessible information and offer clerk quarterly service days allowing residents to give back and work together on service projects.

She says she has experience in record creation, management and licensing.

The future is less secure for Park Ridge’s Sister Cities program with Kinver, England. Henneman has headed the local committee since the program started under former Mayor Ron Wietecha. In normal times, there would be exchange visits from Park Ridge to England or from Kinver to Park Ridge. COVID-19 travel restrictions have put meetings on hold.

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