Urbana City Clerk Phyllis Clark Announces Retirement

Urbana City Clerk Phyllis Clark has announced her retirement effective November 6, 2023. Phyllis Clark served six terms as City Clerk from 1993 to 2017. She subsequently was appointed to fill the unexpired term of City Clerk Charles Smyth in May 2020 and was elected City Clerk in April 2021.

During her career, Phyllis Clark served as a District Director for the Central Illinois Municipal Clerk’s Organization and earned designations as a Registered, Certified, and Master Municipal Clerk from the International Institute of Municipal Clerks. She served as the first and, to date, only African American President of the Municipal Clerks of Illinois and was appointed by the Governor to the Institute Training Committee where she served in leadership positions to develop training materials for elected and appointed clerks in the State of Illinois. 

The current vacancy in the office of City Clerk will be filled for the remainder of the term ending May 5, 2025, by an appointment of the Mayor, with the advice and consent of the City Council. The Office of the Mayor will accept applications* for the position from October 2 through October 23, 2023, at 5 p.m. Application materials are posted on the City’s website and are available in the City Clerk’s office at 400 South Vine Street, Urbana and The Urbana Free Library information desk at 210 West Green Street, Urbana.  

Duties of the Urbana City Clerk include, but are not limited to, attending all meetings of the corporate authorities and keeping a record of their proceedings in the form of minutes; implementing city council rules and parliamentary procedure; publishing all resolutions and ordinances; publication of notices; and serving as the Local Election Authority.  

Candidates must meet the legal qualifications to serve in an elected municipal office in Illinois. A person must:

1. Be eligible to vote in municipal elections;
2. Be a resident of the municipality for at least one year preceding the election or appointment;'
3. Not be in arrears in payment of any tax or other indebtedness to the city;
4. Not have been convicted in state or federal court of malfeasance in office, bribery, or other infamous crime, or other felony.

*The Urbana City Clerk Application