SALINE CO.—In 2010, the movement in Saline County for offices up for grabs was following the Republicans, and one such Republican was seeking the seat held for years by Democrat Willie McClusky: That of county clerk.
Kim Buchanan won that office that year, and now, as the incumbent, she is now seeking re-election in the November 4th election.
Buchanan, who had been rather beleaguered in recent months enduring pressure from the Saline County board, spoke with Disclosure about her campaign, and her hopes for her office, should she be victorious at the polls.
Feels positive
“I feel positive about my campaign,” Buchanan told Disclosure, and continued to say, “I’ve been hearing a lot of good things.”
That being said, Buchanan also wishes to reach out to her constituents, and let them know that she will continue to work in her capacity as county clerk with the citizens of Saline County in mind.
Buchanan stated that she conducts herself in her official capacity “standing on kindness, integrity, and by being very motivated.”
Buchanan is a native to Saline County, and is proud to say that she has always maintained a Southern Illinois life.
“I’ve served the public my whole life, I like to think,” Buchanan said. As a young girl, she started serving those in the community at around age 12 by babysitting for families. At 15 she began working in the fast food industry, and did her best to always please the customer. “I’m a people pleaser,” said Buchanan.
That young, yet strong, work ethic encouraged Buchanan to pursue other ways in which she could help her community and her fellow man.
“I don’t tell many people about this,” said Buchanan, before she proceeded to tell Disclosure staff about her professional life before she entered the political arena.
Buchanan found her way of helping her follow man by attending college, obtaining a degree as a Certified and Licensed Radiological Technician, also taking a minor in Psychology. Buchanan then proceeded to work in the healthcare industry for a number of years, and then decided that she would like to do more for her community, in which she was raised and grew up. That dream and desire was met four years ago for Buchanan, as she successfully was elected into the Saline County Clerk’s office.
A comparison to healthcare
Since Buchanan has been in office, she said, her main goal has been to uphold her oath, to uphold the law and serve the people of the community.
Buchanan likened these tasks and services to her 20-plus-year career in healthcare. While a healthcare professional’s job is to bring new life into the world, usher out spent lives, and document all of the events in between, the County Clerk’s tasks include being the keeper of records for all of the same events; birth, death, marriage, divorce, and everything in the middle.
That being said, Buchanan feels that her experience in healthcare has equipped her to handle all of these events in people lives, and to handle them with kindness, integrity, and compassion. It is with these fundamental core values that Buchanan carries herself, both privately, and in her professional life, by her estimation.
She also considers herself to be a “southern gal,” and is proud of her home community, and of her heritage. This is why she wishes to continue to serve her home county.
Serving the community is the ongoing goal
When asked what she is basing her campaign on, she described that she simply loves working for her community, and serving the community to the best of her ability, with the tremendous help of her staff.
“I feel that I’ve grown as a person during my time in office,” she said, and “I look forward to the opportunity to continue to grow as a person, and to serve my community.”