Quoting Greek philosophers and pledging to “drag the office into the modern age,” Mariyana Spyropoulos was ceremonially sworn into her new role as Cook County’s Circuit Court clerk on Monday. Spyropoulos beat incumbent Clerk Iris Martinez in the Democratic primary with promises to be more transparent, ethical and fiscally responsible than previous clerks, cruising to an easy victory in November. The office of about 1,400 employees is the keeper of records for criminal, civil, juvenile and traffic courtrooms across the county. It has long been criticized as a patronage den that’s also difficult for the public to navigate. “The clerk’s office is the front door to our justice system. I pledge today to keep that door open to everyone: not just for those who know how to navigate the system, but the woman seeking protection from her abuser, the man hoping for an expungement to start a new life, and the newly arrived family navigating an unfamiliar world,” Spyropoulos said Monday in a brief speech in the lobby of the Daley Center. She said she would review how to shorten lines, ensure clear directions and compassionate help for people seeking records or navigating the county’s courthouses. Excessive paperwork, she said, was “drowning” lawyers, victims, defendants and the public. She was officially sworn in Sunday, but got the ceremonial treatment by Chief Judge Timothy Evans on Monday. A longtime member of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District board who won the endorsement of the county’s Democratic Party, Spyropoulos largely funded her own campaign to defeat Martinez. She played up her time as an assistant state’s attorney and her reform credentials, saying she helped bring MWRD under the independent oversight of the county’s inspector general. She has pledged to do the same at the clerk’s office, which is currently overseen by a clerk-appointed inspector. Pledging to adhere to the highest ethical standards has become a familiar refrain for court clerks. Martinez made the same promise in 2020 when she replaced Dorothy Brown, whose tenure was scarred by accusations of bribery and taking campaign cash from her own employees. Martinez, too, took donations and campaign help from her own employees. “I pledge to create a strong, independent inspector general to identify and root out corruption,” Spyropoulos said Monday. “We deserve no less in our justice system, and our office will not be a paper tiger. I will hold all staff to the highest ethical standards. There can be no favorites. Mark my words: no one is protected from the consequences of their actions. The clerk’s office is not a political operation, it is a cornerstone.” On the campaign trail, Spyropoulos also said she would push a change in state law to make the office subject to freedom of information act requests and in the meantime, voluntarily release information on the clerk’s spending and case statistics. Martinez made the same FOIA promise in 2020 but backtracked after pushback from judges.