Latest news with #LakeForestCaucus
Chicago Tribune
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Lake Forest Caucus new leadership team set after membership vote
The leadership team for the Lake Forest Caucus is set for 2025-26 as members overwhelmingly approved the proposed executive officer slate last week. With residents asked to cast one yes or no vote for the entire slate, the seven candidates endorsed by the 43-member Caucus Committee received 451 yes votes with 105 voting against at a March 18 meeting held at the Gorton Center. With the general membership approval, Regina Etherton is set to become Caucus president starting in April. The other officers will be Mark Pickett as vice president, Armando Guzman as treasurer, Dale Tauke to be secretary, Peggy Siebert for fundraising with Viktor Brisku, and Tyler Lisenby serving in communication roles. The terms last for one year. 'I felt grateful for the slate who have worked very hard,' Etherton said afterward. 'I am appreciative to the community.' Etherton will succeed Joe Oriti as president. The massive affirmative vote this time stood in stark contrast to last year's election when the general membership narrowly rejected the executive officer slate. The Caucus then had to have a second election on a group of candidates that did receive approval. Etherton, who has been a Caucus vice president this year, pointed to better organization and get-out-the-vote efforts on why the slate passed. 'We have been paying to ensuring that people get out to vote and they know about the election,' she said. 'Historically it wasn't well publicized and there were other factors like spring break occurring at the same time and there was some confusion.' Last year's initial rejection of the officer slate was the latest in a string of defeats for the Caucus hierarchy. In existence since 1935, the Caucus recruits, vets and recommends Lake Forest residents to serve on elected boards as well as city boards and commissions. The process rarely generates much controversy and the Caucus-backed candidates for elected office often run unopposed in the municipal elections. However, in 2022, the general membership did not approve the Caucus Committee endorsement of Stanford 'Randy' Tack for mayor. With the organization's bylaws unclear on how to move forward, the 43-member Caucus Committee moved ahead with the Tack endorsement leading to a rare contested general election that Tack easily won. In November 2023, the Caucus leadership proposed the 'Caucus Protection Act' that would have removed the general membership vote from the approval process, but that was voted down as well. After the approval of the officer slate on the second vote last year, the Caucus formed an ad hoc committee tasked with examining the organization's bylaws and set to make some changes. The ad hoc committee's recommendations were originally set to be part of the spring meeting vote, but Caucus officials have delayed a vote on the amendment stating more examination of the respective suggestions are necessary. The fate of the bylaw revisions appeared to entice voters to the Gorton Center. 'I voted yes because I am giving them a chance to make sure they change the bylaws,' said Anne Taylor. 'This will give them another session to do it and they need it.' Another resident, Scott Wolff, said he voted against the slate. 'They haven't done what they said they were going to do by this time regarding the bylaws so everyone can be heard and they need to be updated for a modern society,' Wolff said. After last week's vote, John Trkla, a founder of Lake Forest For Transparency, an 'educational advocacy group', released a statement regarding the results. 'Lake Forest residents are giving a vote of confidence to the Caucus about reforming its bylaws to make votes binding. But they are still on the knife's edge. This reform needs to be completed very soon if it wants to continue moving forward building trust with Lake Forest residents.' Following last week's vote, the Caucus released a statement noting the Caucus Committee has been reviewing the recommendations and evaluating potential revisions to the bylaws. Moreover, the Caucus Committee is planning on meeting with the ad hoc committee members soon with the completion of the review is a priority for the organization. However, a legal review would be necessary before a public vote. The new slate is scheduled to officially start their new roles at an April 8 meeting. Despite the recent internal issues, Caucus-endorsed candidates for elected office are running unopposed in the April 1 general election.
Chicago Tribune
18-02-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
An ad hoc committee proposing changes to Lake Forest Caucus bylaws
Lake Forest Caucus officials have received a series of recommendations to amend its bylaws, but whether the Caucus leadership will enact the suggestions remains unclear. In a Feb. 11 email, Caucus President Joe Oriti informed its membership that an ad hoc committee formed to review the organization's bylaws has delivered its findings to the Caucus leadership. The seven-member committee, with former City Manager Bob Kiely serving as its facilitator, proposed several changes following a tumultuous period for the organization, which has vetted and recommended candidates for various elective offices and city boards and commissions. The Caucus has been part of Lake Forest's tapestry since 1935. In most election cycles, the candidate for any of the elected office initially seeks the support of the Caucus Committee, composed of representatives from all four of the city's wards. The person receiving that endorsement goes before the general Caucus membership in what normally is a 'pro forma' vote, often leading to an uncontested race in the municipal election. That did not occur in 2022 when the Caucus Committee endorsed Stanford 'Randy' Tack in the mayoral election. However, the general membership did not support Tack's endorsement and the organization's bylaws were not clear on how to proceed. The following year the Caucus leadership suffered another setback after it supported the 'Caucus Preservation Act' which would have taken the general membership vote out of the process, but members said no to that idea. The Caucus leadership suffered another blow last year when members initially voted down the proposed officer slate for the 2024-25 year with Oriti as president. The Caucus Committee then held a second vote where the slate was easily approved. Oriti stated a review of the bylaws would be coming. In their report, the ad hoc committee offers many suggestions: if a proposed candidate fails to receive a majority of votes cast at the annual meeting, the Caucus Committee should hold another vote by the Caucus membership for that position. The second vote would have at least two candidates for each applicable position and could include candidates initially proposed at the Caucus's annual meeting traditionally held in the fall. 'The Caucus bylaws are currently silent on the matter which is what led to the upheaval back in 2022/2023,' Kiely wrote in an e-mail. However, Oriti was concerned about the proposal, citing recent changes to the overall election calendar dictated by the Illinois State Board of Elections regarding nominating petition deadlines. He fears the ad hoc committee recommendations could reduce the vetting process as a second vote could come as many as 30 days after the initial vote. Plus there could be corresponding internal timing problems tied to the election of Caucus Committee candidates and Executive Committee officers. 'By having the potential of a second vote and without shifting our calendar, we would only have two to three months for vetting where the current system allows four to six months. That might impact the quality of the candidates the Caucus Committee presents to the public for a vote,' Oriti said. The ad hoc committee is also recommending the proposed slate for elected offices should be announced to the public at least 14 days before the annual meeting. Kiely said such a requirement does not exist in the bylaws and that has been a problem in previous years. Any of the recommendations would require a 2/3 approval vote from the general Caucus membership, which Oriti does not think would happen at this point. 'I think it needs to be worked out,' he said. Oriti added in his letter that an amendment to the Caucus membership for voting would also necessitate a review by attorneys that could cost as much as $20,000. He said a fundraising campaign is ongoing to raise the money to pay for the legal review. Going forward, Oriti said the Caucus Committee would review the recommendations at their March 11 meeting, anticipating that would be the start of a lengthy review of the recommendations. Kiely said the suggestions were based in part on researching other communities and the establishment of a focus group. He was prepared the Caucus membership may not enact the suggestions. 'The ad hoc committee understood from the outset that our recommendations could be accepted, rejected or modified,' Kiely wrote in an e-mail. 'We also understood that a super-majority of the membership needed to ratify any changes, so finding common ground was going to be a challenge. There is no perfect solution, and some people will not agree with the recommendations. We can only hope that our work will be seen as an effort to aid the Caucus in strengthening its mission and regaining the trust of the community.' Separately, Oriti originally thought the amendments would be up for a vote at the March 18 spring meeting, but that will not occur now. John Trkla, the president of Lake Forest For Transparency, which describes itself as an 'educational advocacy group' expressed frustration over the delay. 'Every time the subject of our vote comes up, there is another excuse to not do the right thing,' he said. Oriti believed the diligence required to examine the recommendations warranted the extra time. 'I'm disappointed as well but the recommendations have a significant impact on the operations that it requires a thorough process and the importance is not to get it done fast, but to get it done right,' he countered. 'I am pleased with the progress of the ad hoc committee and the focus group in providing the recommendations.' Oriti added his overriding concern is whether the recommendations will help with recruitment of candidates for both the elected office and the Caucus. 'That is what modernization of the bylaws really do,' he said. 'It should make it easier to recruit volunteers into the Caucus system.' Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
