Hello Lake Forest,
I hope everyone has enjoyed their summer in Lake Forest or anywhere else you might have spent time. The Caucus Committee is looking forward to continuing the important and meaningful work we have been selected to do during the 2024-2025 Caucus season.
Lake Forest Day Parade
We enjoyed seeing many of you at the Lake Forest Day parade. A big thank you to new incoming Ward 1 Committee members Tyler Lisenby and Emily Clark Delfino who volunteered and led the organization efforts to represent the Lake Forest Caucus in the parade. Thank you to the Committee members and their families who took the time to walk in the parade and pass out candy to a wonderful turnout of Lake Forest Families.
Summer Update
Our first Caucus Committee Meeting is today, August 20, where we will be interviewing three new Caucus Committee members for back-fill positions resulting from a resignation and elevations to the Executive Committee. We will also be holding our annual training program for all committee members, which focuses on interview best practices and implicit bias training.
Over the summer, the Executive Committee and Committee Members have been planning and preparing for the work in the year ahead. I have established two subcommittees, School Board Search and Ward 3 Alderman Search sub-committee. In addition, I have created an Ad-Hoc Bylaw Committee. Please see additional information and status update below on these subcommittees as well as other updates.
Caucus Calendar 2024-2025
The Calendar is full of meetings this year and September and October will be geared towards preparing to present candidates for elected positions to the Community for approval to include on the April 1, 2025 Consolidated Election. Lake Foresters will be voting for Mayor, Wards 1-4 Alderman (depending on the Ward you live in), four D67 School Board seats, and four D115 School Board seats.
On July 12, 2024, the Illinois State Board of Elections (ISBE) released its Abbreviated Calendar of Dates for the 2025 Consolidated Primary Election and the 2025 Consolidated Election which can be found here.
The calendar takes into account two recent statutes (P.A. 103-0586 and P.A. 103-0600) that modified the petition circulation and filing periods of municipal offices for the Spring 2025 elections. This is nearly a month earlier than previous years and affects the Caucus Committee calendar by accelerating the timeline to interview, vet, and recommend candidates to meet the filing deadline for nominating positions on Nov. 12. Therefore, the Annual Meeting will be held on October 30, 2024 at Gorton from 2pm to 8pm for the community to vote for the Caucus endorsed candidates.
It is important to understand and appreciate that the Caucus Committee will have to meet every Tuesday from Aug 20 through Oct 29 to complete this important work. In addition, the two subcommittees will be meeting as frequently as necessary (often times more than once a week) during this time period to select the finalists to interview with the Caucus Committee for a vote on which candidates to endorse and recommend at the Annual Meeting.
2024-2025 Open Positions
We are seeking qualified Lake Forest residents for the following elected and appointed City Positions:
Elected
- City Council – One Ward 3 Alderman
- D67 School Board – Four
- D115 School Board – Two
- 2025-2026 Caucus Committee – Multiple Across All Wards
Appointed
- Cemetery Commission – One
- Building Review Board – Two
- Plan Commission – One
- Zoning Board of Appeals – One
All community members interested in serving should fill out or update their VPS.
Subcommittee Updates
School Board Search Subcommittee
The school board search subcommittee, led and organized by co-chair Jason Akemann, is comprised of seventeen committee members. Please join me in thanking Jason and the rest of those who are serving on this important subcommittee.
Alderman Search Subcommittee
The Alderman search subcommittee, led and organized by co-chair Cindy Davidson, is comprised of seven committee members. Please join me in thanking Cindy and the rest of those who are serving on this important subcommittee.
All Caucus Committee members were invited to volunteer for the two above subcommittees. A full list of subcommittee volunteers can be found below.
School Board Search
- Joe Oriti – Co-chair
- Jason Akemann – Co-chair
- Regina Etherton
- Dale Taulke
- Armando Guzman
- Janet White
- Desiree Witte
- Peggy Siebert
- Scott Nehls
- Wyn Cain
- Alex Wilcox
- Viktor Brisku
- Bruce Barger
- Reid Gustafson
- Tyler Linsenby
- Mary Kay Brunner
- Gene Cartwright
Ward 3 Alderman Search
- Joe Oriti – Co-chair
- Cindy Davidson – Co-chair
- Dale Taulke
- Peggy Siebert
- Maya Pearcy
- Richard Fisher
- Bert Carstens
Ad-hoc Bylaw Committee Update
The purpose of the ad-hoc committee is to examine the current Bylaws and discuss potential amendments in an attempt to modernize our current Bylaws. My vision for this ad-hoc committee is to engage community members with different perspectives to strengthen credibility and trust in the Lake Forest Caucus so that it may thrive for many years to come.
A few reasons for selecting this ad-hoc committee of community members independent of those currently serving on the Caucus Committee:
- Independence – since we live and breathe the Caucus Committee every day during our terms we focus on the operational demands and challenges that present in any given Caucus year. This might be perceived as a bias or amendments proposed in a vacuum.
- Open and public process – forum for engagement and education of the Caucus and Caucus Committee
- Priority – Not to burden or distract from the focus on the current Caucus Committee schedule based on what needs to be achieved this year while still making progress toward Bylaw amendments.
I have asked Melanie Rummel and Kent Novit to help Regina Etherton (VP) and myself select a group of 6-8 community members to serve on the ad-hoc committee. Others will be chosen to serve on a Focus Group. Many of the details are still to come as the committee will have to agree on timeline, public engagement, process, etc. The most difficult part of this process is to form this ad-hoc committee and the four of us will work together to select qualified volunteers that represent different perspectives in an attempt to gain confidence and trust in the process.
Update – we have received interest from more than 40 community members. Melanie, Regina, Kent, and myself will serve as a nominating committee to recommend volunteers to serve in this endeavor. I will then garner support from the current Executive Committee and Caucus Committee to support these individuals for service. Ultimately, the Caucus Committee will have to present the product that is presented to the Community for a 2/3 majority vote and I want to ensure the Caucus Committee is informed along the way so that it can support this endeavor.
Finance and Fundraising
The Caucus Committee currently has approximately $26,000 in cash. The operating budget for this year includes approximately $26,500 in expenses categorized below:
- $7,000 Rental space at Gorton for Caucus Committee meetings, subcommittee meetings, public meetings for Open Call, Annual, Spring, and any interim public meetings if necessary
- $6,000 Caucus Connection mailing – these are the annual postcards sent each year for the Community to vote on incoming Caucus Committee members
- $6,000 Software/Website expense – Cost to maintain IT costs for the Caucus Committee which includes, website and e-mail communication platforms
- $3,000 Printing expense primarily for voting ballots at Caucus public meetings as well as other advertising posters, bulletins, etc.
- $2,000 Insurance Expense for Directors & Officers and General Liability policies
- $2,500 in Miscellaneous expenses
Note – the above does not include expenses in the event of a contested election. They also don’t include any expenses for a change in operating procedures. For example, if the Bylaws Committee proposes changes that would include new operating expenses like online voting, additional meetings, etc. those changes would have to be weighed with the ability to financial sustain such efforts.
Campaign finance law requires we disclose contributions and expenses to the State Board of Elections quarterly and those financial disclosures are available to the public at Illinois State Board of Elections.
Support the Caucus!
Funding for the Caucus Committee solely relies on contributions. Please consider sending contributions via check made out to Lake Forest Caucus at 736 N. Western Ave, Suite 256 Lake Forest, IL 60045.
You can also make contributions through our website (Paypal fee applies).
In Closing
The Caucus Committee loves to hear from you regardless of whether it is good, bad, or ugly. Please reach out with any questions, comments, or concerns.
Good luck to all the families with children starting school.
Sincerely,
Joe Oriti
President, Lake Forest Caucus