Mayoral Candidate Qualifications

City of Lake Forest Requirements

  1. Abide by all requirements in the Lake Forest City Charter, Article II.  In particular
    1. No person shall be eligible to the office of Mayor who shall not, after the first election held under this charter, have been a resident of the City for one year next preceding his/her election, or who shall be under twenty-one (21) years of age, or who shall not at the time of his/her election be a citizen of the United States, and shall be a freeholder of property located within the bounds of said City.
    2. All citizens of the United States, resident in said City, and qualified to vote at any election held under this act, shall be qualified to hold any office created by this act, except as herein otherwise provided; but no person shall be eligible to any office under this or any other act in relation to said City, who is now or may hereafter be a defaulter to said City, or the state of Illinois; and any person shall be considered a defaulter who has refused or neglected, or may hereafter refuse or neglect, for thirty days after demand made, to account for and pay over to the party authorized to receive the same, any public money which may have come into his/her possession.
  2. Willing and able to devote the time necessary to execute the duties of the office with typical required availability of 46 weeks of the year including attending, participating in, and running all City Council meetings, participating in frequent meetings and consultations with the City Manager and other members of the City staff, participating in frequent meetings with citizens and participating and speaking at many ceremonial and public events and meetings.  Per the Lake Forest City Charter, Article II:
    1. The Mayor shall, before he/she enters upon the duties of his/her office, in addition to the usual oath, swear or affirm that he/she will devote so much of his/her time to the duties of his/her office, as an efficient and faithful discharge thereof may require. He/she shall preside over the meetings of the City Council, and shall take care that the laws of this state and the ordinances of this City are duly enforced, respected and observed within the City, and that all other officers of the City discharge their respective duties, he/she shall cause negligence and positive violation of duty to be prosecuted and punished, he/she shall, from time to time, give the City Council such information, and recommend such measures as he/she may deem advantageous to the City.

Required Skills and Experience

  1. Knowledge of the requirements and functions of City boards, commissions and committees
  2. Prior major City Board, Commission or Committee experience: Plan, BRB, ZBA, P&R and/or HPC
  3. Knowledge and understanding of City statutes and ordinances
  4. Knowledge and understanding of current issues facing the City
  5. Knowledge and understanding of the City budget, including amounts and sources of revenue and types of expenditures
  6. Demonstrated effective management and leadership skills with the ability to set a vision and inspire people to execute against it
  7. Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the willingness and ability to outreach to City residents through City publications and other media
  8. Strong collaboration skills
  9. Strong listening skills
  10. Strong executive functioning skills, including promoting calmness in times of pressure and facilitating resolution of conflicting viewpoints
  11. Good financial acumen and knowledge of accounting principles and record keeping
  12. Demonstrated emotional intelligence
  13. Ability to work well with City staff
  14. Ability to interact with Lake Forest citizens with respect and strong listening skills in all circumstances, particularly when facing strongly held citizen views 
  15. Understanding of the nature of and respect for the Mayor-City Manager form of government
  16. Demonstrated balanced, objective decision-making to incorporate the unique strength of the history of Lake Forest with an eye toward the future
  17. Maintaining an open mind and not wishing to use the office of Mayor to promote any personal views or agenda unrelated to proper City functioning
  18. Willingness to campaign in a contested election
  19. Understanding of and proven experience creating meeting agendas and recording and distributing meeting minutes

Helpful Skills and Experience

  1. Minimum 1-term City Council experience strongly preferred
  2. Experience chairing a major City board or commission experience strongly preferred 
  3. Familiarity with real estate transactions, including zoning matters
  4. Experience working with local government and school boards and administrations
  5. Knowledge of and experience using Robert’s Rules of Order