The hierarchy of the Lake Forest Caucus has suffered another defeat as its general membership has rejected its proposed officer slate for the coming year.
The Caucus Committee – a group of 43 residents – endorsed a slate for seven officer positions, led by Joe Oriti as the new president. However, in a very unusual move, the endorsed candidates received 125 votes, while 132 voted no at the April 2 spring meeting at the Gorton Community Center.
With the narrow defeat, it is not clear how the Caucus leadership will move forward. Current Caucus President Christopher Benes wrote an e-mail to the community stating the committee will meet Thursday, and additional information will be revealed after that meeting.
Oriti, a Caucus vice president, said he could not comment on the results until the committee meets.
In existence since 1935, the Caucus (Lake Forest is one of many North Shore communities with a caucus) vets residents to serve on various city boards and commissions, and makes recommendations to the mayor and the City Council, which then make the formal appointments.
The Caucus also endorses candidates for mayor, City Council and the two Lake Forest public school boards. In most years, including last month’s City Council elections, the Caucus slate runs unopposed.
Traditionally, the general membership vote for the officer slate is usually a pro forma event generating little controversy or interest.
However, the April 2 vote indicates continuing tension between the top officials of the Caucus and the general membership. Any Lake Forest citizen who is a registered voter is considered a member of the Caucus.
The tumultuous period for the Caucus can be traced to November 2022, when the Caucus Committee endorsed one-time City Council member Stanford “Randy” Tack over former Alderman Prue Beidler in the April 2023 mayoral election.
However, the Caucus general membership did not support Tack’s endorsement at the November annual meeting.
With the bylaws unclear on how to proceed, the Caucus Committee moved forward with Tack’s nomination. Beidler then mounted an independent campaign against Tack, which Tack easily won.
Then in last spring’s officer election, voters were not given the option to formally vote no on the officer slate. Instead, they had to write in a vote against the proposed slate.
Then in November, the Caucus Committee proposed the Caucus Preservation Act, which would have removed the general membership acceptance vote as part of the process. However, voters said no to that proposal.
John Trkla, the president of Lake Forest For Transparency, a self-described “educational advocacy group,” believes local voters are not happy with current Caucus operations.
“There is a growing number of residents in Lake Forest who are frustrated and losing trust with the Caucus, and the decisions around our vote,” he said. “It seems like we are looking for some changes within the Caucus that reflect all the voices in Lake Forest.”
Benes responded by pointing to a recent city survey indicating most people are very satisfied with the city.
“This is in part due to the volunteers the Caucus has placed in Lake Forest government, and suggests confidence in the Caucus. This means the leadership is fulfilling the mission of the Caucus,” Benes wrote via text.
The proposed officer slate was set to lead the Caucus for the next year, including the 2025 municipal elections highlighted by races for mayor, several City Council seats and positions on both of the local public school boards.
Tack issued a statement after the leadership vote noting he is enjoying being mayor, and will leave it to the Caucus if he will continue to serve in a second two-year term.
Tack said he would leave it to the Caucus leadership on how to proceed following the leadership vote, but endorsed the overall system.
“I hope whatever efforts are needed from the Caucus moving forward do not distract from its critical function of finding non-agenda-driven volunteers who play such an important role in ensuring the success of our city government and our community’s exceptional quality of life,” he wrote.
