The Lake Forest Caucus leadership is reversing course, and now plans to have a new election for its officer slate after a threat of litigation from some residents.
Caucus officials announced earlier this month a new election is being planned for officer roles. This represented a change in direction as the caucus leadership previously said it would move forward with the endorsed group of officers despite that proposed slate being narrowly voted down in early April by the general membership.
After the caucus leadership announced the decision to proceed with the officer slate, several residents threatened to take the issue to court.
“This action by the Executive Committee follows its rejection of the majority vote of the Caucus on the slate of candidates for election in the 2023 municipal election, suggesting that the Executive Committee believes it can disregard a majority vote of Caucus members at its whim,” attorney Edward Mullen wrote in an April 23 letter to the caucus.
In early May, the caucus leadership decided to hold new officer elections for the one-year terms, explaining the decision in a message posted on its website and claiming the organization’s bylaws were not clear regarding how to handle this situation.
“To avoid disruptive litigation and to ensure that the volunteers on the Caucus Committee can continue to serve the residents of Lake Forest by identifying, vetting, and recommending the best-qualified volunteers for municipal government without distraction, the previously recommended 2024-25 officers have not been installed and there will be another election for 2024-25 Officers in a timely manner,” the message read.
The caucus leadership announced Tuesday the election will be held on May 30 at the Gorton Community Center, from 2 to 8 p.m. It did not specify who would be on the new slate, but current caucus President Christopher Benes said that announcement would come soon.
Benes spoke of the reasons for the new election.
“First and foremost, what I and the leadership of the caucus are concerned about is ensuring we have strong leadership going forward,” Benes said in an interview. “We do not want divisive litigation in the community. We want strong caucus leadership.”
Dean Thuente, one of the residents listed as a possible litigant, said he was pleased with the decision of caucus leadership. He added he supports the general concept of the caucus in terms of vetting candidates and getting information out to residents.
“We are not trying to create a coup,” Thuente said, noting he has lived in Lake Forest for about 20 years.
However, he said he does have some concerns.
“I completely respect the amount of time these people put into the process as volunteers, but I feel like over the last few years we have had situations where they just ignored the popular vote and thought it was too small of a number,” Thuente said.
The caucus has been in existence since 1935, as its volunteers vet residents interested in serving on various city boards and commissions. Those endorsed by the caucus usually are appointed by the mayor, with City Council approval.
The caucus also endorses candidates to serve on the City Council and the city’s two local public school boards. Candidates supported by the caucus often run unopposed in the municipal elections.
Recently the caucus has dealt with some internal issues, starting with last year’s mayoral election when the general membership did not ratify the Caucus Committee endorsement of former Alderman Stanford “Randy” Tack. The Caucus Committee still moved ahead with supporting Tack, who easily won a contested election against another former alderman, Prue Beidler, who was the other finalist in front of the Caucus Committee.
Following that vote, caucus leadership proposed the “Caucus Preservation Act” that would have removed the general membership vote aspect from the Caucus Committee endorsement process. However, that proposal was rejected by the voters in November at the organization’s annual meeting.
Then last month, the general membership rejected the proposed leadership slate, with resident Joe Oriti set to become president.
Despite the recent issues, Benes believes the caucus still plays a vital role in Lake Forest.
“It’s absolutely been successful, and I don’t see how anyone can argue against that,” he said. “It’s all about finding the best people who are willing and able to serve the city, and matching them up with the right skillsets for the role.”