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Can the Caucus Committee regain the community’s trust?
With only one day’s notice, nearly one hundred residents arrived at Gorton Center a week ago last Wednesday to hear from an area expert about how groups that are involved with elections are organized and to ask questions about recent Lake Forest Caucus elections.
For some 70 years, the Caucus has enjoyed community acceptance and legitimacy from their communications, their actions and their adherence to adopted bylaws. The Caucus Committee has underscored that it works on behalf of, and is made up of, ALL registered voters in Lake Forest.
Yet, as most residents are well aware, the Caucus Committee moved to install its new Executive Committee despite a majority vote against its slate of officers. It fits into a pattern established over the last eighteen months.
Last spring, the Committee presented the entire slate with a “yes” only option. Prior to that, in the fall of 2022, the Committee went ahead with its recommended candidate for mayor despite a majority vote against his candidacy.
When the Caucus asked the community to pass its proposed Caucus Preservation Act (CPA) and thousands showed up to say no, the Committee acknowledged the rejection of the CPA. In doing so, the Caucus reaffirmed the voters’ wish to maintain the general Caucus members’ right to vote on recommended candidates for elective offices and the Committee’s Officers.
So how can the Committee decide which election outcomes it chooses to honor?
The answer lies in how the Committee has registered itself with the Illinois State Board of Elections. In 2011, the Committee began registering itself as a Political Action Committee (PAC) due to a change in election laws. When organized as a PAC, the Chair and Treasurer are the only recognized decision makers, not the Caucus as a whole or even the Committee. No voting and no election is required.
Nevertheless, the Lake Forest Caucus has been operating under bylaws for nearly seventy years, including of course, the years from 2011 to the present time under its structure as a PAC. These bylaws represent a contract between the Committee and registered voters in Lake Forest.
Until Fall 2022, all recommended candidates were affirmed by the general members. The Committee’s recommendations and the public’s views aligned.
Fall, 2022, changed that. For the first time, a recommended candidate for public office was not accepted by its general members. The bylaws did not specify what steps should be taken, but it was expected the Committee would choose a new candidate, given the consistent use of the word “recommends” and “election” throughout the bylaws. They did not.
The Caucus bylaws were written in the spirit of public service and representation. The Committee needs to decide if they will operate consistently under the bylaws, even if registered as a PAC, or to simply operate as a PAC and be upfront about it. Switching between the two, depending on what the Committee wants, destroys public confidence in our Caucus system.
-LF4T
The Caucus Committee ignored the vote - again. What’s next for Lake Forest?
Come to the Gorton Center Auditorium tomorrow night at 7 pm for a community discussion of next steps. An election attorney will be present and will answer general questions.
That’s TOMORROW, Wednesday, April 17 at 7 PM, Gorton Center, John & Nancy Hughes Theater. See you there!
Gorton Center
400 E Illinois Rd
Lake Forest, IL 60045
For years the Caucus Committee has assured us that “it’s all of us”—all registered voters in Lake Forest. The Caucus bylaws reflect that commitment. The bylaws are clear that the Caucus’s executive officers must be elected by the general membership—and when the vote was held last week, the candidates failed to receive the majority vote required.
We are deeply dismayed that, once again, the Caucus Committee has announced that it plans to completely ignore that outcome—especially in light of how self-serving their decision is—this time installing themselves in office. Current Caucus leadership seems to have learned nothing from their experience since November 2022, the first time they ignored the outcome of the vote and the voice of its membership.
Caucus leadership claims that the bylaws don’t give guidance. This is not true. If Caucus leadership stands behind that position, they should be transparent and share their legal basis for it with the community.
The Caucus Committee’s actions beg the questions: Do our votes count? Or is Caucus leadership essentially a monarchy that is not accountable to its membership? Lake Forest voters should consider whether they want a system in which Caucus leaders are untethered from the community—even as they hold themselves out to represent Lake Forest residents. Actions speak louder than words. Voters should consider whether it’s still appropriate for the Caucus to have such an outsize role in city appointments while ignoring the voice of the voters.
We would like to extend our thanks to all Lake Foresters who braved the inclement weather to vote Tuesday night. As with all elections, this one was important and people needed to let their choice be known. We also appreciate the Caucus Committee quickly announcing the vote’s outcome to the public.
“What happens next?” is the obvious question. We are hopeful the Committee will abide by its bylaws regarding Caucus elections.
The bylaws require a majority “yes” vote as a pre-condition to elect new officers. Because that condition has not been met yet, the Committee must hold another vote and obtain a majority “yes” if it wants to elect officers.
We await the Committee’s next steps.
On April 2nd, general Caucus members (all registered voters living in Lake Forest) are asked to vote at the Gorton Center on the Committee’s Officer slate for the upcoming year. At last year’s vote, the Caucus Committee offered only one option, to vote “yes” for its entire slate of candidates.
This year, the ballot will give the option of voting “yes” or “no” on the entire slate. To also have a “no” vote is progress, but still deviates from the standard practice used for decades, which allowed a “yes” or “no” vote on each individual officer candidate. Additionally, the Caucus Committee has declined a third-party oversight of the ballots or verification of the count. We strongly recommended third-party oversight of the April 2nd vote considering the events of the past 18 months.
Voting for individual officers is important. Of the seven slated executive candidates, several were very vocal and supportive of cutting out the general membership’s voices last fall with the proposed “Caucus Preservation Act” (CPA). With the defeat of the CPA, Lake Forest voters have spoken. Those candidates who advocated for the CPA, if elected, will hold an influential position on the executive committee. They will take part in setting the tone and direction of the Caucus Committee moving forward.
The Committee has to its credit added several new candidates to its Executive Committee slate who were not actively campaigning to remove our vote. Yet, three of the four senior leaders up for election were active in the decisions to 1) declare the November 2022 vote non-binding when the outcome didn’t affirm their mayoral candidate, 2) changed the 2023 Spring ballot to a “yes” only option, and 3) wrote, proposed, and campaigned for the CPA amendment to remove the vote entirely from Caucus bylaws, which has been in place and protected the right for the Caucus general membership to vote since 1956.
Can we be confident they will lead with integrity and be responsive to general Caucus members who have been clear that they want a right to participate and vote?
We leave that to you to decide.
The Caucus holds two votes each year. The Fall Annual Meeting vote, when general Caucus members (again, all registered voters living in Lake Forest) vote on the Caucus Committee’s recommended candidates for Mayor, Alderman, and School Board, and the Spring Annual vote when general Caucus members vote on the Caucus Committee Executive Officers, the leadership team responsible for Caucus operations and decision making.
Voting is a hallmark of our democracy at all levels of government. A majority of voters in Lake Forest understand the power of “we, the people” and came out last fall to express their view of its value and importance to our community.
Executive Committee Vote:
April 2nd, 2024
Gorton Community Center
From 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
*The Committee is providing only one hour for Caucus members (registered voters residing in Lake Forest) to cast their votes, so please plan accordingly.
The Defeated Caucus Preservation Act (CPA) would have changed the current bylaws of the Lake Forest Caucus to remove the right of the general membership to vote and would have limited their participation to being mute recipients of the Caucus Committee’s slate of candidates, whether for elective office or as Committee officers.
The people of Lake Forest were confronted with a change to our very process of democracy, the removal of our right to vote. Some, like our Caucus Committee, viewed this measure as necessary to “preserve” the system of government they inherited and are trusted to steward. Others, like the Lake Forest Podcast, viewed it as an opportunity to press partisan division and misinformation into a community that has steered clear of such nonsense for over a century. Still others viewed it as an uphill battle against an established machine yet felt the battle was worth fighting. We viewed it as a moment to inform residents and express our commitment to this town, its established processes, and tradition of community involvement.
With the highest turnout of an Annual Meeting Vote in the history of Lake Forest, thousands (by our estimates) of residents showed up and the majority voted NO to eliminating our democratic process. No one person made this happen; we ALL did! We joined together in a common cause, we marched uphill, and we prevailed. We at Lake Forest for Transparency are humbled and proud of everyone who got involved, fought the battle, waited in line, took much more than five minutes for democracy, and voted their conscience. The voters of Lake Forest, the general Caucus members, did not sit this one out!
Our Democracy is Alive and Thriving, Thanks to All of You
While this is a victory of local government preservation, we still face an uphill challenge in restoring trust and involvement within our Caucus system of government. It is incumbent upon the residents of Lake Forest to continue to strive for openness and transparency from our Caucus Committee and demand fair representation for all. From our Library to our Historic Preservation; from our Historic Business District to our Open Lands; ALL with a voice in what is best for Lake Forest.
Let’s continue to band together in support of restoring and reforming our Lake Forest Caucus system of government. Divided we stand alone, together we can move mountains.
To the residents of Lake Forest, THANK YOU! You are proof that in these trying times of partisan division, we can all stand together for a common goal - our love for the place we call home, Lake Forest.
Hear what former Caucus President Sheila Henretta thinks about the CMA Amendment
No. Past Caucus Committee's and their associated pamphlets have made clear that the vote IS considered binding and is necessary for the Caucus to advance a candidate to the ballot. These pamphlets also state that if the general members reject that candidate by majority vote, the Caucus must reconvene and select a different candidate.
Contrary to the Caucus Committee position that the vote against Randy Tack last November was manipulated by a special interest group, or that one person's email was standing to not honor the vote of our Caucus members (you and me), the residents who came to vote did so for a multitude of reasons regarding Randy Tack as the Caucus slated candidate for Mayor of Lake Forest. We surveyed many who came and asked for their reasons to not support Randy Tack. Those reasons were:
The CPA removes an important check and balance on the Committee’s candidate selections for elective office. Just like the Mayor has final say on who the Committee recommends for open board and commission positions before sending the list on to the City Council for formal approval, the current Caucus bylaws allow the general membership to have final say over the Committee’s recommendations for elective offices before those candidates appear on the official ballot through the Lake County Clerk’s office and are formally elected. Passing the CPA and changing the bylaws concentrates power in the hands of the Committee and bypasses the participation of the general members.
No. The Bylaws were adopted in 1955 and, to date, we can trace the vote back to at least 1972.
The purpose of this memo is to dispel some false information which has been circulating in the community regarding the history of the Lake Forest Caucus. There seems to be a lack of historical context among the current Caucus leadership which is misleading residents and serving a misguided overreaction to recent events. There is a narrative developing which has no basis in fact.
The Caucus Committee's endorsed candidate for mayor lost by 2/3's vote at Last Novembers Annual Meeting, the Caucus Committee ignored the residents in attendance threw the results of the vote out. Now they want to take your vote away permanently.
It is …if the official ballot regularly has independent candidates as an option. That has not generally been the case in Lake Forest.
No. It is true that the Caucus Committee spends considerable time and effect in vetting and interviewing candidates, but if its primary selection is rejected, it simply need to reconsider candidates 2, 3, 4 etc.
Come to the Gorton Center on November 7, 2023, between 4:00 – 8:30 p.m. and vote your conscience on the CPA. The wording on the ballot is not known at this time. If you DO NOT APPROVE, vote to reject the changes to the bylaws and read the wording carefully to be sure you are voting with the appropriate “yes” or “no” response.
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