Lake Bluff voters interested in slating candidates for the April 4 municipal election can now turn to a single organization.
In May, Lake Bluff School Caucus and VOTE Lake Bluff merged. The Lake Bluff School Caucus, started in 1956 by the local chapter of the League of Women Voters, focused on recruiting candidates for local school boards. The newer VOTE Lake Bluff did the same for village, library and park boards.
In 2015, VOTE Lake Bluff formed a committee to consider merging the two organizations, said Neil Dahlmann, chairman of the Administrative Committee of the consolidated organization that will take the VOTE Lake Bluff name.
“By having two caucuses, it was confusing to the voters,” Dahlmann said.
“While our meetings were open to the public, we had only a handful of people attend who weren’t caucus members,” said Robin Huszagh, who served on the Lake Bluff School Caucus for nine years before taking on publicity duties for the Administrative Committee of the merged organization. “We thought VOTE Lake Bluff had greater reach. (The merger) gave us more visibility and people to help with the process of finding candidates.”
The two organizations were also inspired by the Lake Forest Caucus, which has all its candidates slated under a single organization, Huszagh said.
Lake Bluff has a population of about 5,800, according to 2014 census information, and it can be difficult to find residents to volunteer on the unpaid boards, Dahlmann said.
“We’ve always filled them, but some positions are harder to fill,” Dahlmann said. “It’s difficult to find people to serve on the library board, but it’s always happened.”
The consolidated organization will hold two meetings in December to slate candidates. On Dec. 6, Lake Bluff registered voters can nominate and vote on candidates for village board, library board, village president and village clerk.
Then on Dec. 7, registered voters from Lake Bluff as well as unincorporated areas can nominate and vote for candidates for the Park District Board and the school boards for District 65 and District 115 . Both meetings will take place at Lake Bluff Middle School at 6:30 p.m.
The number of voters attracted to VOTE Lake Bluff slating meetings during past election cycles has varied.
“It depends very much on whether or not there are any major issues and if there is a contested seat,” Dahlmann said. “A number of years ago 400 or 500 people showed up over a real estate development . . . In years when there as been no contest or major issues, 50 to 75 people show up.”
Those interested in running may submit an application to VOTE Lake Bluff before the meetings. While residents have run for seats outside the caucuses in the past, “most of the time those supported by the caucuses are the winners of those elections,” Dahlmann said.
VOTE Lake Bluff considers itself a volunteer and non-partisan entity. It accepts individual nominations, not an entire slate of candidates. While the Administrative Committee favors limits of two terms for any position, it defers to the voters preference, Dahlmann said.
More information is available at www.VoteLakeBluff.org.
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