More Top Picks Best 65 Inch Tvs
player ready...The Lake Forest Caucus is preparing for a busy year ahead of the 2027 municipal elections, doing so with a new leader at the helm tasked with guiding the nearly century-old organization through a period of recent turbulence.
At its March 16 spring meeting, the general membership overwhelmingly approved the executive slate endorsed by the 43-member Caucus Committee. Leading that slate was Scott Nehls, who served as executive vice president over the past year. He now assumes the presidency and will serve through April 2027.
A commercial litigation attorney, Nehls, 45, and his wife, Susan, moved to Lake Forest in October 2020 and have four children. Despite a demanding professional schedule — along with currently coaching his children in soccer — Nehls said he is eager to take on the new role, succeeding Regina Etherton.
“The reality is you make time for what is important,” he said. “I don’t think I am giving that much. Giving a year of my time is a pretty minor contribution for something so important.”
Nehls joined the Caucus shortly after moving to the community at the suggestion of a neighbor.
“It has really been a rewarding process,” he said.
The Caucus, which vets residents interested in running for offices such as mayor, city council and local school boards, has existed for nearly 100 years. In most years, candidates who receive the organization’s endorsement run unopposed in municipal elections. The Caucus also recommends residents for appointment to non-elected boards and commissions.
While the group’s work typically draws little public attention, the past several years have been at times contentious.
In November 2022, the general membership rejected the Caucus Committee’s endorsement of Stanford Tack for mayor — a vote that is typically considered pro forma. With the bylaws unclear on how to proceed, the Caucus advanced Tack’s nomination anyway, setting up a rare contested election that he ultimately won.
A subsequent effort to eliminate the general membership vote failed, and the 2024 executive slate was initially rejected before being approved on a second vote.
More recently, two proposals to allow alternative voting methods — including electronic voting — failed to secure the required two-thirds approval from the membership. The organization also experienced several high-profile departures, with some former leaders expressing dissatisfaction over its direction and priorities.
Nehls acknowledged the recent challenges and said he hopes to usher in a steadier period.
“More stability and just doing our job — recruiting, vetting, and recommending the unbelievably talented people who live here and are willing to volunteer and serve in every capacity in the city,” he said. “That’s our mission. That is what we have been chartered to do, and that is what we are going to do.”
He does not anticipate bringing electronic voting back for a third vote.
“I don’t think there is an appetite for another round of that in the near future. We have so many other things going on this year,” he said.
Regarding recent departures, Nehls called them regrettable but said he hopes the organization can move forward.
“Stability, both internally and externally, is preferable,” he said.
He also wants to address how the Caucus should proceed if the general membership rejects a committee endorsement, as happened in 2022. An ad hoc committee — facilitated by former City Manager Bob Kiely — drafted a proposal to amend the bylaws as part of larger changes, but not all of the recommendations were completely passed on to the general membership.
“We are all cognizant that this is something of interest to everybody,” Nehls said. “I’d like to have some resolution in the early part of our term.”
Former State Sen. Susan Garrett, a Lake Forest resident who has voiced concerns about the Caucus in the past, said she hopes reforms materialize under Nehls’ leadership.
“It is a great opportunity for the new Caucus leadership to initiate reforms to the bylaws as promised by the previous leaders,” she said. “I think this effort would go a long way with the residents of Lake Forest.”
Nehls said improving communication about the Caucus’s role in Lake Forest is also a priority, noting that some residents remain unfamiliar with the organization’s work despite its longstanding presence.
More Top Picks Best Outdoor Stair Lifts For Porches
“There will be a lot more public awareness of what we are doing,” he said.
Looking ahead, a major task for the Caucus leadership this year will be endorsing a candidate for mayor in next year’s municipal election. Tack is expected to step down after serving the traditional two two-year terms, and Nehls said he has already begun hearing from residents interested in running.
“This is going to be an interesting race for sure,” he said.
Nehls added that his legal background may help him build consensus among differing viewpoints.
“It is about staying the course,” he said.
The remainder of the 2026–27 executive slate includes Tom Bohac as vice president; Greg Pike as treasurer; Dave Craigmile overseeing fundraising; and Bert Carstens, Larry Obermeyer, and Nick Tatro serving in communications roles.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.