The Lake Forest Caucus has revised its mayoral endorsement process to provide for a second vote if the organization’s general membership rejects a candidate recommendation from the Caucus Committee.
The change comes after a disputed endorsement process in 2022 exposed ambiguities in the organization’s bylaws and prompted calls for reform.
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In a May 27 email to the community, the Caucus announced that if the general membership does not approve a candidate endorsed by the 43-member Caucus Committee at its annual meeting later this year, a second vote will be held with at least two candidates.
“The Caucus will, to the extent possible, seek to present two or more previously vetted candidates in this second vote for the community to consider. The candidate who receives a majority in the second vote will receive the Caucus endorsement,” the letter stated. “This process, which comports with the existing Bylaws, ensures that Lake Forest always has a Caucus-endorsed candidate on the ballot — and that the endorsement reflects genuine community support.”
Caucus President Scott Nehls said the new process is designed to address the possibility of a committee recommendation being rejected by the membership.
“The idea would be to have two candidates — already vetted candidates — then participate in another election,” Nehls said. “Whoever wins that by a majority vote is going to be who we recommend. Everybody who is going to participate in the process is going to know that is a possibility — however remote — just to deal with that contingency. Being informed by what happened previously allows us to plan for what could happen.”
The change stems from the 2022 mayoral nomination process, when Caucus officials interviewed several candidates and ultimately selected former City Council members Stanford Tack and Prue Beidler as finalists. The Caucus Committee then endorsed Tack.
While the general membership vote has traditionally served as a “pro forma” approval of the committee’s recommendation, members rejected Tack’s endorsement in this case, creating uncertainty because the bylaws did not clearly outline what should happen next.
The Caucus Committee ultimately proceeded with Tack’s endorsement, prompting Beidler to launch an independent campaign in the 2023 municipal election that Tack won comfortably.
After the election, Caucus officials said they would examine how to proceed if a similar situation arose in the future. A proposed “Caucus Preservation Act” that would have eliminated the general membership vote failed in 2023.
Beidler welcomed the newly announced process.
“It is overdue,” she said. “I think this has been hanging out there as a problem that needed to be solved and it got solved very appropriately. It will be seldom used, I am guessing, but to have it there says to me the Caucus was paying attention to a pretty basic concern of residents, and I think they did a terrific job of solving it in the least complicated and most appropriate way.”
However, John Trkla, co-founder of Lake Forest For Transparency, expressed reservations.
“All of these things are promises but there is no action at all on modernizing the bylaws,” Trkla said. “They are promising for this vote they will do this, but what happens with the next vote? I would really like to see in the next round a formal amendment to modernize the bylaws with clear definition on what happens if there is a no vote.”
Trkla praised Nehls for addressing the issue but said he remains skeptical.
“A promise is not a bylaw,” he said. “It is hard to trust their promises because of their history of promises.”
With the procedural changes in place, the Caucus has also begun identifying and vetting candidates to succeed Tack, who is set to step down in 2027 after serving the customary two two-year terms. Tack was re-elected without formal opposition in 2025.
In a separate May 22 letter, the Caucus announced it was accepting applications from residents interested in serving as mayor.
“The role is part civic leader, part institutional steward — chairing all City Council meetings, working closely with the City Manager on policy and priorities, and serving as the primary representative of Lake Forest to the broader region,” the letter stated.
Nehls said a subcommittee has been formed to interview prospective candidates and that he has already begun reaching out to residents to gauge interest in the position.
He expects interviews to begin in mid- to-late July and hopes an endorsement can be announced in mid- to-late September, with the annual meeting potentially taking place in October depending on state filing deadlines.
Nehls said there has traditionally been a preference for mayoral candidates who have served on prominent community boards and, ideally, on the City Council.
“These people are interviewing for a job,” Nehls said. “So, if you have applicable experience and you have worked in the very body of government you want to be in charge of — in essence the CEO of — that gives you a leg up.”
He added that an ability to foster collaboration is another important quality.
“You want to make sure everyone is working in the same direction,” he said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean everyone has to agree, but you want people who are collaborative and working together. Everyone will have their own skills, but that is a highly valuable thing.”
Unlike many neighboring communities, Lake Forest has never elected a woman as mayor. Nehls acknowledged that, but said gender would not be a determining factor.
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“We are looking for the most qualified person,” he said. “I understand historically there has yet to be one and that doesn’t mean there won’t be. But I certainly don’t want to put down some marker to discourage people who might otherwise run just because they might think we are just going to make this about gender. I think that would be putting ourselves and everyone else in a bad spot.”
Beidler said the issue is worth considering but should not outweigh other qualifications.
“We are kind of behind the times in that, and I don’t like to see us behind the times,” she said. “I believe that Lake Forest needs to show that it is a fabulous place to live in every regard. And I think right now, this is worrisome. Does it mean that I would only consider female candidates for mayor? Absolutely not.”
The Caucus has existed since 1935, interviewing and endorsing candidates for elected office while also recommending appointments to city boards and commissions.
Most Caucus-endorsed candidates run without formal opposition in general elections, though independent challenges occasionally emerge.
Besides the mayor’s race, Nehls said the Caucus will also have to recommend candidates for the City Council where there are four incumbents who are eligible to run again as well as for both of the local public school boards.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.