The Lake Forest Caucus leadership is moving ahead with its proposed officer slate for 2024-2025 despite a rejection of that group by the general membership.
The Caucus Committee leadership announced on April 11 that the endorsed officer slate will still take the roles set for them, even though the general membership voted it down 132-125 at an April 2 meeting.
Incoming caucus President Joe Oriti said there were limited options for the Caucus Committee to proceed due to the organization’s bylaws, which require the president to have been an officer for at least one year.
Oriti, who is concluding a one-year term as vice president, said there were five other officers during the 2023-24 term eligible for the caucus presidency.
“None of the other five wanted to do it,” he said.
Oriti added that the Caucus Committee — which is composed of 43 residents — deliberated going back to the public for another vote, but decided that was not a viable option.
“Nobody wanted it to go down this way, but these were the cards we were dealt,” he said.
For nearly a century, the caucus has recruited and vetted residents to serve on various city boards and commissions, and supported candidates for municipal offices. In most years, the caucus-backed candidates have run unopposed.
However, recent issues began for the caucus in November 2022 when the Caucus Committee stood by its endorsement of Stanford “Randy” Tack in the 2023 mayoral election even though the caucus membership did not approve it. Tack then easily defeated former Alderwoman Prue Beidler in the mayor’s race.
Last year, the caucus proposed changing its bylaws, but that was rejected by voters as well.
Despite the recent issues, outgoing caucus President Christopher Benes defended the Caucus Committee’s decision to move forward with the proposed slate.
“What concerns the full leadership committee is to ensure there is full leadership of the caucus,” Benes said in an interview.
John Trkla, the president of the Lake Forest For Transparency advocacy group, said he was dismayed with the move. He compared it to the Caucus Committee’s November 2022 decision to move forward with the endorsement of Tack.
“The leadership seems to have nothing from their experience in November 2022, which is the first time they ignored … the voice of their membership,” Trkla said, adding he has lived in the city for most of his life. “I’m disappointed that the caucus that I have grown up with, and trusted my whole life, is in the position it is in now with the community.”
Oriti said he will become president at the April 23 caucus meeting. He acknowledges he is moving into a difficult situation, but he wants to connect with the greater community.
“The best thing to do is education, communication and engagement, and do the fundamental work we do,” he said.
A corporate finance executive, Oriti and his wife Courtney moved to Lake Forest in 2015 and they are raising four children. He said he believes in the caucus system and civic responsibility, and that is why he wants to be the caucus president.
“I believe in the system, and I believe in civic responsibility,” he said. “I believe I am leading by example by volunteering my time so that others in the community can do that.”
The rest of the slate includes Regina Etherton as vice president, Fred Brewer as treasurer, Dale Tauke as secretary, Jennifer McGregor in fundraising, with Mark Pickett and Jason Akeman in communication roles.
