In Election Do-Over, Lake Forest Voters Approve Caucus Officer Slate

LAKE FOREST, IL — Lake Forest voters overwhelmingly approved a proposed slate of officers of the political action committee that dominates local politics at a special election held last week in response to a threatened lawsuit.

Turnout at the Lake Forest Caucus's May 30 interim election was up nearly 400 percent compared to the group's general meeting held nearly two months earlier, with leadership approved by vote of 1042-375.

An April 2 vote of the same officer slate was rejected by a 12-vote margin, with 132 in favor and 125 against. Caucus leadership decided to ignore the results of that vote and slate the candidates anyway, pointing out that there was only one person in town who was qualified to be president under its bylaws.

That was the second time in two years that the PAC has snubbed its membership, defined by its bylaws as all registered voters in Lake Forest. Caucus officials had earlier dismissed the results of a public vote that rejected its nomination of future Mayor Randy Tack ahead of his contested election.

About three weeks after the vote, Chicago-based election attorney Ed Mullen notified then-caucus President Chris Benes that his clients — a group of more than 10 caucus members who opposed the slate — had authorized him to file a lawsuit asking a judge to order the group to follow its bylaws and abide by the votes of its members.

Ten days later, caucus officials announced plans to hold another election on May 30, citing a desire to "avoid disruptive litigation."

On the morning of the vote, which was held over six hours at the Gorton Center, Joe Oriti, the incoming caucus president, sent out a letter to the community.

"I hear and acknowledge the frustrations and anger of community members," Oriti said.

"The best thing for the community going forward, would be to address the current Bylaws and either amend or rewrite a new 'Charter,'" he added.

Oriti proposed a process to amend the bylaws to address "how the outcomes of candidate voting are treated at meetings," promote more participation and renew confidence in the selection of candidates.

"I can commit to achieving progress towards the above during my term with more information and details to come in the near future," he said.

The PAC's new president is the only person permitted to lead the caucus under its bylaws, which require its president to have served at least one year as an officer but forbid anyone from serving more than three years as one.

Oriti said the failure to elect an officer slate had prevented the group from doing its work ahead of the November deadline to submit candidate petitions to state election officials to get on the ballot for the April 2025 municipal elections.

"I ask for the Community’s understanding and patience to allow for a thoughtful and informative Bylaws/Charter amendment process to run its course while considering the importance of the Caucus Committee’s focus on the heavy workload that needs to be completed between now and November’s Annual Meeting," Oriti said.

An effort to amend the bylaws at last year's annual fall meeting failed by a margin of 54.5-45.5, with more than 1,500 people voting.

Those changes would have made the PAC's officers appointed rather than elected and cut a clause calling for caucus members to vote on candidates for elected positions.

Read more:

• Bylaw Breaches: Lake Forest Caucus To Hold Re-Vote In Response To Legal Challenge
• Lake Forest Caucus Snubs Voters Again, Ignores Result Of Public Vote
• Voters Reject Lake Forest Caucus Bylaw Changes To Reduce Role Of Voters