In 2021, we launched The Lake Forest Podcast to be a positive influence on our city by providing a platform for local voices and perspectives, promoting discussion and engagement around important issues and events, and fostering a sense of community among our viewers and listeners.
With the decline of traditional local journalism outlets, many Lake Foresters get more news coverage of what goes on in Washington, Springfield and Chicago than they get from what’s going on in their own backyard – and what has a more direct impact on their daily life. Our podcast hopes to fill that void by letting people know what’s going on around town and an opportunity for people in the community to express themselves by appearing on our podcast.
We have provided a forum for community members to share their experiences, ideas, and concerns with a broader audience, as well as highlighting local businesses, organizations, and events. We have also helped to inform and engage residents on topics such as city government, public policy, and community initiatives.
Find out what's happening in Lake Forest-Lake Blufffor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The Lake Forest Podcast covers a wide range of topics, including local news and events, local politics, community organizations, business and entrepreneurship, history, and culture. We have hosted interviews with local residents, community leaders, and subject matter experts, and aim to provide a platform for discussion and engagement around issues that are important to the Lake Forest community.
Whether it's discussions with local business owners, interviews with community leaders, or updates on local activities, the podcast offers a unique and engaging way for residents to stay connected and involved.
Find out what's happening in Lake Forest-Lake Blufffor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Furthermore, the podcast serves as a means to highlight the many wonderful aspects of Lake Forest, including its rich history, beautiful parks, and vibrant downtown. By showcasing all that our city has to offer, the podcast helps to promote a sense of community pride and encourages residents to explore and appreciate their surroundings.
Most importantly, the podcast also offers a valuable forum for community members to share their opinions and concerns on important issues affecting our city. By providing a platform for diverse voices to be heard, we hope to foster a more inclusive and collaborative community.
During the recent unprecedented, contested Lake Forest Mayoral Election, we hoped that the podcast would provide an opportunity for residents to hear from all three mayoral candidates so that they could make an informed choice on who should be our next mayor. Both Mayor-Elect Randy Tack and Paul Hamann accepted our invitation. Unfortunately, Prue Beidler did not and instead chose to attack our podcast directly and through some of her supporters.
While Ms. Beidler began communicating privately with me in a positive manner about appearing on our podcast early on in her campaign, I believe that things took a turn for the worse when I personally witnessed Ms. Beidler and one of her key supporters, former State Senator Susan Garrett, verbally attacking a local small business owner for her public support of Randy Tack by displaying a Tack campaign sign in her window and I publicly called it out on the podcast and then learned that a few other local businesses had similar experiences.
We have repeatedly invited - and continue to invite - Ms. Beidler on the podcast to discuss her side of the story as well as to explain other issues brought up during the campaign.
In addition to Ms. Beidler, we invite ALL of our critics – and anyone that we’ve criticized – onto the show to discuss their viewpoints. For example, after we criticized Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega for last-minute changes to the polling place location for several Lake Forest precincts, Clerk Vega appeared on our podcast where we had a fun and polite discussion about the issue and cleared the air about some misconceptions we had about his decision.
Despite what some of our critics say, our podcast is not a rubber-stamp for the Lake Forest Caucus. We have been critical of some of the Caucus’ decisions as well as some decisions made by the City of Lake Forest. We call them as we see them, and we invite anyone to come on the podcast to agree or disagree with us. Like we did with Clerk Vega, we promise to make it fun and treat all guests with respect!
Anyone interested in appearing on the podcast can email me at pete@lakeforestpodcast.com
Listeners can access the Lake Forest Podcast through various podcast platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud, and YouTube and keep up to update on new podcasts and other information by following us on Facebook.
Pete
Pete Jansons
The Lake Forest Podcast Host/Producer
