Lake Forest's "Restore the Caucus" Holds Sept. 12th Forum

On Saturday, September 12, 2015 a newly-formed Lake Forest citizens’ initiative, “Restore the Caucus” (www.restorethecaucus.com) will hold a free informational forum on the Lake Forest Caucus at Gorton Community Center, 400 East Illinois Road. The forum kicks-off with coffee at 9 am, followed by a description of the initiative, a presentation on Caucus history and Bylaws and a Q & A. All are welcome.

Restore the Caucus (RTC) was founded to educate Lake Forest residents on the contents, meaning, and implications of the Bylaws of the Lake Forest Caucus and to encourage broad community participation in the vetting and selection of Caucus candidates for Mayor, Alderman and local public school boards.

RTC researchers will present archival materials, including vintage Lake Forest Caucus brochures, showing that the “Caucus System” is a rooted in the 300+ year-old New England Town Hall meeting tradition and can be a paradigm of transparent, participatory democracy. This can all potentially occur again with excellent results today!

In general, a small town’s caucus system seeks to avoid divisive and costly general elections by choosing a slate in an open and transparent meeting. That slate then generally runs unopposed in the general municipal election in April. Sometime in November 2015, Lake Forest Caucus meeting attendees will slate four aldermen for the April 2016 municipal election. In 2017, aldermen, school board members and a mayor will be up for election, but will likewise be slated in November 2016.

Because all Lake Forest registered voters are members of the Lake Forest Caucus, they are all empowered to collectively slate City and school board offices. RTC founders believe Lake Forest citizens are not sufficiently aware of their right and responsibility to vet and slate candidates.

For example, the LFHS school board recently made certain hiring decisions in the face of a broad-based and overwhelmingly vocal opposition from over 1,000 concerned stakeholders. Only the sole non-Caucus school board member--who previously ran against a Caucus slated candidate in the 2013 general election--heeded this opposition and voted accordingly. RTC founders believe that when Lake Forest citizens are fully informed of their rights under the Caucus Bylaws they will have the tools to select the Lake Forest Caucus electoral slate in 2015, 2016 and beyond that reflects their values.

For more information on this free event, contact restorelfcaucus@gmail.com or www.restorethecaucus.com/contact.html.

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Goals, Motto, and Logo of “Restore the Caucus”

The RTC’s co-founders and supporters endorse the Caucus system, but specifically call for two things: that the Lake Forest Caucus leadership adhere to the Bylaws in both letter and in spirit, especially as regards timely, public notice of meetings and the use of secret ballots; and that all Lake Forest registered voters concerned with City and school governance vigorously participate in the Annual Meeting, Spring Meeting and all Interim Meetings of the Lake Forest Caucus, as explicitly provided for in the Bylaws. “Participate. It’s your Right!” is the Restore the Caucus motto. The nearly 300-year old endangered oak tree at the corner of Western and Laurel is its logo ’H