The Lake Forest Caucus Committee is recommending two residents with experience on city advisory boards, along with two incumbents, for its City Council slate in next year’s municipal elections.
The 43-member Caucus Committee has endorsed Rosemary Kehr to represent the city’s second ward and Lloyd Culbertson in the fourth Ward. The Committee is also supporting the re-election bids of Alderwoman Nancy Novit, 1st and Alice LeVert, 3rd.
The Caucus general membership will vote on the proposed slate at its annual meeting on Oct. 14. The Caucus recruits, vets, and endorses candidates for local elections; those it supports often run unopposed in the municipal elections.
The City Council is composed of eight alderpeople, two from each of Lake Forest’s four wards.
Kehr has served as a member and chair of both the Plan Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals. She is currently a member of the Central Business District Working Group and on the City Manager’s Advisory Group, which is focusing on the planned renovation of a Conway Park office building set to become the city’s new police headquarters.
Culbertson has served on the Building Review Board, Plan Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, and Historic Preservation Commission. He is also president of his neighborhood homeowners association.
“Lloyd and Rosemary have served on numerous boards. These people have served the city well for a long period of time and they still continue to do so,” Caucus President Regina Etherton said. “Their qualifications are quite stellar.”
Etherton said the recruitment process involved reaching out to all residents who expressed interest in serving, followed by interviews before the endorsements were made.
“We felt really comfortable that our guidelines were followed,” she added.
The Caucus Committee also recommended Novit and LeVert for re-election to new two-year terms. Novit was first elected in 2022, while LeVert is seeking her second term.
Kehr and Culbertson would replace Edward “Ted” Notz, 2nd and Eileen Looby Weber, 4th who are stepping down next year after serving the traditional three two-year terms.
Now in his last few months in office, Notz said he enjoyed working with city staff and valued his time on the City Council.
“We’re a board of eight independent minds. We’re not always going to agree, but we do agree more often than not,” he said. “The whole reason there are eight of us up there is because there are other opinions, and you need to hear them out. Being part of that process and the direction we’ve taken the city over the last six years has been really rewarding.”
At the annual meeting, Caucus members will also vote on a proposed bylaw change that would allow alternative voting methods, including electronic, remote, or mail-in ballots. Currently, members may only vote in person.
Etherton said the proposed change would require a two-thirds majority for approval.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.