Village of Glenview: A Caucus is a Caucus is not a Caucus!

—Noun: a meeting at which local members of a political party register their preference among candidates running for office or select delegates to attend a convention.

Well, that is one definition. Most of us have heard of the Iowa Caucuses. The most visible result of the quadrennial event in our neighboring Hawkeye State is the race to become a nominee of one of the major political parties in our country to become President. The other major places we hear of Caucuses are the respective Republican and Democratic caucuses at the US Federal and many state legislatures.

Again, the most visible result of a caucus at the Legislative level is the selection of the Speakers and Majority/Minority leaders of the Houses and Senates respectively.

In Illinois, we have nearly 7,000 individual units of government, most of them very local in nature. Our state has more units of government, by far, than any other state. Most of these are elected but many are appointed.

I reside in the State of Illinois, County of Cook, Northfield Township and the Village of Glenview. Each of these has their own elected leadership.

Other elected bodies on which I (and we) can vote include:

-Glenview Park District Board

-Glenview Library Board

-Oakton Community College District

-District 225 – Glenbrook High School District

-District 34 – Glenview Consolidate School District (Elementary)

-Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Chicago

-Trustee Schools, Maine Township 41N, Range 12E

-Trustee Schools, Northfield Township 42N, Range 12E

There is yet another unelected Taxing body which provides services to our home:

- NorthShore Mosquito Abatement District (County Appointed Board)

Then there are other unelected (though appointed by elected boards) governmental bodies which provide services such as:

-Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC)

-North Suburban Special Education District (NSSED)

I am certain that I missed some, I intend to update this article with new information as it becomes available.

I currently serve as an elected Member of the District 34 Board of Education and I was elected in April 2019. My desire to serve on the School Board was borne out of my service as an Appointed member of the Village of Glenview Plan Commission (2018-2019) and the knowledge that D34 intended to seek a Capital Referendum for long-needed capital improvements to our school buildings. I have been a construction professional for the entirety of my adult working life.

I subsequently learned that there were two paths to becoming a member of the D34 School Board. Both paths ended with a ballot slot for the voters to choose in April 2019. Path #1 included a ‘Caucus’ process and the second path was an independent path. I will discuss both in the hopes of demystifying some of the angst around this in our community.

I will state that I am not a member of nor am I affiliated with the D34 Caucus. The D34 caucus appears to me to be a group of concerned and motivated D34 residents. I am aware that it includes several former Board of Education Members. Ostensibly, it is a selection of two residents of each of the 27 or so Northfield Township precincts within the D34 boundaries. It also includes an alternate for each precinct.

In 2019 I went through two caucus interviews. The first interview was with a small group of maybe 12 residents. I was invited for a second interview with the ‘Caucus’, probably 60 residents in a conference room. To be sure, it felt a bit un-democratic for a group of unelected volunteers to be selecting candidates for a ballot. Only after I went through the process did I better understand the nature of the process.

The D34 Caucus system began in the 1950s. I hope that you can imagine that with the many elected bodies outlined above that it is difficult for candidates to break through. In my election, I received 6.1% of the votes of the Registered Voters in 27 Northfield Township precincts. I have reviewed D34 election results going back 20 years. In those 10 elections we have always had the number of candidates we needed to fill the available open seats. This does not always happen across the 967 elected boards in Illinois. There have been two elections where the caucus did not select an incumbent desiring continued service. There was only one election between 2001 and 2019 that had more candidates than available seats. Our district has been blessed with remarkable consistency in terms of filled seats and diverse skill sets.

The other path to becoming a candidate is to skip the caucus process and collect 50 valid signatures of registered voters living in District 34. In either case you need to 50 signatures, or more, to avoid challenges. Anyone qualified to do so can file for School District Board.

A caucus IS a caucus. On December 1, 2020 the Northfield Township Democratic and Republican parties held caucuses for their respective positions for Northfield Township leadership including:

-Supervisor

-Assessor

-Clerk

-Highway Commissioner

-Trustee (4 seats)

I can only speak for the Northfield Township Republican Caucus meeting, as I participated. This meeting had 17 participants. Seven of the participants were candidates. At least three more were family relations to prospective candidates. I decided to throw my hat in for Highway Commissioner. What happened next was very surprising.

I would note that I have a 30+ year background in Construction. I retired as a Master Chief Petty Officer of the US Navy Seabees including four combat tours and have worked for property owners (Target) and general contractors. I have built and maintained roads around the world. My opponent, the current four-year incumbent, does not have a background in construction except for his current stint as Highway Commissioner.

Now, I don’t mind losing, I have lost before in various efforts. If you put your name out there you might lose. I lost 16 to 1. I was the only one to vote for me. I would note that it appears that the Northfield Township Democratic Caucus did not nominate a candidate for this office in 2021. So, in effect, 16 Northfield Township Residents are making the 4-year decision on our Townships next Highway Commissioner, barring a write-in campaign.

What the heck does the Township Highway Commissioner do? An article for another time.

As near as I can tell, the only other locally organized and contested election will be for the Village of Glenview Trustee. Others will have to speak to the formation of the Unite Glenview party, which dates to early 2001, the quasi incumbent party in the Village. As a State of Illinois Registered Political Party their proceedings are private. What I have gleaned is that it is a locally organized and formalized party. Prior to each election the Party seeks applicants to slate for the party and for the election. There is and interview and selection process. This coming April 2021 there will be an election for Village President, which will likely be unopposed, and three Trustee seats.

In filings reviewed today, with the Illinois State Board of Elections, the current Chairperson of Unite Glenview is Ron Greco, also serving as the current Village of Glenview Zoning Board of Appeals Chairperson. The current Treasurer is Howard Silver, former Chairperson of the Village of Glenview Plan Commission.

At least as of today the Glenview Next slate of candidates had not filed with the state as a party, I do not know whether they are required to do so.

What does all this mean?

The Odd-year Consolidated Elections (2017, 2021, 2025), which follow every Presidential election, have an overweighted influence on the day to day lives of Village residents. The strategic direction of the Township, Village, Schools (K-8 and HS), Library, Park among others get chosen during these elections. Typically less than 10% of Village residents vote in these off-year elections.

Having been a small part of two parts of these governments since 2017 I often hear, ‘They don’t care about us (the residents)’; or ‘they are in the pocket of “name a developer”; or ‘they don’t represent the community, they do what they want’ or my favorite ‘My taxes are too high’.

If you read this far, I give you this challenge. Make a plan to vote. Evaluate the candidates, talk to your neighbors and VOTE VOTE VOTE. We live in one of the most vibrant communities in Illinois and in the entire Midwest. We deserve great government. Only you can make it so!!

Key Dates for the April 6, 2021 Consolidated Election

Date

Event

3/22/2021

First day of early voting

4/1/2021

Last day to request a mail ballot, including military and overseas voters

4/5/2021

Last day of early voting

4/5/2021

Last day of grace period registration and voting

4/6/2021

Last day mail ballots can be postmarked

4/6/2021

Election Day