Two Outgoing Skokie Trustees Endorse Independent Candidate

SKOKIE, IL — Two of the four outgoing candidates on the Skokie Village Board have endorsed an independent candidate for trustee.

Seven candidates are running for four-year terms on the six-member village board. They include six candidates slated by the Skokie Caucus Party and one independent candidate.

The Caucus Party, which has been undefeated in local elections since 1960, earlier this month withdrew its endorsement of its former board member Billy Haido over social media posts party officials described as "sexist" and "misogynistic."

Party leaders made the move — and excised Haido from its campaign materials — shortly after a group of women elected officials who live or represent Skokie issued a statement condemning Haido and his posts.

But they also emphasized the party's repudiation of Haido does not mean it endorses Johnson, who did not seek the party's nomination via a screening process.

The party solicited applications from potential candidates in October. A nominating committee of about a dozen people recommended a slate of nominees, which was approved by members at the party's annual meeting in January. No other candidates sought the party's nomination at the meeting.

Four trustees are leaving the village board following the April 6 election — Michele Bromberg, Karen Gray-Keeler, Randy Roberts and Ilonka Ulrich.

Ulrich, an attorney serving her second term as village trustee, called on Skokie residents to vote for Johnson.

"Hard for me to sleep at night knowing a bigot will take my place. I stand with the elected women of Skokie against Haido. As a woman, as a Latina as a proud proponent of the LGBT, Please vote for Johnson, the school teacher," she said in a social media post. "If you don’t, the misogynist wins 100%."

The outgoing trustee said she had met Johnson and described him as "a good guy" in another post.

"One of the most important professions are our teachers, impacting who our children are and will become," she said, according to a screenshot. "Please vote for the independent candidate as one of your six votes for trustee. No to Haido. When was the last time we gave someone else a chance?"

Roberts told Patch he was ready to step aside after five terms on the village board and initially had supported the six slated candidates.

"I felt like I've done a lot of good over the years, and I think it's time to give other people a turn," Roberts said. "I'm very much in favor of having a diverse slate for the Skokie Caucus Party so I was pleased when the screening committee proposed these new candidates and I think they represent more of the face of Skokie"

But after the party pulled its support from Haido, Roberts said, he began to take a closer look at Johnson's campaign. He said he was the first time he had ever supported an independent candidate in a local election.

"Now there's a sixth vote, I really hope that residents will take time and educate themselves about the candidates and vote for the candidate that is best," he said. "In the last week that's what I've tried to do, because circumstances have changed, obviously. And I've had a chance to meet and talk with James Johnson, and I think he's a bright, intelligent, articulate young man who will represent a fresh voice for Skokie."

Patch has requested comment from Bromberg, who is also wrapping up her fifth term on the board, and Gray-Keeler, who has served on the board since 2012. Any responses received will be added here.

RELATED: 'Sexist, Misogynistic' Posts Cause Caucus Party To Drop Candidate

Skokie Park District Board Vice President Khem Khoeun, one of the three newcomers endorsed by the Caucus Party for trustee, was among the local elected leaders to jointly condemn Haido. She did not formally endorse Johnson but urged voters not to cast ballots for Haido.

"For those who wonder what my position is for the Village of Skokie trustee race, this is no longer a race between the Skokie Caucus Party and an independent candidate," Khoeun said Saturday in a social media post. "This is a race about values and personal conscience. I fully support the Assyrian community and the need for representation in a community where they make up more than a third of our population."

Khoeun pointed to her support for Naema Abraham for Niles Township High School District 219 board and Mary Oshana for Skokie Park District commissioner. Both women are members of the local Assyrian community.

"But as a woman who has advocated for women’s rights, and everything I have done to elevate the voice and rights of women, I cannot stand by and support a candidate who freely spouts misogynistic views," said the park commissioner and caucus-slated candidate for trustee.

"The people will have to decide on the sixth seat for trustee. There are no endorsements. Leave it blank or support the independent candidate."

Johnson praised Roberts, Ulrich and Khoeun for their support.

"It’s incredibly humbling to receive the support of Randy Roberts and Ilonka Ulrich because they are two of the Trustees I most admire and want to emulate. They are critical thinkers, they ask great questions, and they serve with integrity. It’s been a pleasure to get to know them, and I hope to make them proud," Johnson told Patch in a statement.

"I greatly appreciate the support of Khem Khoeun as well. It would be an honor to serve on the Village Board with her. She’s an incredible advocate for immigrant rights, women’s rights, and human rights in general. I would love to collaborate with her moving forward."

Nearly two dozen residents submitted public comments for the March 15 village board meeting calling for reforms of local elections.

"There's been, in my opinion, a dreadful mistake made which brought an inappropriate candidate — who was clearly not properly vetted — to the slate," resident Elaine Vincent said.

"Mistakes in judgement can happen in any election. But when the voters have the opportunity to select candidates in a fairly managed open primary then they have the chance to do the homework necessary to choose wisely," she added. "It is the voter's responsibility — and right — to select candidates. That's what democracy looks like."