There will be some new faces on Glencoe’s elected boards next year, but finding candidates to run for office is not moving as fast as officials from the local caucus had hoped.
The Glencoe Caucus is pushing back its August 15 deadline for resident applications for village president, village board trustee, park district board and library board to at least to the end of the month due to slow response, according to Caucus Nominating Committee Co-chairman David Leibson.
“I have talked with existing (caucus) members and I am told this happens every time, unfortunately,” he said. “But when people come back at the end of August, hopefully they will finalize their plans.”
Leibson said a soft deadline is now in place for the end of August, and he hopes to schedule candidate interviews in September and October.
Residents can go to the Caucus website – at http://glencoecaucus.org/ – to fill out the questionnaire to initiate the process, Leibson said.
Receiving the endorsement of the Glencoe Caucus is the traditional avenue for getting elected in the village, though citizens can choose to run as independent candidates.
There will be some changes to the composition of the village’s governing bodies, as some people are leaving due to time-honored term limits or have decided not to run.
At the Village Board, Leibson said incumbents Dale Thomas and Barbara Miller have applied to the Caucus for second terms, but Scott Pearce is stepping down after four years.
“I always intended to serve one term,” Pearce said via e-mail. “I believe turnover is healthy for the process, and also, that others should have the opportunity to serve our community.”
Leibson said he knows of one person who has filed to seek the Village Board trustee slot, but declined to the name the individual.
There are six members on the Village Board, plus Village President Larry Levin.
Levin has filed the paperwork for election to a second term, and Leibson said he is not anticipating anyone to challenge him.
Meanwhile, the Park District’s Board of Commissioners will likely see two open slots on the five-member board.
While President Steve Gaines has stated he will seek the Caucus endorsement for a second term, incumbent Andre Lerman has said previously he would not seek another term. Trustee Seth Palatnik said he will also will likely depart the board.
“I probably will not seek a second term as I plan to get involved with other aspects of the community,” Palatnik said via a text message. “The (Park District) is well run with excellent leadership and a terrific current board.”
Leibson said nobody has formally applied for the Park Board vacancies, though he expects that two or three people will come forward.
The Glencoe Public Library’s Board of Trustees will have at least three open seats on the seven-member panel, as Trustees John Tuohy and Tracey Meyers have said they will both step down after eight years, as it is customary for members to only serve two terms. In addition, Trustee Michelle Gooze-Miller said last week she will not run for a second term, citing time demands. But Vice President Kathy Doyle has filed the paperwork for another term, according to Leibson.
Leibson said one other resident has formally applied for the library board, though he believes there will be additional candidates.
The Caucus’ application deadline for the District 35 School Board is October 15, according to the Caucus website.
Four positions on the School Board will be up for election, and two incumbents – Eddie Chez and Robert Bailey – have previously said they would not seek new terms. Board member Julie Ackerman said she is undecided, and attempts to reach Board member Marc Glucksman about his intentions were unsuccessful.
Board member Melissa Estes said she plans to run for the remainder of a term she was appointed to earlier this year. The Board unanimously appointed Estes in May to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Michael Sherman, who took a new job out of state. Estes’ appointment lasts until the April 2017 municipal election, when a special election will be held to fill the remaining two years of Sherman’s term.
“I would like to delve into it more deeply and make a meaningful contribution,” Estes said Monday.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press
