Lake Forest voters endorsed Dr. Ara Goshgarian as the Caucus candidate for mayor on Tuesday, Oct. 6. Goshgarian received 975 yes votes and 128 no out of 1,126 ballots cast at Gorton Center.
The result, posted by the Lake Forest Caucus, locks in Goshgarian's spot on the April 2027 municipal ballot. But voters broke with the Caucus Committee's full slate, rejecting two school board candidates who now face a special runoff vote.
The annual meeting functions as the de facto primary for Lake Forest city races. Registered voters cast paper ballots on each candidate individually at Gorton Center between noon and 8 p.m., according to the Caucus's meeting page. At least two committee members counted and verified the results after polls closed.
Aldermanic slate sweeps
All four aldermanic candidates passed easily:
- Ward 1: Pete Clemens, 989 yes, 53 no
- Ward 2: John Powers, 990 yes, 45 no
- Ward 3: Nick Bothfeld, 991 yes, 49 no
- Ward 4: Richard Walther, 990 yes, 44 no
Each candidate needed a simple majority of votes cast in that race to earn the endorsement.
Two school board candidates fall short
Three of four District 67 candidates won endorsement. Jay Connelly led with 1,021 yes votes and 63 no. Mark Pickett earned 1,002 yes and 69 no. Monica Yaun received 880 yes and 202 no.
Kristin Vallaly did not clear the bar. She received 471 yes votes and 652 no.
On the District 115 side, John Noble earned endorsement with 1,008 yes and 84 no, and Kirsten Kohlmeyer passed with 987 yes and 103 no. Jennifer Neubauer received the widest rejection of any candidate on the ballot, falling short at 430 yes and 696 no.
What happens next
Goshgarian, a Lake Forest native and orthodontist, served on the City Council from 2019 to 2025 representing Ward 3. He chaired the Public Works Committee and the Property and Public Land Committee during that time. Current Mayor Stanford Tack's term runs through 2027.
The 43-member, all-volunteer Caucus Committee spent the summer and fall interviewing candidates before presenting its slate. The committee described its process as nonpartisan, saying it weighs experience, knowledge of local issues and commitment to the community.
The Caucus said it will announce a special meeting to hold a second vote on the two open school board seats. Under the committee's published process, that runoff would take place roughly one week after the annual meeting, with two or more previously vetted candidates on the ballot for each seat.
