Dr. Ara Goshgarian, a former Lake Forest City Council member and lifelong resident, is the Lake Forest Caucus Committee's pick for mayor.

The Caucus announced that Goshgarian will be presented for endorsement at the Annual Meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at Gorton Center. Registered Lake Forest voters can cast ballots and will decide whether to grant the official endorsement ahead of the April 2027 election.

The Caucus has vetted and recommended candidates for local office for more than 90 years. Its 43-member volunteer committee, organized by ward, is nonpartisan by design, according to the Caucus's description of its work.

Who is Goshgarian?

Goshgarian grew up in Lake Forest, graduated from Lake Forest High School and returned to practice orthodontics alongside his father. He served on the City Council from 2019 to 2025, representing Ward 3.

During that stretch he chaired the Public Works Committee and the Property and Public Land Committee and served on the Finance Committee. Before joining the council, he was a Ward 3 member of the Caucus Committee itself.

The Caucus said Goshgarian understands how the city operates because he has helped run it, and that he brings a clear grasp of the challenges Lake Forest faces ahead.

The endorsement process

The committee spent months recruiting and evaluating candidates through structured interviews, reference checks and background reviews, according to the Caucus's application page for the mayor's race.

One candidate per position is presented at the Annual Meeting. A majority "yes" vote from attending registered voters grants the official endorsement. If a candidate fails to win a majority, a second vote is held one week later with two or more previously vetted candidates on the ballot, according to the Caucus's clarification of its endorsement process.

What else is at stake

The Oct. 6 meeting also includes endorsement votes for aldermanic seats and school board positions in Districts 67 and 115.

The current mayor, Stanford Tack, holds a term that runs through 2027, according to the city's council page. Whether Tack plans to seek another term is not clear from available public records.

Registered voters who want to weigh in can attend the Annual Meeting at Gorton Center, 400 E. Illinois Rd., on Oct. 6 anytime between noon and 8 p.m.