Lake Forest voters decide Tuesday, Oct. 6, whether to endorse the Caucus Committee's candidates for mayor, four council seats and two school boards.

Polls are open from noon to 8 p.m. at Gorton Center, 400 E. Illinois Rd. Voters will mark paper ballots and vote on each candidate individually, according to the Lake Forest Caucus. Each candidate needs a majority to be endorsed.

The headline race is for mayor. The Caucus Committee has put forward Dr. Ara Goshgarian, an orthodontist who grew up in Lake Forest, graduated from Lake Forest High School and returned to practice alongside his father. Goshgarian served on the City Council from 2019 to 2025 representing Ward 3, where he chaired the Public Works Committee and the Property and Public Land Committee and served on the Finance Committee.

In its announcement of Goshgarian's candidacy, the Caucus cited his six years on the City Council as preparation for the mayor's office.

All four aldermanic candidates on the ballot are incumbents: Pete Clemens in Ward 1, John Powers in Ward 2, Nick Bothfeld in Ward 3 and Richard Walther in Ward 4.

Four candidates are up for District 67 School Board seats: Jay Connelly, incumbent Mark Pickett, Kristin Vallaly and incumbent Monica Yaun. Three candidates seek District 115 School Board seats: Kirsten Kohlmeyer, Jennifer Neubauer and incumbent John Noble.

How it works

The 43-member Caucus Committee, a nonpartisan volunteer organization independent of the city, has vetted and recommended local candidates for more than 90 years. The committee presents one candidate per open position. If any candidate fails to win a majority Tuesday, a second vote with two or more previously vetted candidates is held one week later.

To vote, residents must be registered voters with Lake Forest residency. A physical Illinois driver's license or state-issued ID is required. The Caucus Committee checks IDs against a registered voter list from the Lake County Clerk's office. Voters registered in another state are not eligible.

At the Caucus's spring meeting on March 16, 245 votes were cast and the officer slate was approved with 89% support, 219 to 26.

What's next

Candidates who win Tuesday's endorsement will carry the Caucus label into the 2027 municipal election. Results will be shared by email after at least two committee members count and verify the ballots.