The Northbrook Caucus is a group of volunteers who serve the Village of Northbrook.  

Since 1952, the mission of the Northbrook Caucus has been to provide an open, independent, nonpartisan process for recommending qualified citizens to serve in Northbrook’s Village Board of Trustees, Park Board, Library Board, and school boards.

The Northbrook Caucus identifies, vets and nominates residents for placement on local election ballots as “Caucus” candidates for Village wide offices of Village President, Village Trustee, Village Clerk, Park Board Commissioner, Library Board Trustee, school board member.  

Because the Northbrook Caucus is open to all, members of the community can be confident that the community based search and review process has been conducted for all candidates. 

Every board associated with Northbrook’s government is composed of residents.  The Northbrook Caucus recruits, vets and nominates residents for the elected offices of Village wide offices of Village President, Village Board Trustee, Village Clerk, Park Board Commissioner, Library Board Trustee and Districts 27 and 28 School Board members. The process the Northbrook Caucus follows for selecting and endorsing candidates is illustrated below:

1.     NC solicits candidates and seeks Applications

2.     Sub-Committee reviews Applications and selects candidates to interview

3.     Sub-Committee interviews occur

4.     Sub-Committee makes recommendation(s) to Caucus as a Whole

5.     Caucus as a Whole meets to evaluate/discuss sub-committee recommendations. Nominations may be made from the floor at this time.  After discussion, Caucus as a Whole votes to determine which candidate(s) will be recommended at Town Meeting.

6.     Town Meeting – Candidates are presented.  Nominations may be made from the floor.  Town votes.  Candidates receiving the most votes are “endorsed” by the Northbrook Caucus.

Applications for all endorsed candidates are available at the following links: Village Board, Park Board, Library Board, District 27, District 28.

Residents who want to get involved and believe that community service is their civic responsibility are encouraged to join the Northbrook Caucus. The sub-committee members and chairs are responsible for identifying, interviewing, recruiting and recommending qualified fellow Northbrook residents to serve on our town’s various boards.

Prior to each election cycle, the Caucus solicits applications from the entire community.  This helps ensure the complexion of the community is diverse and reflects the ever changing voice of the community.

All Northbrook registered voters are eligible to serve on the Northbrook Caucus. These time commits vary depending on the workload assigned each year.

Because the Northbrook Caucus is  a non-partisan organization, Northbrook residents benefit in terms of credibility, inclusivity, and effectiveness, for example:

• Impartiality: A non-partisan stance enhances the organization's credibility, as it is not perceived as favoring one political ideology over another.

• Broad Appeal: It fosters trust among diverse audiences, including those who might otherwise disengage due to perceived political bias.

• Focus on Mission: The organization is focused on its core mission rather than political agendas.

• Wider Reach: Being non-partisan allows the organization to engage with individuals and groups across the political spectrum.

• Effective Partnerships: It opens doors to community collaboration regardless of their political affiliations.

• Unity over Division: A non-partisan approach helps bring people together around shared goals rather than highlighting differences.

• Public Engagement: A non-partisan stance encourages civic participation by focusing on issues rather than polarizing debates.

• Problem-Solving: It facilitates constructive dialogue and problem-solving, as participants are less likely to feel alienated or attacked.

The goal is to focus on the Village and the needs of the local residents first and foremost and it helps to avoid the often divisive partisan politics that play out at the state and national level. Instead of “politicking” the Caucus process focuses on finding volunteers that are qualified with the right experience and then helps to vet them appropriately before nomination . We seek candidates that make decisions that benefit of all of Northbrook vs for some political agenda for just a portion of the community.​

As a result, our Village has enjoyed a strong financial position and a AAA bond rating within a State that struggles in these ways. We have top rated schools, parks and library. We enjoy great amenities and have an excellent Village management team with a great staff. We are fortunate to have so many citizens in the community willing to serve Northbrook with robust skills and experiences.

The Northbrook Caucus seeks, vets and nominates residents for placement on local election ballots as “Caucus” candidates for Village wide offices of Village President, Village Board Trustee, Village Clerk, Park Board Commissioner, Library Board Trustee and Districts 27 and 28 School Board members. The process the Northbrook Caucus follows for selecting and endorsing candidates is illustrated below:

1.     NC solicits candidates and seeks Applications

2.     Sub-Committee reviews Applications and selects candidates to interview

3.     Sub-Committee interviews occur

4.     Sub-Committee makes recommendation(s) to Caucus as a Whole

5.     Caucus as a Whole meets to evaluate/discuss sub-committee recommendations. Nominations may be made from the floor at this time.  After discussion, Caucus as a Whole votes to determine which candidate(s) will be recommended at Town Meeting.

6.     Town Meeting – Candidates are presented.  Nominations may be made from the floor.  Town votes.  Candidates receiving the most votes are “endorsed” by the Northbrook Caucus.

Applications for all endorsed candidates are available at the following links: Village Board, Park Board, Library Board, District 27, District 28.

Free and fair elections are the bedrock of our constitutional democracy. As noted above, the Caucus Committee serves in an advisory capacity to recommend candidates for elected positions (Mayor, City Council, and School Board), but there is nothing to prevent any registered Lake Forest voter from running for election. We see other candidates run for various personal, special interest, or politically driven reasons. Our country’s electoral process supports the opportunity for candidates to run for any reason. Our city does too.

​

The point of the Caucus is to offer the community a process to ensure some due diligence has been overseen in the candidate selection process before nominee’s are presented for the election. The Caucus search, vetting and nominating process is run by peers in the community (Caucus Committee), who are elected by the community to serve on their behalf. A vetting process vs self-selected individuals provides a level of assurance and confidence for the community. Ultimately, each member of the community casts their own vote and they should do their own research of all candidates up for election.