Winnetka Caucus slate will be decided at Thursday’s town hall. Here are the candidates.

A big year in local elections is fast approaching, and the Winnetka Caucus is about to put its best foot forward.

The caucus council released its recommendations last week, and Winnetka residents will lock in the final caucus slate during the organization’s fall town hall meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7.

Voting-eligible residents are welcome to attend the meeting, which for the first time will be a hybrid format with caucus members allowed to participate in person or online. Online voting will be offered via the platform Mi-voice, according to Caucus Chair Peter Eck, who said that the session will be “the most open and inclusive town hall” the group has hosted.

The caucus considers its members to be all voting-age residents of Winnetka or anybody served by the Village Council, Winnetka Park Board, Winnetka District 36 Board of Education or Winnetka-Northfield Library Board. The caucus is governed by a council that this year consists of 43 individuals, said Eck.

More information on the caucus, the town hall and voting process can be found on the Winnetka Caucus website.

In the April municipal elections, a village presidency and 12 local board seats are up for grabs among the four aforementioned Winnetka public bodies. Participants in the caucus town hall will vote on Thursday to approve individuals for the slate.

Following the eight-year administration of Chris Rintz, who is terming out of office, the Village of Winnetka will have a new village president beginning in 2025. For the two-year seat, the Winnetka Caucus Council is recommending Bob Dearborn, a two-term village trustee and former caucus chair. The slating committee commended Dearborn’s experience and “grasp on current issues” in Winnetka.

For the Village Council, three two-year seats are open but the caucus had just two applicants, Bridget Orsic and Kirk Albinson, both of whom were first elected in 2023 and are caucus endorsed. Scott Myers, a former Village councilmember, is a nomination from the floor, Eck said.

The Winnetka Park Board will likely draw the most contentious votes of the night with five combined (caucus and floor) candidates vying for three seats. The caucus council has put forth an incumbent, Colleen Root, and two newcomers, Elise Gibson Duda and Scott Corley. Caucus members have nominated Bill Murphy and Mary Garrison from the floor.

Two Winnetka District 36 School Board incumbents, President Dan Waters and Vice President Alyssa Rapp, received a caucus nod, as did Andrew Hotz. The caucus also named a slate alternate, Bashir Qaasim.

Sarah Munoz, Sarah Tegel and Lindsay Jenkins are caucus council picks for the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library Board. Munoz and Tegel are current library trustees.

“It’s a pretty significant year for us,” Eck said. “We had a robust number of applications in a structured and transparent process. I feel great about the engagement we had from the community and am excited for the town hall.”

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