Positions

 

A Message from Randy

“In my profession as an orthopedic spine surgeon, I have been exposed to people from all walks of life. I have been blessed with the opportunity to work for them in their interest. I have been presented with simple and complex challenges, solvable and unsolvable problems. The most important lesson learned is that everyone has an expectation that their problem will be addressed with an appropriate level of concern and competence. As an Alderman, I was presented with similar expectations. As Mayor, I would apply the same principles to ensuring that the city works in the interest of its residents. What we can do, and what I as mayor will do, is apply our energies, resources, intellectual capacity, and compassion to achieve the best obtainable results for our citizens.“

— Stanford “Randy” Tack

 

Randy's Positions

  • Thoughtful stewardship of our critical assets While the current District 115 Capital Improvement Referendum and the Lake Forest Library Capital Improvement Program are not technically within the purview of the Mayor and the Lake Forest Government taxing authority, I believe we need to maintain these critical assets in our community. As the Mayor and leader of the City Council I will work closely with these respective board chairs and members to ensure that we maintain our key legacy assets, and also have the difficult conversations around need versus want, to ensure that all Lake Forest taxpayers feel good about the return on investment from these key strategic capital projects.

    I promise to take the same approach concerning our vital environment and open spaces, including our Lake Forest Beach, public and private ravine system, historical bridges, roads, and City owned buildings. This is hands-on difficult management and problem solving work, not public private fund raising. I am uniquely qualified to ensure that this is done efficiently and effectively.

  • Non-partisan agenda There is no place for partisan politics within the Lake Forest City Council. I will ensure our city’s leadership remains focused on doing what is in the long term best interests of Lake Forest, and eschews politicization of issues and various political litmus tests. I’m committed to keep city government free of political partisanship.

    I fully support the Lake Forest Caucus, which has repeatedly fended off initiatives that would bring partisan politics and personal agendas into our local government.

  • Fiscally responsible As Mayor I will maintain the city’s AAA bond rating, continue Lake Forest’s record of maintaining exceptionally strong cash reserves to protect the city’s finances against unexpected major expenditures, continue Lake Forest’s record of generating annual operating surpluses and not running deficits, remain committed to completing the city’s groundbreaking effort to achieve the “flatlining” of Lake Forest’s future pension funding obligations by 2025, and keep Lake Forest Property tax rates the lowest in the northern suburbs.

  • Economic development while respecting historic preservation and the city’s unique character I remain steadfast in our efforts to strengthen our East and West business districts and will work to continue to attract new restaurants and other businesses to both business districts.

  • Maintain a productive working relationship with city staff The central element in collaboration with the city manager and staff is trust. The trust required does not come with the title of mayor. It is based on demonstrated intellectual capacity to understand complex issues, demonstrated performance as an alderman, and demonstrated respect for the skills, abilities, and integrity of the city staff. Trust is also established by a willingness to speak honestly about issues publicly and privately when appropriate. In the absence of trust, collaboration will be superficial and nonproductive, negating the key functions required of both mayor and city manager and staff.

The Lake Forest Caucus

Randy’s selection by the Lake Forest Caucus

  • How was Randy selected?

    The Lake Forest Caucus Committee interviews, vets, and endorses about 160 volunteer positions on boards and commissions in Lake Forest, and has been doing so for over 80 years. As part of its process, Committee members learn about the skills required of these boards and commissions, find volunteers (or are approached by them), interview and vet them, and ultimately select them. The Caucus Committee consists of 43 volunteers elected by our neighbors with three year term limits which means new faces, ideas, and perspectives change with our city.

    For the mayor search specifically, the Caucus Committee’s search committee started interviewing candidates in May 2022 from a pool of about 20. The Caucus Committee’s Mayoral Selection Process is detailed here. The Caucus Committee believes its process is rigorous and representative of our community, having been refined over our eight decade history. For more information on the Lake Forest Caucus click here

  • Why is the Caucus process better?

    Candidates endorsed by the Lake Forest Caucus are selected using the criteria described above. These individuals are determined by a group of dozens of your fellow citizens to be the best choice. These candidates, including Randy, are not beholden to a party or ideological platform - they are committed to serving and being responsive to the community.