The Citizens' Council of La Grange could decide to once again extend its deadline for candidates seeking endorsement in the race to fill three vacancies on the La Grange village board of trustees in next April's general election, Katie Justak, the council's chairperson, said Wednesday night.
Despite having already twice extended the deadline for candidates in all three local races, most recently until Oct. 31, Justak said the council has received applications from only two village board candidates: Incumbent trustee Mark Kuchler and Jeff Nowak, who currently holds an appointed seat on the village plan commission.
A third announced candidate, Jim Palermo, also an incumbent trustee, last week said he would not seek the council's endorsement, citing a policy recently adopted by his employer that would restrict his involvement as a member of any political party or slate.
Justak said that council members could consider another extension for village board candidates at its Nov. 10 meeting, at which they also will interview four candidates seeking endorsement for three seats on the library board.
Two of the library board candidates submitted their applications shortly before the Oct. 31 extended deadline, Justak said.
Interviews and endorsements of candidates for the Park District of La Grange board of commissioners are scheduled for Dec. 1. Those of candidates for the village board of trustees will be held Dec. 8.
The council has received applications from three park board candidates, Justak said. They are incumbents Mary Ellen Penicook and Brad Belcaster, and newcomer Lynn Lacey. The council is expected to make endorsements for two open seats on the park board.
Justak said the deadline extensions were made in an effort to fulfill the council's bylaws, which require that "[E]very effort shall be made to obtain at least two (2) qualified nominees for each office to be voted upon by the Council."
While that target was not met in either of the past two local elections—held in 2009 and 2007—the council in those years was able to attract and endorse at least enough candidates to equal or exceed the number of open seats.
Extending the deadline a third time for current village board candidates might help the council repeat those feats, but Justak said the council will not give its endorsement "just to fill a seat."
"Candidates must convince the council that they are qualified and will be good public servants," she said.
Justak said she unsuccessfully tried to persuade Palermo to reconsider his decision not to seek the council's endorsement in his bid for a second four-year term as village trustee. Palermo sought and won its endorsement in the 2007 race.
The non-partisan council "is not and cannot be a political party," Justak said. "We're not a caucus."
Instead, Justak compared an endorsement from the council as equivalent to one from a local newspaper's editorial board.
"We are a group of citizens recommending a group of candidates to our fellow residents," she said.
While the council intends to publish an informational brochure announcing its endorsements and detailing the candidates' backgrounds and qualifications, it will not organize any election campaign on their behalf, Justak said.
But she did acknowledge that council members in the past typically have formed independent political parties in order to promote and campaign on behalf of a slate of candidates endorsed by the council.
However, in 2009, candidates endorsed by the council formed their own party without direct assistance from council members.
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