Election 2013: Hinsdale Caucus Set to Finalize Village, D181 Slates

Believe it or not, the next election in the Hinsdale area is only a few months away.

The Hinsdale Village Caucus on Nov. 28 will finalize its candidate endorsements for District 181 Board of Education, Village of Hinsdale Board of Trustees, and the Village of Hinsdale Library Board, as the filing period for the April 2013 municipal elections approaches.

The caucus’ nominating committees—there’s one for each of the above elected bodies—made their recommendations at the caucus’ last meeting, and Hinsdale Village Caucus chairperson Amy Louis said those potential candidates will very likely get the final endorsement of the caucus next week.

The persons recommended by the nominating committees are Gary Clarin, Mridu Garg and Jill Vorobiev for the three open spots on the District 181 school board, Jerry Hughes, Laura LaPlaca and Bob Saigh for the three seats on the Hinsdale Board of Trustees, Tom Cauley for Hinsdale village president, and John Maguire, Kathleen Wilson, Callie Revord, Naveed Bandukwala and Ross Sprovieri for the open Hinsdale Library Board seats.

All three District 181 caucus nominees and all four Library Board nominees would be new to their boards if elected in April. Hughes would be new to the Board of Trustees, as LaPlaca and Saigh are currently serving out their first terms on the board.

While Cauley, the current Hinsdale village president, got the nod from the Board of Trustees nominating committee for a second term, he cannot get the official endorsement of the caucus as a whole according to the organization’s bylaws, which mandate it only endorse village president candidates for one term.

“We will not be able to endorse him, but he has had nominating committee support,” Louis said.

Because of the circumstances, the chairperson said, it is likely the caucus will not endorse any village president candidate.

The caucus endorses trustees and District 181 board members for a maximum of two terms.

The Hinsdale Village Caucus' nominating process began in September, when they first called for potential nominees.

After the nominating committees seek out folks from the community who might be interested in volunteering their time to serve on an elected body, they vet and interview potential candidates, Louis said. The goal is to endorse slates that have a diverse set of skills and backgrounds in an attempt to make elected bodies as effective as possible.

“We cast a pretty wide net when we’re looking for people,” Louis said.

One does not need the caucus’ endorsement to run. Though the caucus’ Board of Trustees slate in 2011—Chris Elder, Bill Haarlow, and J. Kimberley Angelo—ran unopposed, the slate for District 181 that year—Brendan Heneghan, Susan Nedza Lastres, Michael Nelson, and Glenn Yaeger—were opposed by two non-caucus candidates including Marty Turek, who won a spot over Nedza Lastres.

Those interested in running for local office on April 9, including those endorsed by the caucus, must file the mandatory nominating papers with the governmental body they hope to serve between Monday, Dec. 17., and Monday, Dec. 24.

The Nov. 28 meeting, where the caucus will finalize its slates, will begin at 7 p.m. in Memorial Hall’s upstairs conference room. The meeting is open to the public.

Check back with Patch for more reporting on the Hinsdale Village Caucus selections, including more on the organization’s method of selection and more on the candidates they will likely endorse.