Lake County Gazette

The Lake Forest mayoral race is shaping up to be a historical event with insurgent candidate Prue Beidler bucking the trend by ignoring the lake Forest Caucus’s recommendation.

Stanford “Randy” Tack 

Stanford “Randy” Tack is the Lake Forest Caucus choice for mayor. 

He previously served as 3rd Ward Alderman. From 2012-2018 and is currently chair of the Central Business District Planning Committee. 

He is the co-founder and managing partner of the Bone and Joint Institute and vice president of the Midwest Orthopedic Network. 

“Randy was born in Chicago and spent his childhood in Elmhurst and Glen Ellyn. He graduated from Glenbard West High School and the University of Illinois (B.S. in Biology) and attended the University of Illinois College of Medicine. To pay for medical school, Randy worked as a bartender, as a steelworker in a factory in Cicero, and managed an apartment building,” Tack’s campaign website reads. 

He moved to Lake Forest with his then-wife Lisa Merits who later died of cancer. He now lives with his wife Paula and their merged family.

“While Alderman, Randy served as the Chairman of the Public Works Committee and Fire Vision 2020 Committee. The many initiatives he drove include:

• the relinquishment of a Special Service Area tax on certain residents of Ward 3 which saved residents almost $800,000

• the renovation and upgrade of Lake Forest’s water plant

• the reworking of the Fire and Public Safety Pension Plan for the City of Lake Forest to stabilize expenditures over time,” his campaign website reads.

Prudence "Prue" Beidler 

Prue Beiler is an independently wealthy philanthropist. She received her master’s degree from the University of Chicago and her bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College.

“Prue Beidler has volunteered and served on the board of directors for non-profit organizations in both Chicago and her hometown of Lake Forest for over 40 years, Beidler’s bio on the Mies van der Rohe Society website reads. 

According to the bio, Beidler started her career as a Chicago Public School teacher after receiving a Bachelor of Arts from Wellesley College and a Master of Studies in Education from the University of Chicago. She also served six years as an alderman in Lake Forest.

Beidler’s LinkedIn page provides additional details. 

“She serves on the boards of the Lake County Community Foundation, Planned Parenthood Illinois, the Juvenile Justice Initiative, Chicago Public Media, the Mies Society at Illinois Institute of Technology, of which she is a co-chair, the LGBT Community Foundation, of which she is co-chair, and the Woman’s Board of the Art Institute of Chicago,” Beidler’s LinkedIn page reads.

Her profile also noted that Beidler serves on the Lake Forest Cemetery Commission and is a Long Range Planning and Governance committee member. She is also a lay liturgist at the First Presbyterian Church, a board member of the Forest Park Project, and a former Lake Forest Garden Club president.

Paul Hammann

Independent candidate, Paul Hamann is a security trader. He retired as an electrical engineer who worked at Energy Star Buildings as a Project Director. Hamann is a graduate of Purdue University. 

“I figure if I can beat Goldman Sachs, I should be able to help the city so as far as helping the boards out,” Hamann said in an episode of The Lake Forest Podcast. 

He is also a former congressional candidate.