Lake County Gazette

Stanford “Randy” Tack laid out his candidacy for Lake Forest voters in a League of Woman Voters candidate forum held on March 15. 

Tack, a 30-year resident of Lake Forest, has been endorsed by outgoing mayor George Pandaleon. He pledged to 'faithfully steward the City of Lake Forest and maintain the tradition of excellence in governance, maintain the financial integrity, improve infrastructure, and preserve the city's historic character.'

“In 2023 in Lake Forest we have three candidates vying for the position of mayor,” Tack said. “The candidates have very different levels of experience, skills, and goals for the City. My goals are simple yet consequential — I seek to preserve the integrity of our volunteer form of government and defend it from forces that seek to replace it with a partisan alternative.” 

Tack also promised to "preserve our form of government, and commit to public safety. Most importantly, I will work with you to restore our faith in each other.”

“Lake Forest has the most effective municipal government in the State of Illinois," he said. "It is the most responsive and transparent government because of its committed, non-partisan volunteers. If it is to continue, it is dependent on a vibrant Caucus to recruit, vet, and promote willing volunteers to our boards and commissions.” 

Tack 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. 

He is facing Prue Beidler, a philanthropist who is a major Democrat donor, and Paul Hammann, a retired electrical engineer. The Lake Forest Caucus Committee selected Tack to run for office and Pandaleon supports Tack's race.

“I never asked to be, nor promoted myself, to be your Mayor. Neither did Randy Tack. Like me, Randy was asked if he would like to be considered by the Caucus Committee to become their Mayoral candidate," Pandaleon said in a press release. “Like me, he had to think about it for a while, but decided he could do the job if selected, and was willing to make the necessary sacrifices in service to his beloved community. It has never been about us. It's always been about doing the right thing for our small town. No agendas, no litmus tests, no favors asked or received.” 

Tack was selected to run for Mayor by the forty-three elected representatives on the Caucus Committee. Pandaleon noted that Tack's "opponent was not selected, and has reacted by taking actions, at great cost to all, that are intended to de-legitimize and defeat the Caucus system and our City Government and bring partisan electioneering to our town. The mayor continued, "These are critical institutions that have had a powerful role in making Lake Forest the wonderful community it is. We must not let this succeed.” 

He also stated that he worked closely with Tack on the City Council for several years and has seen that Tack "is a leader who thinks about things clearly and carefully." Pandaleon said people listen to Tack when he speaks and "are often persuaded of the wisdom of his thoughts and ideas.” 

Pandaleon urged all Lake Foresters to vote for Tack. He underscored how the latter "follows through with clear plans of action and is willing to take the lead on whatever effort is agreed upon, hands-on, and bring the project to a timely and successful conclusion. He makes the commitment and gets the job done. This has been demonstrated in his leadership of the Public Works Committee, the Fire Vision 2000 task force, and his current work leading the CBD Comprehensive Plan working group, not to mention his outstanding career leading one of our most prominent regional medical practices while also being a dedicated physician to many Lake Foresters.”