For 65 years, the Northbrook Caucus, comprised of hundreds of Village friends and neighbors, has successfully interviewed, vetted and endorsed the most qualified candidates for Village offices.
On Tuesday our speaker was Amy Kurson, Chair of the Northbrook Caucus for the 2019 Municipal Election. The caucus happens every two years and will culminate in our municipal election on April 6, 2021.
The Caucus is eager to increase public involvement and to receive community input about Caucus objectives and processes. Recently a survey was developed to help the Caucus update and modernize its bylaws and plans (last revised in 1982). The Caucus was established to recruit and screen candidates for offices such as Village President, Village Trustee, Park Board Commissioner, Library Board Trustee, and members of local School Districts #27 and #28.
The Caucus is open to all Northbrook residents who are registered to vote. The group organizes into Committees and nominating Sub-Committees every other year, approximately seven months before the municipal election.
Amy spoke to the upcoming election and the timeline. Although petitions can be signed beginning in September, Kurson said ‘typically they are signed after the town hall meeting.”
It is unknown if current officials will run again, but the openings include Village Manager; Trustees (4 openings); District 27 (5 openings); District 28 (4 openings); Park Board (3 openings); and 4 openings for the Library board. The Town Hall event takes place in November.
The caucus leaders for the 2021 election include: Library co-chairs R. Tzinberg and J. Weinberg; Trustees Co-chairs B. Nekritz and J. Saperstein; S. Chupach chair for District 28; and an opening for District 27. To get involved contact Amy Kurson.
Also scheduled was Katherine M. Gehl a business leader, entrepreneur, author, and speaker. She is the CEO of Venn Innovations, a new organization focused on powerful and achievable change around a short-list of consequential issues requiring breakthrough thinking. The first focus for Venn Innovations is American politics. Corresponding with the release of her first book, “The Politics Industry,” co-authored with Harvard Business School Professor Michael E. Porter, and in order to make good on the promise of political innovation found in its pages, Gehl founded The Institute for Political Innovation. In her absence, Jacob Ringer, the Deputy Director at Institute for Political Innovation (IPI) spoke. Ringer’s political background included a run for Chicago alderman, and he is principal in 2 Bars 4 Stars a political consulting firm.
Gehl is the former president and CEO of Gehl Foods, a $250 million high- tech food manufacturing company in Wisconsin, where she led an aggressive and transformational turnaround, receiving multiple awards, before selling the company in 2015—in part to dedicate more time to political innovation. In 2013 Gehl applied the traditional tools of business analysis for the first time to politics in order to uncover the root cause of its dysfunction—the unhealthy competition in what she called the politics industry. In 2016 she invited Porter to join her in her work, and they co-authored the 2017 Harvard Business School publication “Why Competition in the Politics Industry Is Failing America: A Strategy for Reinvigorating Our Democracy.” Its enthusiastic reception led to their book.
Gehl serves on the boards of Unite America, Business for America, and New America. She is the honorary co-chair of the National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers (NANR). In 2018 Gehl cofounded Democracy Found, an initiative dedicated to establishing Final-Five Voting in Wisconsin for congressional elections. Gehl received a BA from the University of Notre Dame, an MA from the Catholic University of America, and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
To see the talk – log on to our Facebook live meeting recording.
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As we navigate this Covid world – it may seem sad that we are not together, in the same room. But we are Rotary strong! Our Rotary bandwidth is over 35,000 member clubs worldwide, with a membership of 1.2 million individuals. How do we stay connected and up to date on projects and initiatives? The Rotary VR App!
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Get to know Rotary: New! Rotary Showcase can help you find project partners.
This is a recap of a project that President Carlos Frum headed up in 2013 called HealthRays – Guatemala Digital X-Ray with a variety of area Rotary Clubs including Wheeling; Northbrook; Skokie Valley; Schaumburg-Hoffman Estates; Lake in the Hills; Winnetka-Northfield; Evanston Lighthouse; and Wilmette Harbor.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that two-thirds of the world's population lack access to image diagnostic services. Health ministries in developing countries have no funds to provide their health centers in remote areas with the equipment and the trained staff needed.
This project demonstrates the feasibility of large-scale cooperation in Guatemala to install 29 x-ray systems in clinics nationwide.
Partners:
• The Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance of Guatemala
• The Rotary Clubs of Guatemala
• Rotary District 6440 and others in the United States and other nations
• The Pan American Health Organization
• The Office of the President and the First Lady of Guatemala.
Additional clubs and districts can participate by partnering with clubs in Guatemala and providing funding. Arrangements and coordination provided by Districts 6440 and 4250. Cost per unit approximately $37,000 in DDF or $49,000 in cash. A grant made this project possible. We are still supporting HealthRays today.
To find out more about Rotary projects check out this link:
