In 2025, the Northbrook Caucus said the quiet part out loud.
Over the past decade, its ties to the Democratic Party of Illinois had gradually become more visible — initially quiet, noticed mostly by those paying close attention, but increasingly difficult to ignore. This year, those ties became explicit. And it likely wasn’t just about electoral alignment — it may have been about political necessity. The Northbrook Caucus likely welcomed the air cover, hoping to reinforce a narrative of steady progress and competent leadership — despite mounting questions about the substance behind that message.
After nearly seven years of owning the Grainger property — and confident assurances in the 2021 presidential race that Northbrook would make money on the deal — there are still no shovels in the dirt and the Village still owns (most of) the property. Affordable housing remains stuck in neutral, even as we were reminded of the legal obligations we have to change that trajectory. Despite nearly $100 million in offered TIF money from the village—contingent on hitting key retail leasing milestones—the future of Northbrook Court is entirely in the hands of Brookfield, as stores continue to empty out of the mall. After years of fact-finding — and the undeniable fact that our public service buildings are outdated and present safety risks to both first responders and village staff — aging infrastructure finally appears to be on the radar but, again, visible progress remains elusive. The Village's deep reputation with developers as difficult to work with — marked by lengthy review cycles, archaic zoning codes, and a 15% affordable housing requirement seemingly designed more for optics than impact — had to at least partially contribute to the debacle with Green Acres.
Even the touted increase in sales tax revenue was dubious, if not outright false. While projections for the year ahead appear promising, the reality is that Northbrook has, at best, weathered the storm of the past five years with flat sales tax revenue — hardly the sign of robust or sustained economic growth.
The nonpartisan label remained, but the campaign strategy told a different story — deflect attention from an underwhelming track record and instead emphasize a decorated lineup of endorsements from a variety of officials outside of Northbrook. Also, strike first to label the opposition. They are inexperienced — they haven’t voted in a Northbrook election or served on a village committee. They’re not transparent — they have a private Facebook group and are skipping the Voter Forum. Even though three are lifelong Northbrook residents who returned after college to raise their families here — and a fourth has had a business in town for over 15 years — the narrative suggested none of them were truly even committed to Northbrook.
It was a strategy shaped by coordinated messaging, party-aligned endorsements, and political infrastructure that likely extended well beyond Northbrook.
The tone was set early, when the Northfield Democrats kicked off the campaign season with an attack email aimed at casting doubt on a group of independent candidates by tying them to the prior incarnation of Northbrook Focused — a group they implied had far-right associations. The email made this connection despite the fact that the four independent candidates in this election cycle had no affiliation with that earlier effort and, as the email itself reminded readers, had not even voted in the 2021 municipal election.
That narrative was reinforced in the final days of the campaign, when the Northfield Democrats released a voter guide. On the same card where they endorsed Democratic-aligned candidates in other local April 2025 municipal races, they also endorsed the full Northbrook Caucus slate — framing them as the party’s preferred “nonpartisan” choices. Directly beneath that endorsement, they included this pointed warning — one that was not included in any other race they endorsed:
⚠️ CAUTION: "An 'independent' group filed to oppose the Northbrook Caucus-endorsed candidates above; some have since announced they have withdrawn from the race. The Caucus-endorsed candidates listed above are genuine and committed to serve."
It wasn’t a quiet signal of preference — it was a bold attempt to discredit the only alternative on the ballot. Not only did the Democratic voter guide blur the line between partisan and nonpartisan races, it actively cast doubt on the legitimacy of independent candidates in a local election that should be about community over party.
While the national Democratic Party continues to struggle with messaging and identity, the story in Illinois is different. Here, Democrats have dominated — and Northbrook was no exception. In Northfield Township, which includes Northbrook, Kamala Harris received nearly 65% of the presidential vote in 2024. Jan Schakowsky and Brad Schneider coasted to reelection in their congressional districts. Every state representative seat that touches the township was also won by a Democrat, most by comfortable margins.
This local strength seems to have emboldened Illinois Democrats. It sent a clear message: even if the brand was struggling elsewhere, it still had staying power here. And with that confidence came a willingness to be bolder — to lean into local elections with the same organization, messaging, and strategic focus typically reserved for state and federal races.
So in 2025, the Democratic Party didn’t just signal support from the sidelines. They played an active role in municipal elections across the state. In Naperville, Wheeling, Elk Grove Village, Mundelein, and McHenry County, Democratic organizations publicly endorsed candidates in local races, including city council, park district, and township board contests. In some cases, high-profile Democratic elected officials such as Representatives Lauren Underwood and Bill Foster hit the campaign trail to support municipal candidates. Local Democratic parties coordinated voter guides, hosted events, and offered candidate training as part of a broader effort to exert influence over what were once nonpartisan races.
In communities like Northbrook, they backed slates in officially nonpartisan contests — recognizing that school boards, village boards, park districts, and library boards wield real power. What had once been subtle influence became open backing: public endorsements, coordinated messaging, and campaign activity that mirrored partisan infrastructure — though the on-the-ground organizing remained largely led by the Caucus itself.
The local GOP took notice but did not follow suit with their own engagement. In a public statement, the Northfield Township Republican Organization criticized the Northbrook Caucus’s deep ties to Democratic officials, calling the group “a local political party in all but name.” They noted that not one of the Caucus’s 19 candidates had voted in a Republican primary in the last five election cycles. They also called out Democratic operatives for circulating petitions, organizing campaign events, and using party infrastructure to support candidates in what were supposed to be nonpartisan races. But they did not endorse any candidates or wade deeper into our local nonpartisan race.
The results affirmed the strength of the Democrats' strategy — but just barely. The race for Village President and the three trustee seats was the closest in recent memory, a sign that the outcome, though conclusive, was far from overwhelming. Voters ultimately sided with the Northbrook Caucus slate, but the margins suggest a growing appetite for choice and a more competitive civic environment.
Despite the victory, there is likely a deeper price to pay for all of this. Once a nonpartisan slate is seen as operating under a partisan umbrella, that perception changes everything. It risks alienating independents, moderates, and longtime civic participants who value local elections precisely because they have traditionally been free from national party dynamics. It shifts the tone from collaboration to confrontation — and from community-first to party-first.
If this is the new playbook — one-party campaigns in officially nonpartisan races, with support flowing in from all levels of government — then we owe it to ourselves as residents to stay engaged, ask hard questions, and insist on elections that reflect the full diversity of thought in our community.
Because smart politics or not, what happens next will shape more than a ballot. It will shape the culture of governance in Northbrook for years to come.
It seems inevitable that another political party or organized slate will crystallize in Northbrook — whether that’s Northbrook Focused in a future form or an entirely new group. While it’s unlikely to be the Republican Party — thankfully, as that would only deepen the partisan divide — there is a growing likelihood of a civic-oriented alternative. One grounded in transparency, independence, and accountability, free from national partisan baggage, and focused solely on the needs and values of this community.
Looking ahead to 2027 and 2029, any group hoping to offer voters a credible alternative to coordinated partisan involvement will need more than critiques and good intentions. It will require a long runway, a disciplined strategy, and a clear identity rooted in Northbrook’s local priorities.
Organization will matter. The Democratic Party’s involvement in 2025 wasn’t improvised — it was built on years of infrastructure, messaging, and candidate development. If independent candidates are going to earn voters’ trust, they’ll need to build early visibility, show up consistently, and create genuine community connections long before the next campaign cycle begins.
Equally important will be clarity of purpose. “Not the current board” won’t be enough. A successful slate will need to articulate a forward-looking, pragmatic vision that both reflects local concerns and offers real solutions. The further any campaign can distance itself from partisan baggage — left or right — the more likely it is to connect with voters who are exhausted by national narratives dominating local decision-making.
The 2025 Northbrook Focused candidates deserve credit for putting their names on the ballot and offering a different voice. They were longtime residents, local business owners, and community volunteers — and in any future effort, candidates with that kind of real stake in Northbrook’s future will remain essential. But it’s also clear that future slates will need to build on this year's efforts with tighter messaging, deeper engagement, and the ability to create broader voter activation to compete with the growing political infrastructure now operating in local races.
In the end, any successful independent effort must demonstrate not only what it’s pushing against, but what it stands for. That means competence, accessibility, and a focus on local service — all without mimicking the very tactics it hopes to move past. The 2025 election showed how powerful a partisan machine can be in a village race. The question now is whether a different model of local leadership can rise to meet the moment — and still hold the community together.