The Winnetka Caucus has selected three incumbent Village Council candidates for its next slate.
The decision was made at the caucus’ annual town hall meeting on Wednesday evening that drove plenty of resident interest and turnout.
Trustees Rob Apatoff, Tina Dalman and Kim Handler are all seeking additional two-year terms, and all three were recommended by the Winnetka Caucus Council prior to the Oct. 8 town hall at The Skokie School, 520 Glendale Ave.
Also seeking a caucus recommendation was Ryan Harrison, a first-time candidate who was nominated from the caucus floor.
The Winnetka Caucus, which comprises all voting-age Winnetka residents, voted for the candidates during the meeting. The three with the highest vote counts became the caucus slate.
Dalman received the most votes at 522, followed by Handler with 454. Apatoff was in third place with 426, and Harrison finished with 306 votes.
According to Caucus Council Chair Ian Larkin, more than 700 ballots were cast and at one point the caucus council had to print more.
Candidates make their case
Each Village Council candidate gave a five-minute introductory statement, which was then followed by a 40-minute question-and-answer session.
The incumbents touted their experience with the Village while also sharing their accomplishments while serving on the council.
Apatoff said, among the accomplishments he’s seen in his five years on the board, trustees have increased the number of businesses downtown and have passed measures aimed at protecting the shoreline.
“Suffice to say, we have created and really focused on making a lot of progress with this village,” he said. “It is easy to verify.”
Dalman, who said this will be her final term if she is reelected, said she has a passion for creating “strong and vibrant” communities and wants to see the village continue to invest in infrastructure and other areas that benefit everyone.
“All of this is to serve the interests of our current residents and future residents and attract the businesses that we all want to walk to and enjoy,” she said.
Handler said the Village Council has supported public safety measures, including the recent adoption of motorized bicycle ordinances, and its support of the Winnetka Police Department.
“We protect our natural resources and our beautiful housing stock through ordinances that encourage people to renovate their homes versus tearing them down, making more homes available to younger families at a price point that they’d like to come to the community at,” she said.
While Harrison, an investment professional, noted that he doesn’t serve on any public boards and doesn’t have municipal experience, he referred to himself as a “normal guy” who wants to add a new perspective to the board as a father to young children.
“I look at these village trustees,” he said. “This is a very narrow band of people, and I don’t think they necessarily represent this entire community.”
Facing the public
Because of time limits, most residents were only allowed to ask one question to one candidate.
One question that all candidates could answer was whether they supported the Village’s steep slope and shore protection ordinances, which the council approved in 2024.
Apatoff and Handler, both of whom voted for the ordinances, restated their support for the caucus audience. Both of them said the council took their time in studying the ordinances before ultimately voting to adopt them.
“The study sessions were 14 months working with all the lakefront owners to say, ‘What do you really need out of this? We want to make sure you can use your land to the fullest,’” Apatoff said. “And we passed the most lenient steep slope protection on the North Shore.”
Dalman, who was absent from the final vote on the ordinances due to work obligations, said she did not support them, and had previously stated her opposition during the process. She said many of her objections came from her work as a land use attorney, and the fact the Village has an ordinance about large lot consolidations.
“And I felt that piece of legislation was sufficient to address a lot of concerns, and I wanted to see how that applied,” she said. “I wanted to take a more incremental approach.”
Harrison said that he understands both the homeowner and village’s perspectives but felt the process was an attempt to “overcorrect.”
“I think you would find a way to try and grandfather people in, or you would take a more incremental approach,” he said.
The importance of experience was also asked of all candidates.
Harrison said that just because he has no government experience does not mean he would be at a disadvantage serving as a trustee.
“I think there are a number of skills that are important to be a good trustee,” he said. “I’m not saying experience is for nothing, but I’m saying there are a lot of other skills that are important.”
Handler, who formerly served on Winnetka’s Zoning Board of Appeals and in caucus leadership, said village experience is important to serving as a trustee.
“I wanted to make sure that I did have the right experience so I could have a good understanding of how the village works, and how the government works in the community,” she said. “It’s not a business. … Serving as a trustee in government is a whole different animal. And in order to be most effective, experience is cumulative. That’s the reality.”
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