What is the outcome of the Term Limit Referendum Vote in River Forest?
That’s a good question, and one that many residents have asked me. Despite hours of discussions (both on and off the record) and thousands of dollars spent on multiple legal memoranda by the village of River Forest’s outside attorneys, the impact of the River Forest residents’ vote to impose term limits on the village board is still not officially resolved.
We are told that we find ourselves in a “case of first impression” – a situation that has not yet been dealt with by the courts, and that if the village board enacts term limits (in accordance with the outcome of the residents’ April 1, 2025 vote), the term limits ordinance could be challenged in court in the future. If my math is correct, such a challenge could not happen until 2035 at the earliest. That is a long time to maintain this uncertainty, and it seems unfair to residents, incumbents, and potential candidates.
In my opinion, this is not good governance, and we can do better. At a minimum, I recommend that the River Forest Village Board pass a resolution documenting the history of this issue, and state that the board intends to respect and follow the intention of the voters, as reflected in the term-limit vote results.
Even better would be for the village board to simply step up and enact the term limits ordinance, reflecting the residents’ referendum vote.
Katie Brennan
River Forest trustee and village board member
