On July 21 the River Forest Township Board met in closed session to interview the three finalists for the position of River Forest Township Supervisor, a position that will become vacant next month when current River Forest Township Supervisor John Becvar officially resigns.
The supervisor is the highest office in township government. The township supervisor serves on and presides over the township board and is also the chief executive of township government. The supervisor position is considered part time but requires significant work. River Forest’s supervisor is currently paid an annual salary of $49,382 and the supervisor is expected to work at least 1,000 hours annually. Becvar has said he typically works about 30 hours a week.
The three finalists for the supervisor position are believed to be current River Forest Township Clerk Mark Hosty, former township clerk Vanessa Druckman, and Jessica Iverson, a former member of the River Forest Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Advisory Committee.
Although Becvar declined to identify the finalists, Wednesday Journal filed a public records request and received the applications, including letters of interest and resumes, of all those who applied to become supervisor. Two others, in addition to Hosty, Druckman and Iverson, applied for the position. They were John Morrissey, an aide to State Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) and the first vice-president of the Young Democrats of Illinois, and current Oak Park Township Supervisor Tim Thomas. Morrissey told Wednesday Journal he withdrew his application after he applied for the post. The River Forest township supervisor must live in River Forest although Thomas could conceivably be hired to serve as an independent contractor until the next election. That is how Kathy Elliott was recently named the township assessor.
Hosty, who was appointed township clerk in November 2025 after the resignation of former clerk Margaret Detmer, has the most experience in local government of all the applicants. He served for 16 years, from 1999 until 2015, as a member of the Forest Park Village Council. In 2015 Hosty was defeated in his bid for a fifth term. Hosty owned and managed the popular Madison Street tavern Healy’s West Side in Forest Park for 25 years before it closed in 2020 at the beginning of the COVID pandemic.
In his letter of interest for the supervisor position Hosty pointed to his experience in local government.
“For the past seven months I have had the pleasure of serving as the township clerk and the opportunity to work closely with the current supervisor and gained a knowledge of the complexity of the position,” Hosty wrote. “During this time, I have worked with Supervisor Becvar to learn the details of his duties. As a result, I feel I am uniquely qualified to serve as the next township supervisor of River Forest Township. My 16 years of being an elected official has trained me for the intricacies of leading a government organization. I have experience working with both constituents and managing public services.”
In Forest Park Hosty was a strong ally of former mayor Tony Calderone, who served as Forest Park’s mayor from 1999 until 2019. Hosty was an active combatant in the often bare knuckles politics of Forest Park.
Hosty has also been active in Republican politics. He was elected as a delegate to the 2008, 2020 and 2024 Republican National Conventions. In 2008 he was elected as delegate pledged to former Arizona Senator John McCain and in 2020 and 2024 he was elected as a delegate pledged to Donald Trump. Hosty served as a member of Illinois Republican State Central Committee representing the 7th Congressional District from 2018 until earlier this year when he did not run for reelection to the party post. In 2022 Hosty ran for a seat on the Cook County Board but finished a distant second in a three-candidate field in the Republican primary receiving 13.78% of the vote.
Hosty, who grew up in Oak Park, moved to River Forest approximately 10 years ago. Former River Forest Township Assessor Pam Kende, who resigned her post last month, told Wednesday Journal in May that she was impressed with Hosty’s work as clerk and said she thought he would be a good replacement for Becvar.
“If the current clerk becomes supervisor it would be a good thing for River Forest Township,” Kende said. “He’s been really a calming and efficient force.”
In addition to serving as township clerk Hosty works as a real estate broker.
Druckman served as township clerk from 2021, when she was elected running unopposed, until she resigned the post in 2023, the same year she became marketing and development manager for the Wonder Works Children’s Museum in Oak Park.
“I have a deep appreciation for the township’s mission and a clear understanding of the responsibilities the role demands,” wrote Druckman in her letter of application for the supervisor position.
Former township board member Karen Taubman said Druckman was an “exemplary” township clerk.
“She met every deadline,” Taubman said.
Druckman has worked at Wonder Works since November 2021. She also publishes the French Foodie Mom website. According to her resume Druckman has previously worked as a consultant for American Express and as the director of loyalty marketing for WebMD.
Druckman graduated from Georgetown University in 1995 where she majored in European History and Diplomacy. She received an MBA from Fordham University in 2001.
Iverson is the founder and principal of J Iverson Communications a firm she started in 2018. From 2015 until 2018 she worked as the global head of brand and communications for the trading firm DRW and from 2013 until 2015 she worked as a communications manager for Walgreens Boots Alliance. For nearly six years, from November 2007 until July 2013, Iverson worked as a communications manager for the state of Wisconsin.
Iverson graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin in 2000 and earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2012.
Iverson attended the July 14 meeting of the township board to observe.
In her letter of interest Iverson pointed to her experience as a business executive and community volunteer.
“I am uniquely equipped to manage the township’s fiscal governance, public outreach, partnerships and services,” Iverson wrote. “With my youngest child starting kindergarten at Lincoln Elementary this fall, I am facing an exciting personal turning point and looking to channel my executive experience into the community I call home.”
The township board is expected to choose the next supervisor at its Aug. 11 meeting.