💵 Jeff Urso calls it a "war on small businesses." On November 3, voters face a proposed 1% Lake County school sales tax "to be used exclusively for school facility purposes, school resource officers, and mental health professionals." Jeff argues another tax squeezes neighborhood businesses. Rick Lesser describes sales taxes as regressive and argues the burden falls harder on the lower middle class.

First, the guys talk break-ins: a little cash in the register can mean a much bigger repair bill. Then it's the Caucus's October 20 replacement-candidate vote. After two school-board candidates were rejected, Rick and Skoo question the replacement process and whether voters should have more choices.

There's also Scouts football, the flag-versus-tackle argument, Northwestern's stadium and Bears memories. Halloween brings a more pressing neighborhood question: what's the best—and worst—candy in the bag?

We close with the leaf-blower debate: noise, equipment costs and what local rules mean for landscapers. Pete also announces the Neighbor News Network and asks neighbors to help look into local issues.

Last week's episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZqNqfkj610

🎙️ Pete Jansons — with Rick Lesser, Skoo Walker & Jeff Urso

⏱️ WHAT WE GET INTO

💵 0:00 — "War on small businesses"

🔐 0:42 — What's left in the cash register?

💥 1:43 — A little cash, a big repair bill

📷 3:26 — Flock cameras and stolen cars

▶ Bratski's break-in footage (10/3/26 episode, 6:20): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaReBrH0QP0&t=380s

🚨 4:28 — Alarms, response times and protecting your business

🏫 5:51 — Property taxes, police and school funding

🗳️ 6:52 — November's proposed school sales tax

🍕 7:34 — Jeff: another squeeze on small business

⚖️ 8:57 — Rick: why sales taxes are regressive

🧾 9:39 — The tax budget versus your lunch budget

🎰 12:04 — Gambling, cannabis and sin taxes

📅 14:51 — The Caucus's October replacement vote

🔎 16:39 — Skoo questions the candidate-vetting process

❓ 18:44 — Talk of another group—and an invitation

📊 20:48 — Parents Care: getting the message across

🎙️ 23:13 — What kind of podcast is this?

🏈 25:18 — Scouts football and the feeder teams

🛡️ 27:01 — Flag, tackle and teaching contact

📋 32:53 — Whatever happened to the wishbone?

👟 34:57 — Junior Scouts numbers and hockey overlap

🏟️ 37:00 — Northwestern's stadium and concert talk

🐻 40:06 — Bears memories and the Coach

🏙️ 44:40 — Highwood and who gets to do business

🎃 48:09 — Halloween candy: best and worst

🛍️ 53:21 — The Chamber pop-up and empty storefronts

🚗 54:23 — Oakwood traffic and the radar gun

▶ The Oakwood school-bus radar clip (6/7/25 episode, 5:02): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_72lcUYvnY&t=302s

🍂 55:24 — Leaf blowers: noise, costs and local rules

📰 1:00:55 — Pete announces the Neighbor News Network

👋 1:03:21 — Last call and Rick's farewell

🙏 1:04:18 — Thank you to our supporters

🧮 1:04:55 — Larisey CPA

🎸 1:05:18 — Song: War on Small Business

🔗 UPDATES & LINKS

▶ Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@lakeforestpodcast

▶ Visit: https://www.lakeforestpodcast.com

▶ Support the show (as little as 99¢ a month): https://www.patreon.com/lakeforestpodcast

▶ Newsletter: https://petejansons.substack.com

The Lake Forest Podcast — We document. You decide.

#LakeForestPodcast #LakeForestIL #LakeBluffIL #LakeForestCaucus #LakeCountyIL #SmallBusiness #SchoolSalesTax #ScoutsFootball #Highwood #NorthShore #60045

🗳️ Only about 7% of Lake Forest's registered voters showed up to the Caucus annual meeting. They decided who's on the slate. So who's making the decisions for the rest of us?

Two of ten names didn't make it. The Caucus says it will "get back to you" about a special meeting. Pete, Rick, Skoo and Jeff get into what that vote is supposed to be, what happens now, and why the turnout is the real story.

Then Ted Banick joins with a Highwood update: the Silver Dollar's license is dead, with no reason given.

Philippe Melin and Jeff Brincat of Parents Care take over the second half. Philippe shares his screen and walks through Superintendent Matt Montgomery's total compensation: base salary, retention bonuses, pension and benefits. Then he covers his reconstruction of what D67 and D115 spend on administration. Those are Parents Care's numbers, built from district documents and policy 3.50, and they show their work.

We close with tape from Tuesday's D115 board meeting. A board member questions the markup and the uncapped costs in the $70,000 Perkins & Will "environmental storytelling" contract. Then the vote.

Last week's episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaReBrH0QP0

🎙️ Pete Jansons — with Rick Lesser, Skoo & Jeff Urso

🎤 Guests: Ted Banick, Philippe Melin & Jeff Brincat (Parents Care)

⏱️ WHAT WE GET INTO

🗳️ 0:00 — "The people have shouted"... or did they?

🎭 1:54 — "I woke up on a Tuesday to a puppet show"

🤫 4:23 — Come on the show, or the whispers will be the story

⚖️ 7:29 — Rick: "They didn't do a better job on vetting"

⚾ 8:29 — Wearing black for the White Sox: PCA or Schwarber?

🎉 10:56 — Congratulations to Ara

🥃 14:32 — Silver Dollar update with Ted Banick

🍫 17:59 — How does a town pick who gets to do business?

📂 20:39 — The power of FOIA

📉 21:52 — 2 of 10 didn't make it, and only 7% showed up

😂 27:56 — Rick's surprise Facebook endorsement

🆕 30:57 — "The newcomers club"

🏫 33:04 — Parents Care: the $400K-plus superintendent

📈 35:03 — Administrative costs up 44% in three years

📊 36:50 — Philippe's breakdown: Montgomery's total compensation

💵 40:23 — Parents Care's math: $515,000 in total comp this year

🏛️ 43:57 — $9.6 million on administration for under 3,000 students

🎻 47:35 — The orchestra teacher and the fixed pie

✏️ 59:56 — "I wouldn't cut one teacher"

🏠 1:00:32 — Property taxes, EAV and your tax bill

📜 1:04:27 — Show the contract before the vote

⏰ 1:05:47 — 48 hours' notice on a Tuesday

☕ 1:09:03 — The Lake Bluff coffee and enrollment down 20%

🧾 1:14:21 — D115 board: the Perkins & Will contract question

🎨 1:16:47 — $70,000 for the blank walls

👀 1:18:52 — Maybe you're not the 7%. Start paying attention.

🙏 1:19:44 — Thank you to our supporters

🎸 1:21:43 — Song: "The 7% That Run This Town"

🔗 UPDATES & LINKS

▶ Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@lakeforestpodcast

▶ Visit: https://www.lakeforestpodcast.com

▶ Support the show (as little as 99¢ a month): https://www.patreon.com/lakeforestpodcast

▶ Newsletter: https://petejansons.substack.com

The Lake Forest Podcast — Not news. Just neighbors. We document. You decide.

#LakeForestPodcast #LakeForestIL #LakeBluffIL #LakeForestCaucus #D115 #D67 #ParentsCare #Highwood #NorthShore #60045

🎙️ Former Illinois State Senator Susan Garrett joins the table, and she came with one question for the Lake Forest Caucus: who did the vetting?

Garrett called Caucus President Scott Nehls herself about the committee's proposed District 115 candidate, Jennifer Neubauer. For the record: Neubauer has been proposed, not endorsed. The full Caucus votes Tuesday, October 6, and every registered Lake Forest voter can show up and vote. Neubauer and Nehls are both invited on the show to respond. Garrett also reads from a Lake Bluff resident's letter to Caucus leadership; the claims in that letter are the writer's own and have not been independently verified by LFP.

Then the money. Pete walks Garrett through the districts' own records on Superintendent Matt Montgomery's contract: $298K in 2021, $356K one year later, about $401K now plus retention, and an early five-year deal. LFP asked District 67 for the record of its 2023 vote. Garrett, who wrote the shared-services law, makes the other side's case: one superintendent for two districts could save $100K. So are we saving money, or bidding against ourselves? And does Illinois have too many school districts? Garrett: "Maybe."

[DISTRICT RESPONSE: paste one line here, e.g. "District 67 responded on Oct. 2: ..." or "As of the Friday noon deadline, District 67 had not responded."]

Plus: break-ins in Lake Bluff and why Lake Forest businesses should pay attention, Jeff's Shields Township meeting, why officials won't come on the podcast, and Garrett telling Pete his old Pru Beidler coverage was "totally unfair." Pete has a response.

Shields Township public comment (9/24/26): https://youtu.be/EyHaxGefCtw?t=826

Disclosure: LFP co-host Jeff Urso's wife is the Shields Township supervisor.

Pete's Caucus resignation episode: https://youtu.be/J5eISmMIUS0

🎙️ Pete Jansons — with Jeff Urso, Skoo Walker & former State Sen. Susan Garrett

⏱️ WHAT WE GET INTO

🔥 0:00 — Cold open: "Seems totally unfair, Pete"

🎰 1:15 — Jeff in Vegas: Fremont, Metallica & Woodstock '99

🚨 5:15 — Lake Bluff break-ins: "It's coming to you soon in Lake Forest"

🚓 8:22 — Norwood, county police & a shared-patrol idea

🏛️ 11:39 — Shields Township: public comment & Facebook battles

🗳️ 16:50 — The Caucus's school board picks

👋 18:34 — Former State Sen. Susan Garrett joins

☎️ 20:48 — Garrett calls the Caucus president: "Who did the vetting?"

🔎 23:13 — "How did you prepare for this meeting?"

✉️ 32:05 — A Lake Bluff resident's letter to the Caucus

✅ 37:39 — Accuracy note: proposed, not endorsed. The vote is Oct. 6

🗺️ 38:40 — How the District 115 seats actually work

📋 46:31 — What LFP found in the public record

📱 48:16 — Garrett reads a 2021 "GOP Jen" Facebook post

⚖️ 50:52 — "I'm not from the left. I'm a moderate."

🏫 51:18 — Garrett's shared-services law: too many school districts? "Maybe."

😤 54:22 — "Totally unfair, Pete": the Pru Beidler argument

🪑 56:48 — Five Lake Forest seats, two Lake Bluff: a gentleman's agreement

💰 1:03:47 — Montgomery's contract: $298K to about $401K

🧮 1:05:28 — Garrett's $100K shared-superintendent math

🚌 1:06:37 — Buses, janitorial, insurance: what else could be shared?

🏷️ 1:08:36 — Can a partisan moniker sit on a nonpartisan slate?

🎤 1:09:44 — "Get off the podcast" and why officials won't come on

🌱 1:13:09 — Jeff: "Pete, you have grown"

📌 1:16:56 — Two last things: the district's deadline & an open invitation

🏈 1:18:09 — Homecoming, the Bears & score picks

🔗 UPDATES & LINKS

▶ Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@lakeforestpodcast

▶ Visit: https://www.lakeforestpodcast.com

▶ Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/lakeforestpodcast

▶ Newsletter: https://petejansons.substack.com

The Lake Forest Podcast — Not news. Just neighbors. We document. You decide.

#LakeForestPodcast #LakeForestIL #LakeForestCaucus #District115 #District67 #SusanGarrett #LakeBluffIL #60045