Section 5: Take the Plunge -- Becoming an Elected or Appointed Official
Be Part of the Decision-Making Process​
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Want to be part of the decision-making process? Consider running for Trustee or seeking a Commission appointment.
Trustee Elections
Consolidated Elections (local elections) are held on the first Tuesday in April in the odd years (2023, 2025, 2027, etc.). Some of the seven Trustee seats are up at every election, giving qualified candidates the opportunity to run. There are three ways to run as a Village Trustee in Glenview.
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Work within the framework of a nonpartisan political party. Anyone can gather a group of people, create a nonpartisan party, and choose candidates to run for office. You file the paperwork, gather petition signatures, and get placed on the ballot. Then you run a campaign. It's as simple as that. You must follow the process outlined in the Candidate’s Guide published by the Illinois State Board of Elections. This process includes getting a predetermined number of registered voters to sign a petition to be listed on the ballot.
Over the course of many elections, an established group of self-selected residents in Glenview has created a nonpartisan political party. They use the caucus process to seek out, interview, and choose candidates to run on their slate, which endorses the exact number of candidates as seats open for that election. One needs to be part of their caucus to select the candidates.
Remember, any number of additional nonpartisan parties can run a slate of candidates.
Run as an independent candidate. Anyone can run provided they are qualified and follow the process outlined in the Candidate’s Guide published by the Illinois State Board of Elections including getting signed petitions.
Run as a write-in candidate.​ You must register as a write-in candidate in order to win the election. You can find the process in the Candidate's Guide published by the Illinois State Board of Elections.
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Running for a School Board, Library Board, Park Board, and Other Boards
There are many other opportunities in Glenview to be elected and serve on a Board. These include various school boards such as Glenview School District 34, Glenbrook High School District 225, the Glenview Library Board, the Glenview Park Board, and Oakton Community College.
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All these elections are nonpartisan (meaning no candidate is running under the endorsement of a partisan political party, such as the Democrat Party or the Republican Party). Many candidates run independently and as individuals. An exception is District 34, where a caucus process is used to select candidates. However, this doesn't preclude a candidate from seeking a District 34 Board seat as an independent or to create and work through a different caucus.
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To learn more, contact each of the different Boards (see links above) to find out their requirements to file. For example, you won't need as many petition signatures if you run for the Library Board vs. the Village Board.
Commission Appointments
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Commissioners are appointed by the Village President, with the advice and consent of the Board, and filled when there is an opening. From time to time, Commissioners step down or complete a term and decline to be reappointed, and slots need to be filled. Your best bet is to fill out and submit an application online. The Village will keep your application on file and you will be considered when a seat opens up. It can also be helpful to reach out to current commission members, or even Trustees, and express an interest.
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