Friday, July 23, 2010
Attempt To Remove Trustee Moves Forward
By RICHARD MAYER Assistant Managing Editor
Deputy Village Clerk Jane Olson reviews petitions turned in by David Wells Friday at Buffalo Grove Village Hall. (Photo by Jim Pawlak/Special to the Journal)
Buffalo Grove residents Adam Moodhe and David Wells turned in 253 pages Friday consisting of 2,096 signatures–1,000 more than required–in an attempt to remove Village Trustee Lisa Stone from office this November by way of referendum.
According to Moodhe, the signatures were evenly split between Buffalo Grove residents residing in Lake and Cook counties.
“We were very surprised by the number considering most of it was passive when obtaining signatures,” said Moodhe. “These were people that pretty much sought out others who had petition sheets to sign.”
Moodhe said a number of people came forward to sign the petition just within the last two weeks after Stone's recent battle with Village President Elliott Hartstein aired on the village's public access channel. The ongoing spat between Hartstein and Stone, in which Hartstein told Stone to "shut up" at the July 12 village board meeting, was also front page news in the Buffalo Grove Journal on July 15.
“There were a number of people that called or emailed or sought out others to sign the petition,” Moodhe told the Journal.
Stone said the number of signatures does not surprise her because she believes the recall attempt was planned before she was elected trustee in April 2009.
“Trustee (Jeff) Berman executed the recall ordinance and now it is being carried out,” said Stone.
According to Village Clerk Janet Sirabian, Stone has until Monday, Aug. 2 to look at every signature collected to determine if she wants to mount a challenge.
“If she wants to challenge any of them, she has to go to the electoral board,” said Sirabian.
The electoral board is comprised of Sirabian, Hartstein, and Trustee Jeff Braiman.
“If a challenge is filed, we would have to come up with a date when it would be feasible to meet to hear that challenge,” said Sirabian.
“She (Stone) would have to have 1,097 signatures found to be invalid for this to not go forward,” said Moodhe. “Chances of that happening are slim and none. Everyone was very careful to ask people signing if they are a registered voter and notaries that notarized the sheets wanted to see people’s drivers license so they could match the name and the signature. It would be pretty impossible to challenge over 1,000 signatures.”
Sirabian said once the electoral board determines if there is a sufficient number of signatures to move forward, an ordinance to have a referendum appear on the Nov. 2 ballot will be prepared and could be placed on the Aug. 9 regular village board agenda for trustees to take action on.
According to Sirabian, an ordinance to allow a referendum has to be prepared and voted on no later than Aug. 16. The next board meeting after Aug. 9 is Aug. 30.
“I certainly anticipate wholeheartedly the rest of the board approving an ordinance,” said Stone.
The village’s recall ordinance, approved Mar. 8 by the village board, states that anyone who is recalled from office would have leave their position immediately. If voters decide to recall Stone on Nov. 2, she would be forced to give up her trustee position the next day.
“This is all new territory for us,” said Sirabian.
“I wouldn’t appeal the decision if I am recalled in November," said Stone. “It is up to the people. I work very hard and take this seriously. But this is not about my behavior because this was planned long ago. I look forward to November because that vote matters.”
This past April, Wells filed a Notice of Intention to recall Stone. Wells believes Stone has disregarded the village’s Code of Conduct Ordinance and he disagrees with her statements that she will break the rules if she feels she has to.
“It’s kind of all or nothing---you agree with her or you are the enemy,” Moodhe said of Stone. “During this whole process, I learned that a lot of people did not know what was going on in their municipal government and they need to be more aware.”
Moodhe said shortly after Labor Day, he and other supporters of recalling Stone will begin to make signs and post them in people’s yards and get the word out for residents to vote in November, should the village board approve the referendum in the coming weeks.