In the end, Recall ordinance sponsor Trustee Jeffrey Berman, seeing that the ordinance would more likely be used against him, instead of against Trustee Lisa Stone whom his ordinance was obviously targeted against, said that the ordinance needed further work and therefore wasn't ready to be voted on Monday night, so the proposed ordinance was tabled (consideration of the ordinance was deferred) to an unspecified future date.
Despite these improvements in the ordinance, and five or six other improvements that I've asked Trustee Stone to sponsor in my behalf, the proposed Buffalo Grove Recall Ordinance should still be rejected.
First of all, the main reason for the recall proposal -- friction between Trustee Stone's legislative style and that of other members of the Village Board -- seems to be well on the way to being resolved, thanks to me. I have identified several specific causes for that friction, and have been working extensively with Trustee Stone, as well as speaking with all of the other trustees, to eliminate those concerns. The five trustees that I spoke with, after Monday's Board meeting, agreed with me that Monday night's meeting went far better than previous meetings, with the friction between Stone and the others essentially non-existent, so the proposed recall ordinance is no longer needed to resolve the issue of friction between Stone's style and that of the others.
In addition, despite the improvements in the proposed ordinance, the ordinance is still fatally flawed. Because there currently remains a sharp political divide in the village between Stone supporters and her opponents, the Recall ordinance would still be most likely used solely for political reasons, rather than for reasons of misconduct. Recall could be used as a Term Limits weapon, by simply stating on the Recall petitions as the reason for recall, that certain trustees, such as Trustee Berman, Trustee Jeffrey Braiman and Trustee DeAnn Glover, have "served too long," having all served as trustee since the last century, and that Recall was being used to unfairly enforce term limits upon them, rather than using the normal election process to address that issue. It would be a shame to lose these outstanding public servants, and all of their experience, simply because Stone supporters got their names on the ballot as a defensive mechanism to keep Lisa's name off the Recall ballot. Similarly, a recall could be launched against Trustee Stone in 2010 or 2011 to address a purported problem with her legislative style that had occurred in 2009 but which had long ago been resolved. That, too, would be terrible, because the independent voice she has provided has contributed important additional input at Board meetings that otherwise would have been missing.
If a Recall ordinance is adopted, it should be done during a period of legislative harmony so that it's not being done with political motivation against one particular person in mind, because then Recall would most certainly be abused.
Here's an analogy to that point: Celeste -- the perfect wife, perfect in every way -- and I have a perfect marriage going after being married for over thirty years. It's hugs and kisses and love, every minute of every day, as if we were still newlyweds.
If I were to acquire another handgun for the purpose of further upgrading security at our house against a potential intruder, the firearm would only be used for safety purposes. However, if another couple were arguing and fighting all of the time, that would not be an opportune time to acquire a handgun "for added security against intruders."
It is much more likely that the gun would end up being used to solve a domestic issue, rather than an intruder issue. Similarly, if the Buffalo Grove Village Board wants to adopt a Recall ordinance "to ensure voters the opportunity to remove an elected official who isn't properly performing his or her duties," such an ordinance should be adopted at a time when trustees are not trying to get rid of one of their members for political reasons.
Therefore, I urge the Buffalo Grove Village Board to indefinitely table their proposed Recall ordinance. The motivation for its creation -- friction regarding Trustee Stone's legislative style -- is quickly being eliminated, thanks to me. Adoption of the ordinance will do great harm and no good, in that it will only result in further and long-lasting political polarization within our normally happy, quiet and prosperous Mayberry.
I urge the Board to reject the ordinance at this time and, instead, tell the community that everybody on the Board has decided to work together to achieve the kind of peace and love that exists in Rob and Celeste's marriage. If the Board can do that, the Board -- through its leadership on the issue -- could suggest to everybody else in the Village that they should put their political differences aside and work together to make Buffalo Grove what it's supposed to be: the Utopia of Suburbia.
I mentioned, in my last post, that "The Whole World is Watching." In fact, you can watch, from anywhere in the world, right here on the internet, the debate on the proposed Recall ordinance by the Buffalo Grove Village Board and its residents. Here are links to the video of the September 21, 2009, Buffalo Grove Village Board meeting, where the proposed Recall ordinance was first raised, and the October 5, 2009, Buffalo Grove Village Board meeting, where it was further discussed. You can even watch me make my comments during both meetings. Those of you in Buffalo Grove who have Comcast can watch the most recent Village Board meeting on Channel 6, every day at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Thanks to Steve Zalusky (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook) and the Daily Herald for making mention on the front page of today's newsprint edition, in a story entitled Facebook, Rob Sherman now part of recall debate in Buffalo Grove, of my prominent role in this matter and of my Godless in Chicago blog.