Stone turned out of office in Buffalo Grove

History was made in Buffalo Grove Tuesday, as voters turned out a sitting village board trustee who has been in office only 18 months.

With all 38 of Buffalo Grove precincts counted, Lisa Stone lost her seat on the board, 8,728 to 3,853.

Elected to a four-year term in 2009 with the support of residents who appreciated her activist style of getting things done, Stone's decline in favor was almost a free fall fueled by an acrimonious relationship with other trustees and some administrators that started almost on day one.

Stone released a statement Tuesday night: “I'm disappointed, yet I know I did my best and always put the health and safety of the residents first.

“I had the courage to stand up for what is right and face the consequences, but the citizens have spoken and I accept their decision.

“To those who supported me throughout the last 18 months, thank you, it meant the world to me.”

Mayor Elliott Hartstein said despite his support for Stone's recall, he doesn't take any satisfaction from winning.

“I'm saddened the community had to go through this particular experience,” he said. “I'm pleased the community took it upon themselves to try to rectify a problem.”

Hartstein's demeanor wasn't all sober assessment tonight at one point inside the Village Grill where the recall forces gathered, he donned a dark wig and mimicked Stone.

“I was just having a little fun,” he said. “I knew Lisa wouldn't be there so I stood in for her.”

Stone pledged to see the landfill issue through, from her position as a citizen. That issue is more important to her than being an elected official, she said tonight.

Meanwhile, she said she'll take a few days to absorb the vote. She knew it was risky not to campaign on her own behalf, she said, adding that 30 percent of the vote is “still a formidable portion of our community.” “Obviously if I campaigned significantly that percent would be raised to a number that would be competitive.”

Stone said she won't be a regular at village board meetings, and doesn't have any plans right now to run for anything else, just enjoy life.

“I really do believe in good government and transparent government,” Stone said. “If (this) is what it takes to make people start to think about their community (and) their local government, which is what affects their life, then I think that's important to do. If it's at the sacrifice of an elected official who was trying to fight for the safety of people, then so be it.”

Hartstein said that presuming the election results are certified by Nov. 25, he will have 60 days to appoint a temporary board member to fill Stone's seat. That seat will then be up for election in April 2011, as a two-year term.

Candidates running for the village board in April will have to declare whether they are running for a 4-year, or the two-year term.

“Anyone who suggests the recall is not democracy ignores the fact that the community had the opportunity to vote,” Hartstein said, “and it appears the community has spoken loud and clear in large numbers, saying enough is enough.”

Hartstein said although he doesn't have anyone in mind to fill the seat temporarily, it won't take him 60 days to make the appointment.

Jim Pawlak, who worked for recall, was among the recall supporters gathered at the Village Grill at the Buffalo Grove Park District.

“We now have to look toward the future and start to rebuild our reputation as a community to restore what was destroyed during the last 18 months,” Pawlak said. “I consider this a major victory for BG; I'm sorry we had to do this. I'm grateful it's done and tomorrow is a new day.”

Given it will take a week or more to certify the results, Stone may have one more village board meeting to attend, should she choose to.

The vote ends at least one chapter of the strange trip that began with her election in April 2008. Stone, an activist who made a name for herself by challenging the community to deal with rising heroin use among teenagers and by getting tighter restrictions on pit bulls and Rottweilers, won election to the board with the support of prominent Buffalo Grove leaders, predominantly Lake County Board member David Stolman, Hartstein, state Rep. Sid Mathias and former trustee Brian Rubin.

Once she was on the inside, though, the confrontational tactics that worked on the outside didn't win her the same support they once did. People like Stolman said they were disappointed she didn't work to build consensus; and instead openly attacked people who disagreed with her.

Gradually her support began to dwindle, as people complained that what she called her push for truth and greater openness in village government looked to them like grandstanding.

Stone, however, argued she was exposing abuses by trustees and staff, calling out Hartstein for what she called false statements and Brimm for an alleged altered e-mail. She also said she was acting as a watchdog on behalf of residents, when she called the village's attention to an environmental report on the Land and Lakes landfill and succeeded in getting a hearing from the IEPA.

Her fellow trustees and some village employees argued she abused her power, insulting Hartstein and driving longtime Village Manager William Brimm from office, while consuming village staff time in sorting through Freedom of Information Act requests and costing taxpayers money in legal fees for what some saw as a frivolous challenge to signatures on the petition for her recall.