Save Buffalo Grove forms PAC

Save Buffalo Grove, a citizen group that formed to oppose a proposal to build a 65-acre "downtown" project in the village, has formed the Save Buffalo Grove Political Action Committee, allowing the group to raise funds and engage in political activities.

The stated purpose of the SBG-PAC is to protect and preserve the quality of life for residents of Buffalo Grove through the preservation of existing open space and recreational areas; to solicit and receive voluntary contributions for political campaigns; and to involve the public in educational an advocacy efforts.

Since its formation, the group has conducted educational meetings and a petition drive for a communitywide referendum on the downtown development, created a website and formed a steering committee.

"Ideally, the SBG-PAC will find, endorse, and back candidates who support our mission," said Dave Weidenfeld, the organization's vice president.

Residents created the group in September 2012 after village leaders began weighing a proposal to build a massive "downtown" project on land that includes the Buffalo Grove Golf Course. The proposal, which has not been approved, includes retail space, condominium towers, cultural amenities, restaurants, a movie theater and a new municipal campus.

"Now we can openly solicit funds, have fundraising events, and use our funds for PAC-related activities," said Marilyn Weisberg, the group's communications director. "We can do more to educate the entire community regarding the implications of the downtown development and how sad it will be to lose this land to another commercial development. I think that being a PAC will give us more clout,"