Johnson takes seat on Buffalo Grove village board

In 2009, Joanne Johnson ran for the Buffalo Grove village board in a contentious, sometimes bitter contest in which she finished behind both Lisa Stone and Beverly Sussman.

Six years later, the landscape has greatly changed. Stone was recalled from the board in 2010 and Sussman is village president.

And, as of Monday's meeting, Johnson is a trustee, after having been approved by the village board to serve the two remaining years on Sussman's trustee term. Johnson was sworn in by her husband, former village Trustee Charles Johnson, an associate judge in the 19th Judicial Circuit.

"I feel honored and privileged to be able to serve the community," Johnson said.

Since 2009 she has concentrated on volunteer work, serving on the village's planning and zoning commission and the Buffalo Grove Days Committee.

When it was time for Sussman to choose from among eight applicants, it was Johnson's ability to work collaboratively that helped tip the balance in her favor.

Johnson and Sussman worked together 10 years ago on the Buffalo Grove 50th anniversary subcommittee that produced a village history and a calendar. The end product was a Buffalo Grove history that was unprecedented in the village's annals.

"Bev and I worked very closely on that," she said. "We always respected each other and we always were able to work through things and somehow get along."

Sussman said that with such a rich field of candidates, "It was a difficult decision."

But after working with Joanne Johnson on a number of different commissions, Sussman liked the fact that Johnson is an independent thinker.

"I like that she looks at the total picture of things that are going on," Sussman said. "I believe she (is) capable of making critical decisions."

Sussman was impressed with Johnson's approach to the village history book, where she proofed every article and wrote some herself. On the planning and zoning commission, Johnson made important decisions independently, "and she didn't just vote because everyone else voted a certain way," Sussman said. "She voted the way she felt was the right way to vote. And that impressed me very much."

Sussman also helped handle public relations for the Buffalo Grove Days Committee.

As she assumes her seat on the village board, Johnson said she looks forward to working on economic development issues.

"The number one area that I'm interested in is economic development," she said, saying her interest was piqued on the planning and zoning commission, which is beginning to see developers expressing interest in parts of the village as the economy improves.