Naperville studying recall power

Naperville staff members are working to craft a process that would allow residents to recall city council members if they are unhappy with their work.

The council voted 6-3 Tuesday to move forward with laying out details for such a process, though it will be several months before officials are ready to take a final vote.

If granted, such recall power would extend only to removing council members from office and not any other elected officials in Naperville.

The decision to move forward on such an ordinance came just after the council voted to censure Councilman Richard Furstenau for alleged inappropriate conduct toward city staff.

But Councilman Grant Wehrli said the proposal is on the city's agenda because of the council's legislative priorities to support recall initiatives in the state legislature.

The state constitution does not currently address the issue of removing officials from office.

"This is about the people," Wehrli said. "Of the people, by the people and for the people. If the people aren't happy with what's going on in Springfield, they should have the ability to remove them, and it should be extremely difficult to do so."

He said Naperville officials should be held just as accountable.

Three home-rule communities have taken it upon themselves to set up a recall process: Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect and Wheeling. None of them has actually held a recall election.

Furstenau said he does not consider himself a target of the proposal but warned the council it would be opening a can of worms by allowing recall elections.

"This is not about Dick Furstenau. This is about everybody sitting up here," he said at Tuesday's council meeting. "And all you've got to do is upset some people on a vote that you're probably right on but they don't see it that way. I think it will undermine the power of the council eventually."

He said recall is not necessary because officials who are not doing their jobs properly will not get re-elected.

Councilman James Boyajian said further investigation into the city's options is needed.

"I'm all for giving the electorate and residents, the people, the ultimate amount of tools they can, and I don't think we have anywhere near enough information yet to do anything with this," he said.

Boyajian, Wehrli, Robert Fieseler, Doug Krause, Kenn Miller and Mayor George Pradel voted to move forward with studying the issue and drafting a proposal.

Furstenau, Darlene Senger and John Rosanova voted against it.

If the city enacts such an ordinance, it would be residents who initiate recall of an elected official. Based on what other communities have put in place, Naperville's ordinance likely would require signatures from between 10 percent and 33 percent of registered voters on a petition just to get recall on the next ballot for a vote.

But Senger warned there would be a danger of multiple council members being recalled at once, damaging the council's ability to govern. Rosanova expressed concern the council was acting out of emotion from the censure of Furstenau and that recall could stifle future council members when making tough decisions.

The staff will bring a report to the council in no less than 60 days with options as to how to word a recall ordinance, as well as a process to solicit public input before the council takes a final vote.