Recall too drastic a measure too soon

"To recall or not to recall; that is the question," to paraphrase the great William Shakespeare.

It is the question that each resident of Buffalo Grove will have to decide in the toilsome days and weeks ahead. I, for one, cannot understand why every effort was not exhausted before the village board enacted this ordinance.

Were members of the clergy called in to mediate between the board members? Were qualified professionals bought in to find a compromise or offer methodologies for resolving the differences between board members?

Unfortunately the answers to these questions is unabashedly, "No". It appears that our elected officials decided on only one way of dealing with dissent on their board - the extreme recall.

I strongly urge the citizens of Buffalo Grove to think, rethink and pray before they decide on the merits of the recall ordinance. Never forget that politics is the "art of negotiation and compromise" and our systems of government work best when ALL voices are heard. Silenced voices are symptoms of a failed system.

Our country enacted presidential term limits only after FDR passed away because we, as a nation, realized that public service was not intended to be a life time career, but a part time pursuit.

I leave with one of Thomas Jefferson's favorite quotes: "All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent."

Lee Leichentritt

Buffalo Grove