Buffalo Grove village president wants voters to decide recall

Buffalo Grove Village President Elliott Hartstein has proposed that voters decide in a referendum whether they want to recall the village's elected officials.

Buffalo Grove Trustee Jeffrey Berman has already drafted a recall ordinance, but the matter was deferred by the village board, meaning even if the ordinance is passed, the earliest a recall vote could appear on the ballot is next fall's election.

Given that fact, Hartstein said the voters could be given the chance to provide direction.

"We have a tool right now. It's known as elections," Hartstein said. "By virtue of the recall ordinance, we're proposing to do something different. Because of that, it would be worthwhile to simply have an affirmation (from the community)."

Trustee Lisa Stone, who has said recall is a good idea under the right circumstances, said a referendum could be a good idea, since "people were outraged at the idea that their vote could have been undermined by a process of recall."

Berman, however, said he was concerned about rushing to put a referendum on the ballot because the village board hasn't yet decided on the specifics of recall.

"I would rather we work through the question carefully, slowly, deliberately, with full input along the way," he said.

The matter will be considered at a future meeting.