Recall organizers rally against Buffalo Grove Trustee Lisa Stone

Normally, Buffalo Grove's Rotary Village Green is a venue for concerts and Fourth of July celebrations.

On Saturday afternoon, however, the green hosted music of a different sort, a symphony of discontent with one village board member.

Leaders of a drive to collect signatures to put Trustee Lisa Stone's recall on the ballot gathered in an effort to reach the goal of 2,066 signatures. One of the recall rally's organizers, Adam Moodhe, said 2,066 is the number of votes Stone earned in last year's election.

Moodhe said that in five days, 300 signatures have been collected, 700 short of the minimum required to put the matter on the November ballot. The village board recently passed an ordinance that allows a majority of the voters to recall local officials. People have 90 days to get the required signatures.

About 45 people attended the rally, including some prominent members of the community and one village board candidate who had run against Stone, Joanne Johnson.

"The people behind this are the same people who didn't want me to win in the first place," Stone said. "I'm not against the concept of a recall, but it should be a result of some illegal actions. Otherwise, it undermines the election."

Stone has been reprimanded by the village board for pursuing action against Land & Lakes for its controversial composting operation, saying she acted as an individual but gave the impression she was acting in her official capacity.

But Stone said the board wasn't empathetic to the compost issue, and she felt a moral obligation to act on behalf of residents' complaints.

"I do challenge the establishment and the status quo and will continue to do so," Stone said.

At the rally, many carried signs, one of which read "Off The Board" with the first letters highlighted. Opposition to an off-track betting parlor was one of Stone's issues early in her board tenure.

Both Moodhe and David Wells, who filed the notice of intent to recall, spoke to the crowd. Mentioning that Stone lacked previous government experience, Wells said, "If you watch any of the village meetings, you can see that."

After the speeches, the group marched over to Buffalo Grove Road, where they were greeted by the sound of horns responding to signs to honk if the driver supported recall.