Buffalo Grove Village Attorney William Raysa. Photo from the web site of Mr. Raysa's law firm, Raysa & Zimmermann, LLC, www.rzllc.com.
Buffalo Grove Village Attorney William Raysa has directed the Village Board of Trustees to discontinue consideration of a proposal that would ban recalled elected officials from running for public office, within the village, or being appointed to office with the village, for a period of four years from the time of the Recall vote.
This decision by Mr. Raysa came as a direct result of my presentation to the Village Board at their last Village Board meeting, on September 21, 2009, at which time I suggested that there were serious constitutional questions about whether somebody, particularly somebody who has not been accused of any wrongdoing, could have any of their civil rights canceled simply by a majority vote of the community at a referendum.
Mr. Raysa is expected to explain his decision on this matter at the next Village Board meeting, which is on Monday, October 5, 2009, at 7:30 p.m., at Buffalo Grove Village Hall. That's when a
newly revised proposed Recall ordinance will be on the agenda.
I first raised concern about the four-year ban in an entry in Godless in Chicago, entitled Buffalo Grove Village Board to consider Recall ordinance tonight, which was posted on September 21, 2009.
Buffalo Grove Village Trustee Lisa Stone. Photo from the Village of Buffalo Grove web site.
Meanwhile, Buffalo Grove Village Trustee Lisa Stone, the target of the Recall ordinance for the crimes of having an independent voice and not being a part of the Old Boys Club, has sent to Godless in Chicago this response to the efforts to oust her:
While Recall can be an important tool when legal or ethical violations occur in government, it can be a very dangerous sword to remove an independent and diverse voice. If we removed every elected official based on disagreements with the ideology of the majority, then we jeopardize the foundation of our democracy, which is to prevent the tyranny of the majority.
Glenn Guttman, a concerned citizen, sent in this comment regarding my Godless in Chicago post, three days ago, entitled Buffalo Grove Recall Ordinance violates US Constitution, IL Constitution and IL Election Code:
Great article. Probably all for naught, of course, since there is no justice in a "witch hunt." Public opinion and negative "spear throwing" is the main focal point of Jeff Berman's diatribe and apparent current agenda of the "old timers" on the Board. Regardless of the good for the Village's residents, the good ol' boys (and girl) will feel better that they've taken a "stab" at Lisa rather than let her get away with her constant accusations and allegations of wrongdoing. What's amazing is that, I believe if such an ordinance is passed, the "old-timers" may find themselves in front of a "gun barrel" of angry residents who want their heads!! Careful what you wish for, right?
That's what I was thinking, Glenn. As soon as the Notice of Recall is filed against Lisa, supporters of Lisa will surely file Notices of Recall against the four old-timer trustees and the Village President. Then, when all of the Recall votes are tallied, we'll find out that it is Lisa who survived, and the other five who are ousted, instead.
That would make Lisa the new Village President of Buffalo Grove, with the power to appoint all of the replacements, and who do you suppose would be Lisa's first pick to be on the new Village Board? Me, of course. Is that what the good ol' boys want? Lisa as Village President and me on the Board, sitting right next to her? You can be sure that the members of the Old Boys Club will then get with the concept that, hey, maybe Rob was right and there are legal problems with the Buffalo Grove recall procedure. "Mr. Judge, would you please recall the Recall?" Too late!
Another possibility is that Lisa's supporters would respond to a Recall attack on her by filing Notices of Recall against all five of the other trustees and the Village President. What happens, then, if the community decides that they're all a bunch of bums. Throw them all out! Then, there would be nobody left on the Village Board!
There's no provision in the proposed Recall statute for what to do if everybody got recalled, at the same time. What would you do then, huh?
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Jordan Stone, Lisa's son, sent in these remarks. Good for you, Jordan, for getting involved in fighting injustice and for sticking up for your Mom:
It is a sad day in politics when our method of engaging the challenging voice is to alienate it, to drown it, to drive it from the system it seeks to improve. We pride ourselves, as human souls, by our diversity and our inherent ability to accept its range and form. There exists, then, a soul-less vein in the Board's most recent proposal, an uncouth strain of insecurity in response to a single "black sheep." Note that even in the Supreme Court of the United States ("SCOTUS"), an entity that strives for unanimity in its decisions, the "black sheep" is valued for its ability to encompass the other side of dialogue. The SCOTUS realizes, of course, there is a certain roundness that accompanies an entity rich and varied in its logos. The Board is clearly of a different persuasion.
It is a shame that the Village Board dwells blindly in this stupor of sameness; and if it merely feigns blindness, if it knows the true value of the dissenting voice, then twice is the shame for allowing personal pride and the boon of civic comfort to cover its eyes.
The war continues, Monday night, at Buffalo Grove Village Hall. I'll be there. Will you?
Please leave a comment, below, to let me know what you think, and tell your friends about this through your social media networks and word of mouth.
I look forward to your comments on this one. Let me know what you think about this attempt by lawyers to silence political dissent.
Send personal comments, comments unrelated to this story or notification of typos that you see in any of my posts to rob@robsherman.com.
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1 Comment
gr8hands said:
I have always felt that the recall process should be reserved solely for cases of proven criminal activity -- not mere charges. Anything else should wait for the next election.
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