Politics & Government

Trustee Candidates Weigh in on Downtown Referendum

The grassroots Save Buffalo Grove organization plans to petition the Buffalo Grove Village Board, asking for a referendum on the sale of the golf course if the downtown proposal advances. Trustee candidates shared their views this week on a referendum.

Buffalo Grove’s trustee candidates weighed in Thursday night on whether the village should use a referendum to get input from residents before selling the Buffalo Grove Golf Course to a developer.

The question pertains to a developer’s proposal to construct a downtown, which would include retail, recreational, residential and municipal uses on the land, which the village owns.

The proposal, which is in conceptual stages, has raised concern from some Buffalo Grove residents. Some of them are part of the grassroots . The group is also circulating petitions, collecting the signatures of residents who believe the sale of the property should be put to a referendum. The petitions will be presented to the village board if the downtown proposal advances, Leon Gopon, a Save Buffalo Grove leader, said.

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Trustee candidate Andrew Stein said if the proposal advances, he would be in support of putting the sale of the golf course to a referendum.

“If we held referendums for every tough decision, we wouldn’t be governing as we were elected to do. I do feel, however, that there are times when referendums are necessary, such as taxing decisions and when converting a substantial amount of public land to private use,” he said. “I do agree that there are those times when we need to reach out and say, ‘What would you like to do?’”

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Write-in candidate Jeff Battinus said he has already signed Save Buffalo Grove’s petition. 

“I come from the school of thought that when people in a democracy are given choices, good things happen,” he said. “I’m a proponent of choice, when the public has a choice, good things happen, and when choice is eliminated, bad things happen.

Trustee candidate Lester Ottenheimer said his position would be based, in part, on when a referendum would appear on the ballot. There currently isn’t enough information about the proposal to put it to a public vote, he said, and holding a special election for that purpose could be expensive.

“If there is going to be a referendum, and if I decide to support a referendum, which I am leaning towards doing, I don’t think a referendum should take place until all the facts are known," he said.

Candidate Beverly Sussman indicated that it’s too soon to entertain a the idea of a referendum.

“How can we stop something when it hasn’t even started yet?” she asked.

She read a list of questions that she has about the proposal, including the fact that the land is on a flood plain, concerns about traffic congestion and why the development would require a new municipal campus. 

““It’s up to the trustees to investigate and examine this issue very carefully,” she said. “I may not sign your referendum, but I am going to get answers to all your questions and more than just your questions. I will work for you, as well as all the other residents of Buffalo Grove.”

Play the attached videos to hear each candidate express his or her views on a downtown referendum.

Related: Trustee Candidates Address Downtown Proposal

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