Planning chairman, former trustee Smith to fill seat on Buffalo Grove board
Eric Smith, a chiropractor and local businessman who currently chairs the Buffalo Grove Planning and Zoning commission, has been chosen by village President Beverly Sussman to fill the trustee seat recently vacated by Steven Trilling.
The decision was announced on Wednesday after a special board meeting held Tuesday at village hall to discuss the appointment. The board is set to officially ratify the appointment at its Sept. 18 meeting.
Smith is no stranger to the seat. He was appointed an interim trustee in 2010-11, filling the vacancy created when former trustee Lisa Stone was removed from office in a 2010 referendum. He chose not to run for the seat in the 2012 election.
Smith's path to the village board is a familiar one - the road to the dais has often led from what is now the planning and zoning commission. Trilling, who left the board when he moved to Northbrook, served on the plan commission, which has since merged with the zoning board of appeals.
In his 29 years as a Buffalo Grove resident and business owner, Smith has been extremely active in the community. He is a member of the Lake-Cook Corridor Planning Group, has been on the village's appearance and health commissions, has served as president of both the Buffalo Grove-Lincolnshire Area Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club and has coached in the park district.
"In every capacity, including my tenure as interim trustee, I am always prepared, open-minded and have the village's best interest at heart," he said in his application.
A graduate of Emory University in Atlanta with a bachelor of arts in chemistry, Smith obtained his bachelor of science in biology and his doctor of chiropractic certification from the National College of Chiropractic in Lombard. Since 1988, he has run the Smith Back and Neck Pain Center in Buffalo Grove.
Smith was one of 12 residents who applied for Trilling's seat. Village President Beverly Sussman cited his background in community development and his prior board experience in picking him. Sussman also said she plans to appoint planning and zoning member Frank Cesario to replace Smith as chairman.
The village will hold a reception welcoming Smith to the board at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 18, prior to the board meeting at village hall, 50 Raupp Blvd.
Smith's term will end April 30, 2019.