Lisa Stone watches board appoint her replacement

Perhaps it is no coincidence that in picking an interim trustee, the Buffalo Grove Village Board chose a chiropractor.

During the months he will serve until the April election, Dr. Eric Smith will certainly need to apply his expertise when flexibility is required.

On Monday, the village board appointed Smith, Village President Elliott Hartstein's recommendation and a longtime member of the Buffalo Grove plan commission.

Before making the appointment, Hartstein took time to thank former trustee Lisa Stone, whose seat Smith will fill, for her service to the community.

“I know that she has a lot of passion and believes very strongly in the things that she works for,” he said. “She put in many hours and much time.”

In naming a replacement, Hartstein said, “It is important that we have an individual who is ready, willing and able to step onto this board and work with us from day one and have the ability based on experience and knowledge to work with us as part of this board.”

It was also, he added, important that the individual not run in April for the remainder of Stone's term.

He said he consulted with trustees, and Smith appeared on everyone's shortlist.

Smith has been vice chairman of the plan commission for nearly 11 years, and is a past president of both the Buffalo Grove Area Chamber of Commerce and the Buffalo Grove Rotary.

Smith also has served on the village's health and appearance commission.

“He has an understanding of what happens in our village,” Hartstein said.

Smith accepted the post humbly.

“I really appreciate the confidence that you have shown in me and my ability to step in and help the village move forward,” he said.

He appreciated the familiar faces in the audience Monday night.

“I see fellow Rotarians. I see fellow chamber members, fellow plan commission members, even businesses that have come before me on the plan commission,” Smith said.

Stone, who was recalled from the board Nov. 2 by voters, attended the meeting. She spoke as a citizen, mainly on the issue of off-track betting, which came before the board Monday night.

She criticized the village for putting the OTB far down on the agenda, where the discussion would be held after many residents had turned in for the night.

She was just as outspoken as ever, quoting e-mail from Trustee Jeffrey Berman, written at the time the OTB was still being proposed, about how the petitioner should proceed.

At one point, she and Hartstein grappled over how much time she had to speak, hearkening back to her tenure on the board.

When she finished, Hartstein even said, “Thank you very much, Trustee Stone.”

He corrected himself, saying, “I'm just in the habit.”