Eric N. Smith: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Eric N. Smith

City: Buffalo Grove

Office sought: Trustee

Age: (on election day): 58

Family: Wife - Judie Smith, 3 children, 3 grandchildren

Occupation: Chiropractic Physician

Education:

• National College of Chiropractic, Lombard, Illinois

• Doctor of Chiropractic

• Bachelor of Sciences in Biology

• Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia

• Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry

Civic involvement:

• Planning and Zoning Commission of the Village of Buffalo Grove

• Chairman

• Commissioner

• Lake Cook Corridor Planning Group Member

• Committee Member to Hire Lake Cook Corridor Consultant

• Appearance Commissioner

• Board of Health Commissioner

• Interim Trustee of the Village of Buffalo Grove

• Rotary Club of Buffalo Grove

• Past President

• Past Vice-President

• Past Treasurer

• Past Secretary

• Current Member

• Buffalo Grove Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce (BGLCC)

• Past President

• Past Vice-President

• Past Treasurer

• Past Secretary

• Current Board Member

Previous elected offices held:

Appointed Interim Trustee of the Village of Buffalo Grove 2010-2011

Incumbent? Yes

If yes, when were you first elected? I was appointed in September of 2017 to complete the term of a retiring Trustee that expires in April of 2019

Website:

Facebook: Facebook.com/ericsmithtrustee

Twitter:

Issue questions

1. What are the most important issues facing your community and how do you intend to address them?

Aging facilities and infrastructure, especially the Public Works Building, need to be addressed. I will work with Village Staff and fellow Trustees collaboratively and analytically to find a new off-site building to house our Public Works employees and equipment. We cannot afford not to address this issue. The inefficiencies created by the existing facility are causing unnecessary safety risks, as well as wasted employee time. This inefficient use of time results in taxpayer dollars being wasted. Our community is accustomed to receiving high levels of service and improving the Public Works facilities will result in more efficient and superior services for our residents.

2. What makes you the best candidate for the job?

My proven leadership, experience, and knowledge makes me the best candidate for the job. I am currently a member of the Village Board that has overseen the growth on Milwaukee Avenue, and assisted in keeping Buffalo Grove's industrial/manufacturing district at a 95% occupancy rate. The revenue derived from these dealings are rarely mentioned and often underappreciated. However, this revenue continues to keep our village portion of residents' tax bills at a very low level relative to the services received.My work in the Village in many different capacities and my ability to work cooperatively with others makes me uniquely qualified to be elected Trustee. I have served on the Board of Health and the Appearance Commission, been a liaison to the Police and Fire Commission and Arts Commission, and served on the Lake Cook Corridor and Prairie View Station Steering Committees. I have been Chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission, treating developers and residents with respect and running efficient, civil meetings. I am a proven leader. Not only am I a 30 year Buffalo Grove Rotarian, but I have also having served in every board position of the Rotary Club, including President. I am also a 30 year member of the Buffalo Grove Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce, having also served in numerous leadership roles for this organization, including as President. To be a Village Trustee, leadership, experience and knowledge are essential. I believe I have proven myself to possess these qualities.

3. Describe your leadership style and explain how you think that will be effective in producing actions and decisions with your village board.

I am civil, respectful, professional, and a good listener. I have worked successfully with five different Village Presidents and three different Village Managers during my years volunteering for the Village of Buffalo Grove. My ability to collaborate with individuals who I may not always have the same opinion as speaks volumes about my leadership abilities.Throughout my tenure as both Village Trustee and leading the various Commissions within the Village, I have demonstrated the ability to make difficult decisions based on relevant data, information, and collaboration with necessary stakeholders. On occasion, a Trustee has to have the vision to make decisions that are short-term unpopular, but reap long-term benefits for the community as a whole. I have demonstrated that ability.

I do not believe in micro-managing Village Staff. I am able to listen, learn, and absorb the professional knowledge from our gifted Village Staff to aid making important decisions. I believe it is vital for Trustees to be able to rely on the expertise of Village Staff; however, once presented with the information from Village Staff, a Trustee must be willing to take a stand and make difficult decisions for the greater good of the community.

4. How would you describe the condition of your community's budget, and what are the most important specific actions the town should take to assure providing the level of services people want?

The condition of our community budget is very strong. We have paid down debt and received an excellent bond rating. The Village Staff has been held accountable by the Trustees for keeping their department budgets as lean as possible while maintaining the ability to provide the high level of service that our residents demand and deserve. This has been done under the leadership of our current Trustees, of which I have been an active member.

I would continue to do what I have done the last two budget cycles, which is to put the time in with Village Staff to ensure we keep our service standards high while keeping the Village portion of our residents' tax bills as low as possible. I will also work with our Staff to continue funding our pensions at a high level to maintain our exceptional bond rating.

5. What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?

Our Village is filled with talented, caring, and dedicated individuals. This is evidenced by the increase in civic engagement and community involvement. We are lucky to have numerous volunteer commissions that are often unknown to many residents and under-represented by the young diverse members of our community. I believe we can strengthen our sense of community, encourage social involvement, and provide a well-rounded sense of community to our residents by increasing the advertising, recruiting, and funding support of our community volunteer commissions and programs.