In her 29 years with the village, Buffalo Grove Village President Beverly Sussman said she’d only missed two meetings. Her home life had revolved around village meetings, but not anymore, as the took her final bow as the village leader, retiring, she told Pioneer Press, to spend more time with her husband.
Sussman didn’t seek another term in the April 4 election and, at a well-attended May 15 reception, she bid an emotional farewell to the job said she has loved.
“It has been an honor and privilege to sit on the dais for the last 14 years, now with a heavy heart, I turn it over to our next president, Eric Smith, and our next Village Board,” Sussman said at the start of the Village Board meeting that day, holding back tears. “There are lots of exciting things happening in the village and I know they will do a wonderful job. Buffalo Grove will always be a great place to live, work and raise a family.”
she loves her job and will miss it, it’s time for her to spend more time with her husband, Marty.
More than 150 people attended the farewell reception for her that preceded the board meeting. Trustees recognized her public service and commitment to the village. Sussman had been village president for eight years but held other various volunteer capacities in the village as part of her 29 years with the northwest suburb.
For her service, she was awarded a plaque, gavel, brick from the new Clove development, an honorary street sign, and more.
After her parting words, she received a standing ovation from the audience, took her nameplate and gave each of the trustees a hug. She was presented with a proclamation that recognized her “exceptional service, dedication and commitment to the village of Buffalo Grove.”
Eric Smith, who ran unopposed to succeed Sussman, was sworn in by Lake County Judge Charles Johnson as the new village president. Also sworn in were incumbent trustees David Weidenfeld and Gregory Pike, along with new Trustee Frank Cesario, former chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission. Cesario took Smith’s former seat.
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Sussman and fellow trustees acknowledged her leadership in bringing Woodman’s Market, the Shops of Buffalo Grove and The Clove redevelopment (the former Town Center) to Buffalo Grove, along with her work on the Lake Cook Road Corridor Initiative and infrastructure improvements throughout the village.
Before her time as an elected official, Sussman was a teacher at Kildeer Countryside School District 96 and also served on a number of village commissions, including the Commission for Residents with Disabilities.
“I’m so excited to take over the reins to move Buffalo Grove forward,” Smith said, acknowledging Sussman’s work and the obstacles she faced, including the COVID-19 pandemic. “We survived and thrived under Bev’s leadership. She leaves the village in a good place, with strong financials including a triple-A bond rating. She leaves a legacy of strong development, the new and improved Arboretum Club and an infrastructure modernization program.”
Trustees David Weidenfeld and Lester Ottenheimer III also recognized Sussman during the reception, as did longtime friend and fellow trustee, Andrew Stein.
“As village president you have presided over a transformation of Buffalo Grove with the collaboration of Village Board and village staff and we have started Buffalo Grove on the path to development and rejuvenation,” said Stein.
He said long-vacant properties are finally being redeveloped, including on Milwaukee Avenue in the village.
“You can gracefully retire from the Village Board knowing that Buffalo Grove is better off today than it was when you were elected village trustee and then village president,” he said.
Elizabeth Owens-Schiele is a freelancer.