Park board opening: Robin Schmidt resigns seat after judicial appointment

Steven Spearie, State Journal-Register
·1 min read
Robin Schmidt, who resigned as a trustee on the Springfield Park District board following her appointment as resident circuit judge for the Seventh Judicial Circuit in late April.
Robin Schmidt, who resigned as a trustee on the Springfield Park District board following her appointment as resident circuit judge for the Seventh Judicial Circuit in late April.

Robin Lee Schmidt has resigned from her seat on the Springfield Park District board of trustees after her appointment as resident circuit judge for the Seventh Judicial Circuit.

Schmidt was elected to her third term on the park board in April 2021. The seat is up in April 2023 because of redistricting based on the 2020 U.S. Census.

Related: Sangamon County assistant state's attorney appointed to Seventh Judicial Circuit

Schmidt was appointed judge by Justice Rita B. Garman and the Illinois Supreme Court in late April. Schmidt is running unopposed for that seat.

Schmidt's appointment takes effect on June 8 and will conclude on Dec. 5, when the vacancy will be filled by the winner of the November 2022 general election.

The Seventh Judicial Circuit encompasses Jersey, Macoupin, Greene, Scott, Morgan and Sangamon counties. The vacancy was created by the retirement of Judge John Belz in July 2021.

In her eight-plus years on the board, Schmidt led efforts to better work within the district’s budget, professionalize the police force and make improvements at parks and the Henson Robinson Zoo.

The board of trustees is the governing body of the park district, responsible for setting policies, budgets and hiring the executive director.

Park board members are elected at-large.

More: Schmidt, Eck win election to Springfield Park District board, third spot too close to call

Interested candidates should submit a resume and letter of interest indicating the reason they wish to serve as trustee. Materials must be submitted by the close of business on June 8.

Letters should be directed to Derek Harms, Executive Director/Board Secretary, 2500 S. 11th St., Springfield, IL 62703. They can also be hand-delivered to the office or emailed to Harms at dharms@springfieldparks.org.

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Robin Schmidt resigns her seat on Springfield Park Board