Commissioner has many angles on life

This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press May 7, 2001.

By JULIE M. DRAKE
Valley Press Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Ron Smith wears many hats. He's an artist, illustrator, business owner, instructor, assistant Scoutmaster, deputy sheriff, bird watcher and, now, planning commissioner.

Smith, 43, was appointed to the Lancaster planning commission by councilwoman Michelle Idleman, to fill a seat vacated by Daniel Hartzell. He's been a deputy sheriff for the past 15 years and a bailiff for Superior Court Judge Steven Ogden for two years.

Smith and his wife Jamie moved to the Valley from Cerritos in 1987. They have three children, Jessica, Kristen and Matthew. While in college, Smith said he joined what was then the Marshal's Department because he "wanted the best for my family," and being a marshal could help him get it.

The deputy said art has always been a passion for him.

"I've been an artist my whole life," Smith said recently during a break from his courtroom duties.

He has degrees in biology and art from Cypress College and attended classes in biomedical illustration as well as ornithology at California State University, Long Beach, where he could meld his fascination with both science and nature.

Smith's skill in art led to a freelance career as a medical illustrator in addition to a career as an artist, graphic designer and Web page designer.

Next month, he'll present his first one-man show at the Cedar Centre Art Gallery of the Allied Arts Association. The exhibit of 19 artworks in acrylic, oil, pastels and pen and ink represent his interest in birds.

"It's going to be fun," said Smith, whose lifelong list of birds he has spotted contains about 350 species.

Smith's paintings of birds have won him numerous awards, including grand prize in 1993 in an annual calendar contest sponsored by the Gift Foundation of Antelope Valley Hospital Medical Center.

He also won a first-place award in 1991 in a competition for the California Native Species stamp. His Stellar's Jay, which will be at the exhibition, lost out to the desert tortoise.

Smith's work has also been exhibited at the Pacific Rim Wildlife Show as well as in an exhibit of bird artists at UCLA's Kirchoff Gallery.

At Antelope Valley College, where he teaches graphic arts part time, Smith said it's "exciting when you can pass on the knowledge that someone else has given you."

"You can see them take what you've given them," Smith said, "and develop something creative from it. ... It's exciting to see that."

Talk to people who know Smith and a theme begins to develop; that of his involvement with the community.

Idleman said she thought that he could "bring a lot of knowledge to the planning commission." Idleman's husband Scott, a local attorney, works with Smith through his law enforcement ties.

"He is very involved in the community and has done a lot for law enforcement and crime reduction," Scott said.

Although he's had just two meetings as a planning commissioner thus far, Smith said he's enjoying his latest job and he believes in planned growth, adding that the commission needs to consider the agricultural and rural citizens' needs while balancing that with the needs of the growing population and economy.

Smith chairs the political endorsement committee of the Association of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs. How does he manage to balance so many hats?

"I think keeping everything organized is a matter of setting priorities," Smith said, then added, "My family is No. 1 priority. It's a balance of keeping well-organized and setting priorities. And sometimes having to say no."

When asked what he would cite as a career highlight, Smith hesitated at first. He's won Deputy of the Year honors twice, in 1994 and 1999. He's won many awards for his art. He even said being named planning commissioner could be a career highlight.

But when pressed, he named his week's training to earn a wood badge - an honor that dates back to Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Boy Scouts - as his shining moment.

Training for the wood badge, Smith said, is a weeklong process that teaches leadership skills to those who go through it. Smith characterized his training as "very enlightening, almost an Epiphany."

"They run you all over the place," Smith said, adding that part of the goal is to help the leaders know what it's like to be a Scout. He went through the training to make himself a better adult leader. The training helped him not only as a Scout leader but also as a deputy sheriff and father.

The training regimen is so effective, Smith said, some companies send their employees through it to learn leadership and organizational skills.

Smith is an assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 76. His son Matthew, 12, is a Scout; Smith said Matthew "was born to be a Scout."

Smith said there was a lot to learn while sitting in court day in and day out when he was working in the courtroom.

"You get a better overall view of how the integrity of the system works," Smith said.

Smith said one of the reasons he gets involved in his community is because it's a way to help him have a hand in where his family lives.

"I just sort of have that urge to get involved, try to make a difference," Smith said, adding that his plate is full.

"We really don't have any time that isn't accounted for," Jamie Smith said, adding, "Community involvement has always been really important to Ron."