A former chief executive has been awarded with the highest honor a council can bestow at a special ceremony.
David Smith, former chief executive of Epsom and Ewell Council, was officially made an Honorary Freeman of the Borough at the special ceremony last Wednesday.
Mr Smith, who retired in July 2009 after suffering a stroke, was the 15th individual awarded the Honorary Freeman status since the Borough Council was created 1937.
He said: “It is a great honour to have been made an Honorary Freeman and I would like to thank the Council for granting me this prestigious honour.”
A solicitor by trade, Mr Smith became town clerk and chief executive of the council on June 9, 1986.
He was closely involved in projects such as the development of the Ebbisham Centre, Rainbow Leisure Centre, Queen’s Stand and Duchess’s Stand at Epsom Racecourse and the introduction of one of the first comprehensive call centres in local government.
He also held various positions on a number of committees and boards including clerk of Epsom and Walton Downs Conservators, clerk of the Nonsuch Park Joint Management Committee, returning officer for the borough and the first chairman of the Epsom Derby Festival.
Councillor Eber Kington said: “David was a huge part of the political landscape of Epsom and Ewell and Surrey for 23 years.
"His achievements have been many and long lasting. For many people David Smith was the face of the council.
"Its reputation locally and in Surrey, amongst the voluntary and private sector, and also beyond the county, often hung on him and so much of what we achieved as a borough council is down to him.”
The title of freeman originally meant a man who was not tied to the land or by other economic servitude, but, in England, the meaning later changed to mean a person who possesses the full privileges of a city, borough or company and was a powerful position to hold.
The Honorary Freeman of Boroughs Act of 1885 allows councils to select distinguished persons to be given the title.
A spokeswoman for the council said: “David, in his long-held position as chief executive, is deemed by the council to be a person of distinction and a person who has given years of service and dedication to the borough.”
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