Supervisor Is Home After Surgery

Orange County Supervisor Chuck Smith is expected to return to the Board of Supervisors next month after he recovers from open-heart surgery and pneumonia, an aide said Friday.

Smith, 72, a supervisor for seven years, had a quadruple bypass in December; his recovery was hampered by pneumonia. He talks to his staff daily from his home in Westminster and keeps up to date on issues facing the county, said James Campbell, an executive assistant to the supervisor.

Smith was diagnosed with a blocked artery in December, Campbell said. After the supervisor underwent angioplasty, a minimally intrusive heart procedure, a doctor recommended the bypass surgery. Smith’s illness has forced him to miss four board meetings. He probably will miss another two to three and return to work in mid- or late February, Campbell said.

Smith is a retired aerospace engineer and project manager who served on the Westminster City Council from 1984 to 1996.

As a supervisor, he advocated for the construction of an international airport at the closed El Toro Marine base. He serves on several committees, including the county’s Children and Families Commission, Southern California Assn. of Governments and the Orange County Transportation Authority.

As part of his recovery, Smith walks several blocks each day in his neighborhood. Campbell said that Smith has a strong work ethic and that it will be difficult for the supervisor to return to work cautiously and with reduced stress, as doctors have recommended.

The problem will be “to keep him from doing too much too soon,” Campbell said.