SUMMIT — At the meeting of the Summit Common Council on Tuesday, July 7, Mayor Elizabeth Fagan performed a swearing-in ceremony for Andrew Smith, newly appointed councilmember in Ward 1. Smith will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of former Councilmember Bob Pawlowski; he will serve for the remainder of Pawlowski’s term that was set to expire at the end of 2026.
Summit Common Council unanimously confirmed the appointment of Smith as councilmember in Ward 1 at its meeting on Tuesday, June 16. He was privately sworn in shortly after that meeting to officially begin his duties as councilmember and joined the rest of council on the dais for the first time at the meeting on Tuesday, July 7.
“I am thrilled that Andy is joining us on the dais,” said Fagan. “He brings a deep and long-standing commitment to community service along with impressive credentials and extensive professional experience to successfully fill this position. I want to thank him for his willingness to serve and be a voice for residents.”
Smith lives in Summit with his wife and three children and has demonstrated a deep commitment to community through extensive civic engagement and volunteerism.
Smith served as co-chairperson of Summit’s Memorial Day Parade for more than a decade and on the Board of Health and Department of Community Programs Advisory Board for multiple terms. He has also served on the Veterans Affordable Housing Project Committee and has been active with the American Legion Post No. 322 in Summit, having several leadership positions and serving on its Summit American Character Award Committee. Smith has also been a volunteer coach for several youth sports for more than a decade, including baseball, basketball and flag football, and has served as a volunteer evaluator for baseball and basketball.
Smith is an attorney and co-founded the Summit firm Smith + Schwartzstein LLC with his wife, Kathryn, in 2009. He is bar admitted in New Jersey, New York, the District of New Jersey, the Southern and Eastern districts of New York, and the United States Supreme Court. Smith has been repeatedly recognized by New Jersey Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America for his work as an attorney. He has lectured for the Practicing Law Institute and the New York Bar Association and has been published in the New Jersey Appellate Division, as well as in other publications, including Law360 and Metropolitan Corporate Counsel.
Smith received his juris doctorate from Boston College Law School after graduating from Rochester Institute of Technology with a bachelor’s degree. After law school, he clerked for Sybil R. Moses, New Jersey’s first female assignment judge, before joining the litigation department of Gibbons P.C. Before law school, Smith served as an artillery officer in the U.S. Army, deploying to overseas locations and attaining the rank of captain.
Photo Courtesy of Megan Trindell
