Gary Smith has announced that on Feb. 26 he will be retiring as director of the Elizabethton/Carter County Emergency Management Agency. He has served Carter County and Elizabethton as director for the past seven years. “It has been a privilege and my great honor,” Smith said in his announcement letter to Carter County Mayor Patty Woodby. When he was asked by the Johnson City Press to ask about his retirement, Smith said he plans to remain in the area and upon the retirement of his wife, they plan on occasionally taking some trips. At the top of their trip list is a journey to Israel. Smith has already seen a bit of the world. He is retired from the Air Force with 24 years of service. He is a 1979 graduate of Hampton High School. He is the brother of Capt. Tom Smith of the Carter County Sheriff’s Department.