Commissioner Larry Smith

  1. Mailing address

    134 N. Main Street, Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526

    Fax number

    919-552-6994

    Biography

    Larry W. Smith was appointed to the Fuquay-Varina Board of Commissioners in January 2019 to fill an open position on the Board. In November 2019 he was elected to remain on the Board for a full four-year term. In December 2021 he was elected to serve a two-year term as Mayor Pro Tem.

    Larry came to the Board after over forty years of public service mainly in the field of state and local law enforcement. After graduating from North Carolina State University, Larry started his career in law enforcement in 1977 with the Raleigh Police Department. In 1981, he became a Special Agent with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. He served with the SBI until he retired in March 2005.  During his time with the SBI, Larry served as a Resident Agent, a Tactical Team Member, a Pilot in the Air Wing, and he retired at the rank of Assistant Director.

    Upon his retirement from the SBI, Larry was selected to serve as the Chief of Police for the Town of Fuquay-Varina and served in that capacity for ten years, retiring in March 2015. Since his retirement, Larry has served in several part-time public service positions to include the Fuquay-Varina Planning Department, the SBI, the N.C. Department of Public Safety, and the Zebulon Police Department. He continues to serve as a Law Enforcement Instructor at Wake Technical Community College and Central Carolina Community College. Larry also has served as the President of the National Internal Affairs Investigators Association, President of the NC Internal Affairs Investigators Association, as a member of the NC CJIN Board, and as the Co-Chair of the North Carolina Task Force to Prevent Deaths from Unintentional Drug Overdoses.

    As a Town Board Member, Larry represents the Town of Fuquay-Varina as the Delegate to the Triangle J Council of Government and he serves on the Economic Development Committee.

    Larry and his wife, Windy, have two daughters and four grandchildren. They are members of Hilltop Church in Fuquay-Varina where Larry serves as a Deacon and Sunday School teacher.

    Board of Commissioners Duties and Responsibilities
    • Recruiting, selecting, and hiring a Town Manager and recognizing the role of a professional manager to serve the governing board as a whole
    • Establish the general framework under which the Town can meet the needs of the community
    • Appoint a Town Attorney
    • Set direction by clarifying the Town's mission and purposes and by setting goals for the short and long term
    • Adopt policies and ordinances
    • Engage in strategy development (annual retreat)
    • Understand its own legal and ethical responsibilities
    • Enhancing the Town's public image
    • Provide citizens opportunities to respectfully comment on public issues
    • Making sure that resources are adequate to serve the public and are used for their intended purposes
    • Channeling communications appropriately to the Town Manager
    • Expecting staff to make independent and objective recommendations

    Current Term

    • December 2019-2023
    • Mayor Pro Tempore, December 2021-2023

    Previous Terms

    • January 2019 - Appointed by the Board of Commissioner to serve out a 4-year term ending December 2019.
    • December 2019 - Elected to Town Board to serve a 4-year term

    Current Town Board of Commissioner Committees

    • Public Safety Committee, Chair
    • Economic Development Committee, Member
    • Law and Finance Committee, Member

    Other Appointments

    • CAMPO Executive Board - Alternate
    • Triangle J Council of Government Board of Delegates, Alternate Town Delegate