Long-time public servant C.W. Smith dies

MEDFORD, Ore. – A local man who spent nearly four decades as a public servant has passed away.

Dennis C.W. Smith served as a Jackson County Commissioner for eight years. Before that, he was a police chief in Talent, the Jackson County Sheriff and even spent time as the interim city manager in Lakeview.

In an interview with NBC5 News in 2012, Smith said it was an honor to serve the people of southern Oregon. “I’ve made many, many friends and I’m proud of things we tried to accomplish. And I hope I’ve made southern Oregon a better place in the communities I have served in.”

Smith said there were a lot of things he’d been proud of in his eight years as commissioner, but going even further back, it’s his work with children that really stood out. “The Children’s Advocacy Center is part of my early work, standing up for children, seeing children as victims,” he said.

He called his 39 years of police, city and county management, a blessing. He explained, “I’ve made some great friends and enjoyed the chance to serve the community and hopefully made the places I’ve been a better place.”

Following his tenure as commissioner, Smith said he planned some retirement projects—like farming and sculpting. But he still wanted to give back to the community. “I really want to teach some people, in fact, some people have already signed up to learn,” he said at the time.

Smith reportedly died over the weekend.

 

 

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