FORT COVINGTON — A county legislator who spent nearly four decades holding elected offices in Franklin County, after serving in the U.S. Army, died unexpectedly at his home Friday.

Guy “Tim” Smith, 79, of Fort Covington, was remembered by colleagues as a mentor, friend and someone who was always willing to help out.

During his time in the county legislature, Smith represented District 1. The district’s current representative, Paul Lauzon, D-Fort Covington, described Smith as a community leader.

“He was always there, always asked what he could do to help out. He loved his family and had lots of friends,” Paul Lauzon said, “Timmy was a small town hero but he did things in a big way, what I mean by that is he did a lot to help his community out.”

According to Paul Lauzon, Smith spent 22 years on the Fort Covington Town Council, five years as a councilor and 17 years as town supervisor.

“With 38 years as an elected official and two years in the army, he had 40 years of public service,” Paul Lauzon said, “He was a prominent member of the community, had a passion for public service and was a community leader.”

Paul Lauzon credited Smith with helping revitalize Fort Covington’s American Legion post.

“The post had been relatively inactive and Smith was one of the core members who helped reactivate it, about 50 years ago,” Lauzon said, “He was active with the post for the rest of his life, he was a pillar in the American Legion of Fort Covington. It’s a great loss to our community, a big hole to fill. There’s not going to be another Tim Smith.”

Rod Lauzon, commander of American Legion Post 1418 in Fort Covington, said Smith was an important mentor.

“Tim was an excellent mentor when I became commander,” he said. “He had 52 years of expertise in our American Legion Post 1418, he could answer any question you would ask. Tim helped at all functions, helped to get the deck built three years ago and just a month ago helped to seal the deck.”

John Cushman, who has spent 40 years on the Fort Covington Town Council, said he met Smith after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps.

“I met Tim Scott back in the ’60s, when I returned from a two-year stint in the Marine Corps, and we struck up a friendship,” Cushman said, “He was a very colorful individual.”

Cushman said in the 1970s, Smith got involved with Fort Covington town government, and was appointed the town’s deputy supervisor, before becoming the town’s supervisor.

“He just had a lot of energy, he enjoyed representing the community and was interested in it,” Cushman said.

Cushman said Smith was an active member of Fort Covington’s American Legion, and was a big part of the Legion’s annual Fourth of July parade, helping to start the annual tradition in 1973.

“He did a lot with the post, helped out wherever he could,” Cushman said.

Patricia Manchester, Fort Covington town supervisor, said she met Smith when they were both working at Alcoa in Massena, going on to work with him in local government.

“He is a big part of why I got into politics, he was a great resource for a lot of us in Fort Covington, and public officials throughout Franklin County,” Manchester said.

According to Manchester, Smith was the chair of the Democratic Party in Fort Covington until he retired from the county legislature, and his door was always open to his constituents.

“He was a big mentor for members of the Democratic Party, his door was always open, he was always willing to talk, and to help out the people of his district,” Manchester said. “I can’t say enough about what he did for District 1, he was always active in Fort Covington and did a lot for the Adult Center.”

Manchester said she believes Smith continued to run for and hold public office because he wanted to help out Fort Covington and Franklin County.

“That’s just the person he was, he wanted to help his community, anything you asked for he was there to help, he was a long time member of the American Legion too,” Manchester said, “He was always a big part of their Fourth of July parade here.”

Manchester said besides being a mentor, Smith was a great example for how an elected official can interact with the public.

“You didn’t get the run around from Tim, he was there to help, it’s just the guy he was, he was always there to help,” Manchester said. “As a supervisor, I’ve always heard, ‘give Timmy a call, he’ll follow up, get back to us, and help out.’ He was a great advocate for Fort Covington.”

Assemblyman D. Billy Jones, D-Chateaugay Lake, said Smith was the county legislature chair, when he was on the county board, with both spending time as the board’s chair.

“He was one of a kind, it was great to be on the board with Tim, he enjoyed serving his community by being part of the county government,” Jones said. “I’ve always said you can’t buy experience and that is something he definitely had, Tim had years of experience dealing with local issues at different levels of local government.”

Donald Dabiew, D-Bombay, the current chair of the Franklin County Legislature, said Smith’s experience helped him get comfortable in county government and helped the county tackle issues over the years.

“My first three years on the board were with Tim and he was great, he was a veteran there and I was new to it,” Dabiew said. “He brought a lot of wisdom and a lot of knowledge to the table.”

Dabiew said Smith always seemed to have an anecdote or a way to make others laugh, even when discussing serious matters.

“For almost everything, he had an anecdote or a joke for that got us laughing before we were done, he was a pleasure to work with,” Dabiew said.

Dabiew said Smith was a great example of how public officials can work together even when they disagree on issues.

“The thing with Tim is he was always willing to work together,” Dabiew said. “You didn’t always have to agree, but you could work together to get things done.”

Dabiew said Smith enjoyed helping people out, whether it was at the town or county level.

“I think he really enjoyed it,” Dabiew said. “He wanted to help people and I think this gave him a chance to do that.”

Franklin County Manager Donna Kissane shared the sentiments of Smith’s colleagues.

“Tim Smith dedicated years of his life to public service. He will be missed,” Kissane said.

Born on Dec. 30, 1941, Smith graduated from Salmon River in 1960, and went on to work at Alcoa’s plant in Massena for 36 years.

Prior to his 38 years of elected service in Franklin County, Smith served in the U.S. Army.

Smith’s political career began as a town councilor in Fort Covington, a post which he held five years until he was elected the town supervisor. From 2001 to 2016, Smith represented Fort Covington as the county legislator for District 1, later holding the position of legislative chair.

In addition to his political service, Smith enjoyed farming, and was a member of the North Aurora Lodge 383 Masonic Lodge for 43 years. He was a longtime member of Fort Covington’s American Legion Post 1418, where he remained an active member until his death. His membership stretched over 50 years.