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Michael Smith has announced his candidacy for the District 2 seat on the Covington County Commission in the 2020 elections.

Smith, the former owner of Advanced EMS, believes he can use his business knowledge and background to help move the county forward.

If elected, he said he will work on job growth and the further development of the Covington County School system.

“Covington government needs to partner with other entities to help bring other industries to Covington County,” Smith said. “We need to partner with others and use every resource available to focus on this goal.”

He also believes the county government should collaborate with the Covington County Board of Education.

“Everything we need to do starts with education,” Smith said. “We need to help the school system all we can, including doing in-kind work at the campuses when we can.”

Smith is a lifelong resident of Covington County and a graduate of Straughn High School. He earned an associate’s degree in emergency medical services from LBW Community College and worked in the field from 1991 until he sold the business earlier this year.

He is the head football coach at Straughn Middle School and a Rotarian.

He and his wife, Elaine, are residents in the Straughn area. His children are Jonathan Smith, an Auburn University engineering student; Taylor Smith a student at the Savannah College of Art and Design; and Ethan Smith a seventh-grader at Straughn Middle School. Smith is the son of June Smith and the late John Smith.