Mayor Gary Combs

Gary Combs was elected Mayor of Shalimar on March 13,1999 for a two-year term. He ran unopposed for his second and third terms. Gary began his Shalimar government experience after being elected Police Commissioner in March 1997. He and his wife, Nancy, live on Gardner Drive overlooking beautiful Garnier's Bayou.

Gary was born in Connersville, Indiana and grew up in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. He still has family in Hopkinsville and visits the city often. He is presently a civilian Electrical Engineer with the 68th Electronic Warfare Squadron, 53rd Wing, Eglin A.F.B. Following his Air Force retirement, Gary was a Senior Engineer with SENTEL Corporation charged with producing and maintaining a radar database for the worldwide E-3 AWACS fleet.

Gary joined the Air Force in 1972 and retired in Okaloosa County after 23 years of service. In 1985, he received his BS degree in Electrical Engineering from Tennessee State University. In 1992, he earned his Masters degree in Public Administration from the University of West Florida.

Besides being Mayor, Gary serves as the town representative on the Executive Board of The Okaloosa County League of Cities (OCLOC).

Gary and Nancy are very active boaters and spend most of their free time on the water. Gary is an active member of the Eglin Yacht Club and the Fort Walton Beach Power and Sail Squadron. They have been married 32 years and have one daughter, Sherry, and one grandson, Joseph.