Gary Combs became Mayor of Shalimar in 1999 after serving for two years as the town’s police commissioner and served for the next two decades. No one ever ran against him, but Combs has decided to step down and his last Town Commission meeting will be on March 12th, the same day that several municipal elections will be held. Shalimar’s new mayor will be unopposed candidate Mark Franks, the former chairman of the Okaloosa County Republican Executive Committee. Combs and his wife, Nancy, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in February. Their daughter and grandson also live in Shalimar.