Longtime Bladen County Director of Revenue Betty Smith has announced plans to retire effective January 1st.

In response to her announcement, the Bladen County Commissioners, at their Monday meeting, appointed another longtime employee of the department, Marguerite Coble, to become Interim Director.

The vote to appoint Coble was not unanimous, however. Commissioner Margaret Lewis Moore cast the lone opposing vote.

She stated prior to the vote that she believed a former employee of the department, Marlowe Grant, had been "let go" during staff cuts in early 2002 to allow the appointment of "a commissioner's sister" to the position. Coble is the sister of Commissioner Jimmy Smith.

She stated that the perception of the minority community of the county is that Grant's position had been unfairly eliminated.

Betty Smith, who began her 34-year career with the department one month after graduating from high school in May 1969, initially worked as a clerk in the then Tax Collector's office. She became Assistant Tax Collector in 1974 and Tax Collector in 1978.

Eight years later the Tax Collector's office and the office of the Tax Supervisor were combined into one department. Smith was appointed Tax Administrator at that time. Two years later she became the Director of Revenue.

Smith said, in an interview, that she felt the "time was right to retire."

"The job's tough-it's a headache, but I've loved it. Now its time to go on to another phase in my life," she added. "I'll probably do something else but I've not thought much about what that might be. I plan to enjoy my retirement."

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