Citizens Telephone Company's recognized ability to provide outstanding service no doubt helped open the door for the most rewarding, most memorable, and most challenging experience of Tommy Charles Smith’s career. The year was 1975. Citizens had sought and received REA and regulatory approval to make dramatic expansions to its outside plant, toll, and central office facilities. Engineering plans were complete and the project was set to begin in Vienna.

This same year the telephone company received a call from the United States Secret Service informing us that they were providing protection for Jimmy Carter, and Citizens Telephone would be involved in providing telecommunications for the candidate.

Jimmy Carter had been a Citizens Telephone subscriber for years: as a resident, as a businessman, as a member of the local school board, as a state senator, and as governor of Georgia. There was no way to predict his chances for election and there was surely no way to predict what impact a victory for Jimmy Carter could have on the local phone company.

At the August Democratic Convention, Jimmy Carter received the endorsement of his party as the Democratic Nominee in the November election. Secret Service protection was expanded to the candidate's entire family.