Another Augusta Commission member is stepping down temporarily from his post.
Mayor Pro Tem and District 8 Commissioner Brandon Garrett announced Tuesday he is taking leave from the position for an undefined period.
“I’m stepping away for a short period to work through some issues that that have affected my family and my spiritual and mental health,” Garrett said at the start of Tuesday’s regular commission meeting.
“I ask for your prayers and your spiritual consideration and for our privacy during this time,” he said. “I look forward to being able to come back soon, in the near future.”
MORE: Augusta commissioner temporarily stepping down for health reasons
Garrett, 44, is the married father of three small children. He said Super District 10 Commissioner Wayne Guilfoyle could handle any resident concerns from District 8 in the interim.
Garrett offered no other explanation. He’s the second commissioner to take a leave of absence in four months after Commissioner Alvin Mason took leave for health reasons in June. Mason has returned only sporadically after having spinal surgery.
The absences leave the commission with only eight regular members and impact Mayor Garnett Johnson’s new ability to cast votes on all commission items. Measures need six votes to pass, and Garrett and Mason had tended to vote with Johnson.
Johnson said the commission is praying for Garrett.
