Decatur commissioners elect Patty Garrett mayor and Tony Powers mayor pro tem

The Decatur City Commission unanimously elected Patty Garrett as mayor and Tony Powers as mayor pro tem at the commission’s organizational meeting on Jan. 6, 2025. The votes followed nominations and affirmative voice votes from commissioners.

The newly seated mayor, Patty Garrett, took the chair after her election. Commissioners used the opening minutes to thank Brian Downs, the city’s long-serving city attorney, for his 25 years of service; commissioners said his counsel had guided the city through legal and policy challenges.

The commission conducted the elections by nomination and voice vote: Speaker 3 nominated Garrett and Speaker 4 seconded the nomination; Garrett was declared elected after the motion carried. For mayor pro tem, Speaker 4 nominated Tony Powers and the nomination was seconded; the motion carried by voice vote.

Commissioners offered brief New Year remarks and acknowledgments after the elections. Mayor Garrett and Mayor Pro Tem Powers will preside over the commission’s work in 2025, including upcoming hearings and the retreat the commission noted as the next opportunity for planning.

The meeting proceeded with other agenda items, including appointments and a directive to begin public hearings on whether the city should opt out of House Bill 581.