The passing of Garnett City Commissioner, Cody Gettler, last week surprised many people. At 25 years old, Gettler was believed to be the youngest ever elected City Commissioner. He was elected in 2020 at the age of 24, after serving in a number of volunteer post in local Civic and Municipal services while in high school and college. He Graduated in 2014 from Anderson County Junior Senior High School and helped create the City’s Youth in Government Program, in which a high school student is posted with City Commissioners at the City’s Regular meetings as a liaison between City Government and local high school kids. In a 2020 City Commission Election announcement, he said his love of the Community drove his desire to be involved. In high school, he was active in Anderson County Local Emergency Planning Committee and became a Red Cross Certified Emergency Shelter Manager a few months after graduating high school. He was the first student at Anderson County High School to take the post of Student Liaison at Commission Meetings.
Mayor Jody Cole says Gettler had a big heart for the Community and it showed in the way he applied himself as Commissioner. Commissioner Greg Gwin says he was very Community-driven and was very interested in seeing Garnett move forward and succeed into the future.
With Gettler’s passing, Cole and Gwin will now have to set about the process of appointing the vacancy for his position. Commissioners were interviewing candidates for the vacant City Manager’s position, which Gettler had participated in recent Zoom meetings in that process, while he was ill. Memorial Services are set for 10:00 tomorrow morning at the First Christian Church in Garnett.
