Walker Garrett is taking office one week after election

R. Walker Garrett is taking his seat on Columbus Council one week after the May 24 primary election.

Superior Court Judge Arthur Smith swears in Garrett, the new District 8 councilor, at 9 a.m. Tuesday. During a work session of the 10-member council, Garrett will fill the rest of the term of longtime Councilor C.E. “Red” McDaniel, who died in 2014. That term runs until January 2017.

At the end of that term in January, Garrett, 31, then starts serving a new four-year term in the office.

In the primary election on Tuesday, Garrett won both races in District 8, a special election to fill the unexpired term of McDaniel and the other to fill the four-year term.

Garrett is a newcomer to politics in the district. The attorney out polled electrical contractor Jonathan Davis in the race. He said he wants all areas of the district to experience success just as the city transformed the downtown area.

“When I grew up here, you didn’t go downtown. It wasn’t safe,” Garrett said. “Now we see a vibrant community. I want to see that same community throughout our city.”

This story was originally published May 28, 2016 at 2:09 PM with the headline "Walker Garrett is taking office one week after election."