- Title
- Chairman, Madison County Board of Commissioners · Republican
- In this role since
- on the board since about 2021; vice chair through 2024; chairman by the June 2026 meeting (Ballotpedia · county officials page)
- Next voter decision
- his seat’s next election date is not confirmed; check the county’s elected-officials page
Surveillance record
June 9, 2026: “You will not speak on Flock tonight.” Garrison refused to let dozens of residents speak individually about the sheriff’s 15 cameras, allowed one seven-minute spokesperson, and argued the board has no oversight of the sheriff’s technology purchases. The story went national (404 Media · Madison County · Police oversight in Asheville, 1991 to 2026).
The “no oversight” claim is half true. The board cannot direct the sheriff (G.S. 153A-103); it adopts the budget the cameras are paid from, by department or line, every June (G.S. 159-13). A chairman who silences comment on a purchase his board funds has chosen not to use the lever he holds (What the Law Lets the County Do).
The question for him
If the board has no oversight of the sheriff’s purchases, why does it approve the budget that pays for them? And why silence residents instead of answering that on the record?