BY LAURIE WEIR

The Perth mayor will be on a leave of absence for one month while recuperating from a fall. 

During the regular meeting of Perth council on Tuesday, Jan. 30, Mayor Judy Brown informed everyone that she took a tumble while visiting her daughter. 

She was on vacation at the time. 

“I went away for holidays to visit my daughter and fell on the stairs and incurred quite a few injuries,” Brown said. “I also have a concussion. At the encouragement of the CAO and the deputy mayor I decided with reluctance to take a leave of absence.”

As always, the mayor said she has the best interests of the citizens of the Town of Perth at heart. 

“I wouldn’t want to speak with my comments because of my concussion. I really wasn’t saying what I thought I was saying. I have every confidence in the deputy mayor to fill in for me. I will be sitting in on meetings by Zoom as much as I can. That will be somewhat limited by how much I am in pain … it is with regret that I have to take a leave.”

Brown took in the council meeting via Zoom, and said she’d try to stay abreast of what is happening in town virtually while she recovers. 

In the meantime, Deputy Mayor Ed McPherson said the mayor calls herself “an old farm girl,” and “everybody knows that people who grow up on a farm are hard workers and don’t want to back down no matter how badly they’re feeling. It took quite a bit from us to convince her to look after her health first.”

McPherson said he’d keep the mayor up to date on what’s happening with the town and council. 

McPherson has been appointed mayor for the duration of Brown’s absence.