His resignation was immediate, citing health and mayoral interference among the reasons for his departure months out from the October local government elections.
Mr Garbutt said the tipping point for him was the fallout from the code of conduct complaint he laid against Mr Cadogan on April 28.
The complaint was laid after Mr Garbutt’s support of an opinion piece written by columnist Joe Bennett regarding the use of te reo by Radio New Zealand (RNZ) was "outed" in an email sent by Mr Cadogan to RNZ presenter Mani Dunlop.
The email revealed that Mr Garbutt was a community board deputy chairman and stated the view expressed was not reflective of the Central Otago District Council.
As part of his complaint Mr Garbutt said a story on media website The Spinoff containing tweets from the RNZ presenter contained incorrect information from Mr Cadogan and was composed in a way to bring him into disrepute.
He received multiple messages as a result of the article, he said.
In a statement released to various media, Mr Garbutt said the mayor’s conduct was "designed to intimidate ... to the point of bullying" and "constrict freedom of speech in a subject unrelated to the council or community board".
He also said the nature of the complaint was also shared with the chairman of the Vincent Community Board Martin McPherson and at least one council staff member by council chief executive Sanchia Jacobs.
Mr Cadogan said he had sent the email to Ms Dunlop.
He was aware she faced criticism for her use of te reo, and reading Mr Bennett’s column had left him disheartened.
Upon seeing an elected member sharing support for Mr Bennett’s views, he "wanted to reach out to balance the conversation".
He did not believe an elected member could take a hat on and off when it suited them and was aware when sending the email to Ms Dunlop he would potentially damage the relationship with Mr Garbutt.
Mr Cadogan did not intend to bring Mr Garbutt into disrepute, and said it was Mr Garbutt’s letter to the editor of the Otago Daily Times, not his email that opened him up to criticism.
In response to Mr Garbutt’s resignation, Mr Cadogan told the ODT yesterday the decision was "disappointing".
"In relation to his claims relating to my action that he says in part led to this decision, Russell laid a code of conduct complaint against me in relation to this four weeks ago.
"I believe it would be inappropriate of me to comment further while we await the outcome of that investigation."
Mr McPherson said he was disappointed Mr Garbutt felt forced to resign.
"I’m a bit unsure if there is the factor of his health, frustration with processes or a combination of both."
Mr Garbutt had tried his best to contribute in a big way and he wished him the best in future endeavours, Mr McPherson said.
Ms Jacobs echoed the disappointment of Mr Cadogan and Mr McPherson.
"He has been a very committed member of the Vincent Community Board and I wish him well with whatever he decides to do in the future," she said.
In terms of next steps, Wellington-based lawyer Steph Dyhrberg has been engaged to assess Mr Garbutt’s complaint, Mr Cadogan’s conduct and response to the complaint, and to prepare a report.
The report is not expected to be prepared before June 10.
By Shannon Thomson and Jared Morgan
