Less than two weeks after announcing his intent to run for Forsyth County commissioner, Marty Byars has dropped out of the race to help take care of his ailing father in Tennessee.

“I have no idea what he’s going to be facing,” Byars said Wednesday while en route to the Atlanta airport. “Running a campaign is the last thing on my mind right now.

“I hate it. I’m sick about it. But it’s not a hard decision to make.”

Byars, owner of Byars Funeral Home and Cremation Services, said he has contacted the state ethics commission and notified the county’s elections board of his decision not to run for the District 3 commission seat.

Incumbent Jim Harrell has not said whether he plans to seek re-election.

Byars' departure leaves just one announced candidate in the field, Republican Joshua Shorr, a financial planning entrepreneur.

“I just don’t know if I have the heart for it with all this going on,” Byars said of a campaign. “But Josh is a good candidate ... he’s a real good guy and

I think that he would be an excellent candidate.”

Qualifying for the July primary is in late April.

Shorr said Byar's announcement was a "sober reminder that there are far more important things than politics."

"Marty is rightfully putting his family first," Shorr said. "I thank him for his kind endorsement and look forward, when his family issues have been resolved, to working with him to make a better Forsyth County."