Embattled Gwinnett County Commissioner Tommy Hunter sat quietly Tuesday afternoon as protesters took turns calling for his resignation.
It was the first time in a month he’d stuck around to listen to their comments.
“I’m glad you stayed here today,” one regular protester, Art Smith, said. “ ... [Leaving] only inflames the situation and prolongs it.”
Hunter has been under fire since The Atlanta Journal-Constitution first published screenshots of a Jan. 14 Facebook post in which the commissioner called civil rights leader and U.S. Rep. John Lewis a “racist pig.” He also referred to Democrats as “Demonrats” and a “bunch of idiots.”
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Protesters have showed up for every board meeting since Hunter's posts were published. But at the board's Feb. 21 meeting, Hunter left just as they lined up yet again to speak against him during the open public comment period.
His spokesman claiming the protests were a distraction from other matters, Hunter had also left early from every subsequent meeting — until Tuesday.
After the board handled its short business meeting, he remained in his seat for the entire hour that protesters spoke against him.
He declined to speak to a reporter afterward. His spokesman, Seth Weathers, did not immediately return requests for comment.
Board Chairman Charlotte Nash said she was “proud” that Hunter stayed.
“I think it's an appropriate thing for him to do to be at the meeting,” she said.
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