The well-timed chorus of coughing, meant to overwhelm whatever Gwinnett County Commissioner Tommy Hunter was saying, reached a crescendo, then died down as his voice trailed off.

When he tried to resume talking, it happened again.

And again. And again.

All four times during that Tuesday afternoon meeting, commission Chairman Charlotte Nash had to pound her gavel and implore the hacking crowd — gathered to yet again protest Hunter and his Facebook post calling U.S. Rep. John Lewis a "racist pig" — to cut it out.

“Come on now, please,” Nash shouted, calm but firm. “We have business that needs to be conducted.”

Feigned respiratory distress is just one, arguably sophomoric, example of the disruption that Gwinnett’s Board of Commissioners has faced in the past three weeks.

Visit myAJC.com to see how they're dealing with distractions — including the newly filed ethics complaint against Hunter.

Woman who filed Gwinnett ethics complaint speaks

About the Author

Keep Reading

Lee Reid, executive director of the Atlanta Citizen Review Board, discusses steps being taken to investigate police use of deadly force to the public safety committee at Atlanta City Hall on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

Featured

Braves first baseman Matt Olson (left) is greeted by Ronald Acuña Jr. after batting during the MLB Home Run Derby as part of the All-Star Game festivities on Monday, July 14, 2025, at Truist Park in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC