Gwinnett leaders vote to reprimand colleague in ‘racist pig’ case

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday night to publicly reprimand colleague Tommy Hunter.

The decision followed the recommendation of the county's first-ever ethics board, which voted earlier this month to sustain the ethics complaint against Hunter, who has been under fire since calling civil rights icon and U.S. Rep. John Lewis a "racist pig" on Facebook.

A public reprimand was the stiffest possible penalty available under Gwinnett's ethics ordinance. It will involve posting a written rebuke on the county's website, on the wall of the courthouse and in the local newspaper.

The complaint was filed Feb. 6 by Atlanta woman Nancie Turner. It argued that Hunter's social media activity — which also included calling Democrats "Demonrats" and "libtards" — violated several tenets of the county's 2011 ethics ordinance.

Hunter did not attend Tuesday night’s meeting, which included a public hearing. Anti-Hunter protesters spoke for the full hour allotted to them.

No one spoke in support of Hunter.

Read full coverage of Tuesday night’s emotional meeting at myAJC.com.