ATLANTA -- Amid calls for a metro-area commissioner to resign over questionable Facebook posts, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is now weighing in on the situation, writing a letter to the firm that employs the commissioner.
Weeks ago, Gwinnett County Commissioner Tommy Hunter took to Facebook calling Rep. John Lewis a “racist pig” following a Sunday morning “Meet the Press” interview. During the interview, the Congressman questioned legitimacy of President Trump’s administration after allegations that Russia interfered with the 2016 election. It sparked a well-publicized Twitter feud with Trump, who slighted Lewis and the district he represents.
Reaction to the Hunter’s post was swift, and many Democrats in Gwinnett County called for his resignation. Now, Mayor Reed is weighing in on the professional and personal status of Hunter.
On Thursday, 11Alive obtained a copy of a letter Reed wrote to the CEO of United Consulting. It’s the company that does big business with the City of Atlanta's Watershed Department, and the same company that employs Tommy Hunter.
In the letter, Reed tells United Consulting the City of Atlanta finds Mr. Hunter's toxic remark to be insulting, reprehensible and unacceptable to this administration. He then asks the company to let him know by close-of-business Monday how it plans to resolve this matter.
Hunter has apologized for writing the comment, but he has never agreed to speak with 11Alive on camera. Protests at commission meetings he attends continue; he even walked out of last week's public comment portion.
The fallout continued after an ethics complaint was filed against the commissioner. That complaint was given the green light to proceed where an ethics board will decide his fate. If the board finds Hunter violated ethics rules, he could face consequences ranging from a written warning to termination of employment to referral to criminal authorities.
