Knox County Commissioner Angela Russell has called for the resignation of Robert "Alex" Moody, the Knox County Board of Zoning member who was charged with punching a protestor Oct. 10.
"My call for him to resign has nothing to do with whether he is or isn't guilty," Russell, who represents Farragut, said at a commission meeting Oct. 19. "We're swallowing camels and choking on gnats. This shouldn't be that important to Mr. Moody, it shouldn't be that important to the members of this body. To make this easy, it would be nice if Mr. Moody would resign so we don't have to discuss something that is a private matter as a public matter."
Her statement was in reference to Commissioner Brandon Huckaby asking his peers to initiate a removal process to get
Moody off the board of zoning appeals. The commission has the power under state law and its own rules to remove members of the board of zoning appeals “for cause upon written charges and after a public hearing."
Huckaby will need eight votes to even get the issue on the Oct. 28 agenda. If he doesn't gain that support, he can put the removal resolution on the November agenda and the commission would vote on it then.
An exasperated Russell called for Moody's resignation after commissioners spent time at their Oct. 19 agenda review meeting debating how the process of removing Moody would work and the merits of the legal case against Moody.
Moody is a leader of Heritage Hubs, a right-wing political group that hosted an event Oct. 10 to bring together those who support establishing a spot for young conservatives to "scale culture" and to create "permanent infrastructure for community, culture and civic life." Heritage Hubs is affiliated with the Tennessee Heritage Association, which is focused on restricting and reversing immigration and has posted and shared white nationalist materials online.
A small group of protesters gathered outside the event, including William Wilson, who told Knox News he approached a table near the venue's entrance to express his disapproval of the event. The event included an appearance by Greg Bovino, the former Border Patrol "commander-at-large" who was relieved of his command in January after federal agents shot and killed two people during a prolonged immigration enforcement effort centered in Minneapolis.
Wilson and witnesses told police, who confirmed their accounts with video, that Moody suddenly knocked Wilson's cell phone out of his hand and punched him in the face.
"This conduct constitutes cause for removal because unjustified physical violence against a member of the public demonstrates a serious failure of judgment and self-restraint relevant to continued service on a county board that hears and resolves disputes involving members of the public," Huckaby's resolution says.
Allie Feinberg is the politics reporter for Knox News. Email: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com; Reddit: u/KnoxNewsAllie
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knox County commissioner: Zoning official who punched protestor should resign
