The Cobb Board of Elections meeting on Monday was adjourned prematurely after someone in the audience shouted “Heil Hitler” during a public comment period.
The board had just heard a comment from citizen Hugh Norris, who was critical of an elections board member who does not stand for the Pledge of Allegiance at board meetings.
His comments were directed at board member Jennifer Mosbacher of East Cobb, whom Norris called a “closeted Communist” who wasn’t demonstrating proper loyalty to her duties and who should be replaced.
After he was finished, some applause broke out, followed by the “Heil Hitler” remark.
Mosbacher, who is Jewish, immediately began waving her arms in protest.
“Who said that?” she said.
“That is extremely unacceptable,” board chairwoman Tori Silas said. “It’s completely out of order.”
Board attorney Daniel White said that commenters can speak out what they like, even if it’s “ugly,” but they can’t proceed in a way that disrupts the flow of the meeting. He thought that comment fit the latter description, since it amounted to hate speech.
“We’re going to calm it down, and let people have a chance to take a pause, don’t make it personal, people can say what they want and we’ll move forward,” he said.
But Mosbacher said that “anti-Semitic rhetoric, not acceptable. I’m won’t continue to sit in this seat if that person is in this room.”
Silas agreed, and said it is not “a matter of what can happen, it is a matter of what will not happen. . . . We can just stop this meeting.”
White looked at the audience and asked whomever the commenter was to leave the room.
When no one did, Silas said, “So you’re going to hide behind the statement?”
Elections board member Stacy Efrat, also of East Cobb, said “we cannot allow this person to stay in this room. It is hate speech and it is unacceptable.
“We can all disagree with each other’s political views, but we cannot allow hate speech.”
As county staff tried to locate commenter, Mosbacher made a reference to Leo Frank, a Jew who was lynched in Marietta in 1915.
Board member Debbie Fisher of East Cobb said it should be “standard duty” for the board not to engage with the audience. “I just think we may be adding a little fuel to the fire.”
Silas replied that “unfortunately, we are in uncharted territory with that type of hate speech being hurled at this board.”
When the “Heil Hitler” commenter could not be located, the board voted 4-0-1 to adjourn, with Fisher abstaining.
It was unclear when the elections board, which holds monthly regular meetings, would resume this one.
You can watch the sequence at the 1:02-hour mark in the video below.
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- MORE: Visit the East Cobb News Politics & Elections Page
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