Swain County commissioner expelled from meeting
As seen here, David Loftis, far left, was present prior to the closed session, but was absent once commissioners returned and video resumed. From YouTube
Following a heated exchange with another county commissioner during a closed session, Swain County Commissioner David Loftis was expelled from the board’s June 18 meeting.
While closed sessions are typically not accessible to the public, the incident that led to the expulsion was captured by a microphone that apparently was accidentally left on while the board discussed a newly created animal control officer position.
In the minute leading up to the verbal altercation, voices can be heard discussing problems with snakes on properties, presumably discussing how an animal control officer may handle that situation. In the background a couple of voices grow louder and suddenly a woman is heard saying in a calm tone, “we need law enforcement now.”
Within seconds, a man’s voice can be heard saying, “I will beat your butt.”
“Don’t you ever stick your nose into something I’m doing,” the voice continues.
A few seconds later, the audio cuts off for about a half hour before the board — minus Loftis — returned to announce no decisions were made during the closed session.
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In a June 24 interview with The Smoky Mountain News, Loftis admitted that he’d been expelled from the meeting but that there were no charges following the incident. While he wouldn’t say who he was angry at because the altercation occurred during a closed session, he did admit that the issue being debated was the animal control officer position.
When asked whether he was concerned about any kind of sanction from his fellow board members, Loftis stated his opinion bluntly.
“To tell you the truth, I don’t care what they do,” he said. “A bunch of crooks in my opinion.”
