Mayor apologizes for ‘monkey’ remark

By Joel Davis
Of The Daily Times Staff

Blount County Mayor Jerry Cunningham has issued a public apology for his remarks at the Lincoln Day Dinner on May 9 when he apparently compared Democrats on the Blount County Commission to monkeys.

“Recently, in jest, at a dinner I made some remarks which offended some folks,” Cunningham said in the apology released today. “Since being elected, my family and I have endured many remarks made toward me, not in jest, but out of malice, anger and hatred. That, however, does not justify my remarks. As a matter of conscience, I regret having made these comments and apologize to all who were offended.”

As reported in The Daily Times, Cunningham, during his comments, had been recounting a conversation that took place on a night when he was upset with the three Democratic commission members — whom he didn’t name.

“It was one of those nights that I was mad at those three on the commission, and I had a committee meeting and all three of there were on it,” he had said. “And I said, ‘Well, I’ll go to the bottom of the hill and I can turn right and go to the Knoxville Zoo, or I can turn left and go to that committee meeting. And I can see the monkeys at the zoo or I can see them at the committee meeting. This next election ... do us a favor and turn those three Democrats out to pasture, for God’s sake.”