Conversation surrounding township supervisor’s resignation makes way into Montgomery County meeting

 The backlash surrounding a Towamencin Township supervisor’s resignation for posting a video mimicking an Elon Musk gesture resembling a Nazi salute made its way into the Montgomery County Commissioners boardroom on Thursday.

Republican Supervisor Laura Smith, who also served as board vice chairwoman, resigned from her post on Jan. 26 after public opposition blasting her conduct in a since-deleted video posted to TikTok.

Musk was initially seen making the straight-arm gesture last month at a rally in Washington, D.C. during President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Smith admitted to filming and posting the video to simply “stir the pot.” The video made its way across social media, with thousands viewing it on Facebook, Reddit and X.

Smith also tendered her resignation from the Knights for Life and Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library boards. Her supervisor resignation was formally accepted by the Towamencin Township Board of Supervisors after a heated two-hour public comment session on Tuesday.

“I just want to applaud our friends and neighbors in Towamencin,” said Montgomery County Commissioners’ Vice Chairwoman Jamila Winder. “When you’re feeling overwhelmed by what’s happening at the federal level, local communities, local electeds can really make a difference, and what Laura Smith did in Towamencin was horrible, and I’m proud to see colleagues and community members standing up against what she did. When people speak out, we hold people accountable. So let’s keep doing that.”

Towamencin Township Supervisor Kofi Osei attending the meeting in Norristown turned his attention to Commissioner Tom DiBello during public comments. He accused DiBello of “lik[ing] one of my former colleague’s Facebook posts defending her video.”

“I’m done asking Republican elected officials and leadership for condemnations. It’s too late,” Osei said. “So my request to Commissioner DiBello is to do it right now. Mimic my former colleague’s video right now.

“Use your freedom of expression to explain the joke my former colleague voluntarily resigned,” he continued. “She has full rights as any citizen. You’re in the minority seat. There’s no recall in Pennsylvania. Your guy won last November. You won’t lose your position. So go all the way. Stop beating around the bush.”

DiBello did not comply with Osei’s request, but did address his comments at the end of the meeting.

“When I saw the post I wasn’t happy with it, and when I went in, I believe I was ‘angry’ because I was surprised that she actually did that post,” DiBello said, noting the post had since been deleted.

“What’s being propagated out there, I can’t defend or not defend, because I haven’t seen or been able to review, but one of the pictures I saw was you could see multiple emojis … underneath the post, and it doesn’t tell you who liked, or who didn’t like, or whatever, but I don’t support her putting the post up,” DiBello said, emphasizing that he “didn’t comment on the post” and maintained his intentions to react to the post with an “angry” emoji.

“If I didn’t, then I apologize for that, but I was not happy, and I don’t support the post,” DiBello said.

Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairman Neil Makhija also weighed in, calling for Smith to take further accountability for her actions.

“It was completely clear in terms of what the gesture the now former supervisor was making was online. There was a big debate over whether Elon Musk did this intentionally or not,” Makhija said. “People can have that debate and have a conversation, but once that happened it was very clear what Laura Smith was doing, and was making light of, and I think it’s abhorrent. We all know what gesture she was making and what it means and feelings it would evoke, and she did the right thing by resigning.

“Unfortunately, I think there’s still an opportunity for her to fully explain why, and I genuinely am not one to immediately call on people to resign for one thing, but there still hasn’t really been an understanding, or an explanation from her,” Makhija continued. “And perhaps, she doesn’t owe anyone one if she doesn’t sit in any position of public trust, but I think that’s something that we must call on, and ask for, because I think an explanation is owed to many of our residents who rightfully took great offense to that.”

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