At least one Metro councilman hopes politics –– and calls for a resignation –– will initially be put aside in the aftermath of Councilman Brady Banks’ Thursday arrest for allegedly patronizing prostitution.
“I hope that at this time you will pray for the Banks family and not throw stones at Brady,” At-large Metro Councilman Jerry Maynard wrote in a Friday morning email, addressed to council colleagues and a Banks constituent.
Banks, a 33-year-old, first–term councilman, was arrested Thursday on a misdemeanor charge for patronizing prostitution during a Metro police sting operation at a MetroCenter hotel. Police accused Banks of paying $100 to a female undercover officer in exchange for sex.
The arrest immediately triggered widespread speculation on whether Banks, seen as a rising star in Democratic circles, would be pressured from other council members to step down from his District 4 council seat. Banks was elected to the council in September.
Maynard’s email was in response to a Banks constituent who said she was “disgusted” by Banks’ actions. She wrote that she “hopes someone will have the guts to call for Brady’s resignation immediately.”
“There will come a time to address whether he can continue serving your district,” Maynard responded, with council members copied on the email. “But, now is not that time. For those of us who believe in the Holy Word of God, the Bible says when a man finds himself fallen down in sin, those of us who are strong must bare the infirmities of the weak and not please ourselves.”
Banks has not returned a Thursday voicemail left by The City Paper seeking comment.
The next scheduled Metro Council meeting is Tuesday, Feb. 21. It is unclear whether Banks will attend.
Maynard, a Christian pastor and Democrat, told The City Paper “the reason there are pastors is because people make mistakes. People fall short.”
“For those of us who say we are believers, this is not the time to throw stones and throw Brady under the bus,” Maynard said in a phone interview. “This is a time where you don’t say, ‘I agree with what he did or approve of what he did,’ but what you say is, ‘All of us have fallen short,’ and that’s the purpose of the redemption power of Jesus Christ.
“Whether he should continue to serve as a council person is a good question,” Maynard said. “But it’s not the question to be answered now.”