Secret recordings continue to get Warren Mayor Jim Fouts into hot water.
In two new recordings obtained by the 7 Investigators, Fouts complains about being secretly recorded and gives the full power of his office to his assistant Amanda Mika.
ONE SECRET RECORDING:
So, this is a must. This is not your choice where you can tell Amanda, No Amanda, I’m not doing it. You WILL do it. Now if you don’t want to do it, you know, there’s the door. You don’t have to stay here. You can get a job someplace else.
When she speaks, she speaks for me. The other thing I will remind you is you’re an at-will employee. And that means you serve at the pleasure of the Mayor.
In 2014, Fouts struggled to explain why he is on video in Chicago with Mika walking arm in arm, and then holding hands, checking into a hotel, shopping and going to dinner.
At the time, Fouts denied any taxpayer money was spent on the trip and denied he was romantically involved.
Fouts had this exchange with 7 Investigator Jim Kiertzner:
FOUTS:
I think that may have been taken out of context.
KIERTZNER;
How? You’re walking down the street holding hands?
FOUTS:
Why don’t you ask the people who took the video?
KIERTZNER:
I’m asking the people who are IN the video?
FOUTS:
Well, I can’t answer for what a video took place.
KIERTZNER:
Was that you?
FOUTS:
I haven’t looked at the video, so I don’t know.
KIERTZNER:
Would you like me to play it for you?
FOUTS:
I don’t want to play it.
In the second recording, Fouts wants secret recordings to stop.
I am asking you to never tape any of our meetings nor should anybody be taping anything in this city without my knowledge. I assume that goes without saying. Like his comment, I wouldn’t want that out to the news media.
Fouts has repeatedly denied other secret recordings are him. The comments in those are disturbing:
You think I want to date a (expletive) 60-year-old hag? (Expletive) that (expletive). I’m not interested in any old ugly hag.
You know blacks do look like chimpanzees, I was watching this black woman with her daughter and they look like two chimps.
Tonight I’m going to meet a group of retards.
You know they’re dysfunctional human beings, they’re not even human beings.
And I wish them well in a cage.
The City of Warren is being sued by a black female police officer claiming a hostile work environment based on her race and gender.
That attorney wants Fouts to give a deposition. City attorneys are fighting it.
Federal Judge Terrance Berg is expected to rule on the issue at any time.
Mayor Fouts did not respond to our request today for comment.
