City Of Warner Employees Accused Of Making Racial Slurs

Two Warner city employees are under investigation after being accused of making racial slurs on a recording made by a coworker. 

Michael Wittmer said he started recording his conversations with his co-workers in July of last year to protect his job. 

Employee 1: "We get Martin Luther King Day off?"

Employee 2: "No n***** day for us."

That's part of a conversation Warner Street Department employee Michael Wittmer says he recorded on his iPhone.

Employee 1: "We're off for n***** day?

Employee 2: "Yes"

Employee 1: "It says holidays, we take holidays."

Employee 2: "I'm not celebrating n***** day."

Wittner says the conversation is between Joe Swimmer and Matt McLean, two City of Warner employees. 

Employee: "We can just call it JER Day.  James Earl Rat. That's what we always celebrate.  Not that we don't like black people."

Employee: "I'm not racist. I'm just saying that's what it's called here.

"Is this really happening? These guys talking trash like this." Wittmer says.

Wittmer says he started recording his conversations with co-workers less than a year ago, when a job he felt he had worked hard for was given to a family member of a city employee. 

"It's pretty bad that you have to fill out and document everything you do everyday just to keep your job here in Warner, he says.

Wittmer says this kind of conversation is a regular occurrence at city hall and enough is enough. 

"Take care of your job professionally and do the right thing to people," Wittmer says. "I'd like for the upper management to be gone and Joe to be gone."

Employee: "You love everybody, Joe.  (silence) Tough crowd this morning."

I stopped by Warner City Hall hoping to speak with the two men in the recording, but I was told they were not available. 

City Manager Johnny Lewis would not go on camera or identify the men in the recording, but he did tell me the matter is under investigation.

The City has scheduled a meeting tomorrow at 5:30 to discuss the comments. The meeting is open to the public.