Lyons Official Caught Using N Word on Tape
Mayor thinks tape's release was politically motivated
Thursday, Jul 30, 2009 | Updated 1:44 PM CST
Getty Images
When Lyons village Trustee Richard Schuppe used the "n word" in a recorded conversation about a refrigerator he bought, the mayor responded by saying they should have thrown a watermelon in for free.
The Lyons mayor and a village trustee were recorded while driving in a police car making racially-charged remarks during a 4th of July parade, MyFoxChicago's Dane Plancko reported.
Mayor David Visk and Trustee Richard Schuppe accidentally recorded themselves because they turned the police car's lights on during the parade, which automatically triggers the dashboard cam.
Visk told Fox the release of the tape was "embarrassing."
That's probably because Schuppe used the n-word and a lot of profanity in the conversation, which was about Schuppe getting a refrigerator delivered to his home. The mayor acted shocked by how much the refrigerator cost, including delivery, and said "they shoulda threw a watermelon in there for you, for Christ's sake!"
Squirming under Plancko's questions, the mayor claimed he didn't recall saying that.
"If it was in there, then it was just that ... fruit," Visk said.
The mayor and the trustee told Plancko they think a political tiff with the police department is why the tape was released just before next week's election. Visk faces two challengers in that contest.
Posted Thursday, Jul 30, 2009 - 1:44 PM CST
