WARREN, Mich. – An apparent recording of Warren Mayor Jim Fouts insulting people with special needs has created a firestorm.
Fouts still vehemently denies it's his voice on the tapes, and at least one Warren City Council member wants proof from an expert.
The forensic audio specialist who analyzed the disturbing tape for Local 4 has been asked to provide the Warren City Council with a two-page report on those findings. One councilman wants to take it a step further.
"It degrades the ability to provide good government," Warren City Councilman Scott Stevens said.
Stevens will ask the City Council to demand Fouts give voice samples using the exact verbiage in the widely denounced tape. He contacted the forensic specialist who told Local 4 he is now 90 percent certain the voice on the tape belongs to Fouts.
Meanwhile, advocates for the disabled, including Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley and The Arc of Michigan will officially launch an anti-stigma campaign aimed at preventing further harm from the words used in the tape.
"In all of my life, I have never ever heard comments that even come close to rivaling the vileness in those recordings, so I thought it required a response," Calley said. "But not just a response, but I wanted it to be a response that created hope for the future."
Fouts was an early contributor on the campaign's GoFundMe page. He's receiving strong support on his Facebook page.
There is also an "Out With Fouts" Facebook page that was started by a woman whose niece has severe epilepsy and is developmentally delayed. The group already has over 160 members.