Politics & Government

Racial Slurs Caught on Tape Likely Voice of Belleville Councilwoman, Expert Says

Mayoral candidate Marie Strumolo Burke denies making remarks left on answering machine.

Warning: The YouTube video above contains profanity and offensive language.

An audio forensic expert who was paid by several community members claims the voice recording of a woman making racial slurs was likely Belleville councilwoman and mayoral candidate Marie Strumolo Burke.

The Democratic First Ward councilwoman has repeatedly denied it was her saying, "this is gonna be a [expletive] [N-word] town" in response to an unidentified person complaining about a potential municipal tax increase in a message left on Councilman Kevin Kennedy's answering machine, according to NorthJersey.com.

However, Edward Primeau, a Michigan audio forensic expert who analyzed a 911 call in the shooting death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin, said on Tuesday he is 85 percent certain Strumolo Burke is the woman speaking in the recording, NorthJersey.com reported.

Primeau compared the recording with audio he obtained from the municipality of Strumolo Burke speaking at two recent council meetings. Primeau believes the woman on the tape is Strumolo Burke, but he would need a sample of the councilwoman repeating the exact words in the recording to be 100 percent sure, according to the report.

Strumolo Burke is challenging incumbent Raymond Kimble in the May 13 mayoral race.

Kimble, who claimed he was not involved in having the lab examine the audio, said he first received the recording in October, according to The Star-Ledger. It remains unclear, however, when the message was actually left. A copy of the recording was posted to YouTube on March 26 and has received more than 7,000 views.

A group of "concerned citizens," led by DPW employee Thomas Grolimond, funded the $1,320 analysis, Primeau told The Star-Ledger.

Strumolo Burke, who has denied the allegations when confronted at recent council meetings, said the report was politically motivated.

"I am outraged and I am ‘100% certain’ that Kimble’s fingerprints are all over this report," Strumolo Burke said in an email to The Star-Ledger. "We don’t need to pay thousands of dollars to a laboratory to prove that these false accusations lead right back to Kimble."


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