Must not joke that Mexicans are poorly educated and earn low wages

Truth is no defense, of course

Two Snohomish County fire commissioners had a private conversation last week during which they made jokes about hiring Mexicans as cheap labor.

Meador and Chan apologized repeatedly. They said they wished the union had approached them personally before going public. Chan said the board’s swift response made him feel like someone who got caught "picking your nose in the grocery store."

On the March 7 recording, Chan joked about whether it would be cheaper to hire Mexican immigrants to work for the fire district, which has been short on paramedics.

Meador said, "I don’t want those immigrants. They can’t do the job."

The comments occurred during a break. The board’s secretary had turned the audio system back on, before the meeting reconvened, so the system could warm up, Reading said. The audio system picks up more sound than the desktop microphones, he said.

In an interview Friday afternoon, Meador said he is not anti-Mexican or anti-immigrant. "It was a joking thing," he said. "… I have Mexican grandchildren."

Chan is a Democrat who supported Bernie Sanders and Meador is an independent and they like to rib each other, Chan said. Chan on Friday brought up President Donald Trump several times and said that Trump’s comments about Mexicans have been "much more worse"

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