'I Was Offended;' Berkeley Mayor Says Normandy Mayor Insulted His City In Profanity-Filled Rant

CBS St. Louis

December 16 2020

Days after News 4 reported about a profanity-filled rant by Normandy Mayor Maurice Hunt that was captured on audio, the Mayor of Berkeley says Hunt's words were offensive to him as a resident and mayor.

Hunt's tirade was recorded by city employees over the summer. In the audio, he encourages employees not to come to work under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
“If you guys are drinking, you have the right to tell your boss when they call after hours and say boss, ‘I would love to come to work, but I am f***** up. I have had six beers and smoked 2-3 blunts, I did some shots.’ Whatever pills you pop, I don't give a f***, just say, ‘I am f****’ed up,'” he says.

Hunt also shared his thoughts on the city's police department and neighboring towns.
“I am investing all our money in sanitation, not the f******* police, nothing else, sanitation, because you are the key to make this city look like its looking or make it look professional and keeping our city from looking like Kinloch and Berkeley,” he said.

Hunt later said his rant occurred after he walked in on public works employees eating lunch with guns out.

After News 4 reported on Hunt's remarks, Berkeley Mayor Babatunde Deinbo wrote a letter to Hunt, demanding an apology for his comments about Berkeley. He also listed a series of accomplishments by Berkeley.

Near the end of the letter, Deinbo says, "When I heard the comment 'become a Berkeley,' I was offended; and I took it as a personal hit; as a resident and mayor of this great city.