Ex-waiter says state senator got him fired

A Democratic Utah state senator is being accused of trying to get a prison parolee to say false, critical things about an embattled GOP state senator, as the legislative races heat up in an increasingly bitter and divided state Legislature.

Christopher Gardner told K-TALK radio listeners this week that when he refused to tell the media what Sen. Scott McCoy, D-Salt Lake, allegedly wanted him to say about fellow Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, that Gardner was fired from his waiter job at Market Street Grill in downtown Salt Lake City.

McCoy said he had nothing to do with Gardner being fired from his job as a waiter.

Because he is on parole and is supposed to maintain employment, his refusal to criticize Buttars has greatly harmed his life, Gardner says. Buttars is up for re-election this year; McCoy does not face voters until 2010.

According to state Corrections spokeswoman Angie Welling, Gardner is on parole for a kidnapping conviction and is now being required to complete a sex offender program at the Bonneville halfway house.

The Deseret News tried to speak with Gardner multiple times Wednesday, but he was unable to talk. He did speak with K-TALK radio Wednesday afternoon, however, making the same basic allegations he made in an earlier appearance on the radio station.

Restaurant managers supported McCoy's claim, saying they knew nothing about Gardner's charges against McCoy when they fired him.

Gastronomy human resources director Katherine Burns said Wednesday that Gardner was an employee of Market Street, and he was terminated. But that firing had nothing to do at all with McCoy, she said.

"Scott McCoy never called me, never called our (Market Street) manager about Chris and (Gardner's allegations against McCoy) had nothing to do with his termination." For privacy reasons, she declined to say why Gardner was fired, but it was not because he was a parolee.

Burns said Gastronomy knew Gardner was on parole. "We often hire people who have been in trouble, wanting to help give them a second chance," Burns said.

Burns said she had heard nothing about Gardner's charges or his K-TALK interviews until asked by the Deseret News.

McCoy, however, did talk to Gardner about Buttars. And McCoy did tip the Tribune off to a possible story about Buttars, which did not pan out.