Editor's Note: This article has been updated to include exclusive comments from Guillermo Morales.
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors fired its executive director on Wednesday.
The board voted 3-2 to remove Guillermo Morales, the board's first Latino executive director, citing "argumentative" and "disrespectful" behavior.
Supervisors V Fixmer-Oraiz and Jon Green voted against the motion.
"...It appears in your regular critiques of other departments, departments which report to the board and not to and through you, you misunderstand your role and exceed your authority," Board Chair Rod Sullivan said in prepared comments directed toward Morales .
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Sullivan accuses Morales of 'harsh,' 'abrasive' behavior
Sullivan, a veteran supervisor, explained the decision to fire Morales during an open session during Wednesday's meeting. He said he had received complaints from at least "five other offices" about how Morales treated department staff and his "overcritical communication" of other employees.
"You have been insubordinate, argumentative and disrespectful to Lisa (Green-Douglass) and Royceann (Porter). You have done this both in your written communication and in meetings, some of which have been public," he continued. "More concerningly, you have been harsh to county staff from other departments and offices, both in public and in private."
Morales, who sat before the board on Wednesday morning, did not choose to hold the meeting in a closed session with the board. Iowa law provides this opportunity to "protect the reputation" of individuals involved in these performance and termination reviews.
Sullivan said Morales' "abrasive, corrosive" behavior has inspired other staff to act in a similar fashion because the supervisors "have let you get away with it."
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Morales says firing was in 'retaliation'
Morales said he believes he was fired in retaliation connected to a pair of recent events.
In February, the Johnson County Democrats met to consider a censure of County Attorney Rachel Zimmermann-Smith. The motion was handily defeated , 37-13, but Morales said he supported the measure "as a private individual on a matter of public concern."
Morales also helped with Mandi Remington's campaign for the county board of supervisors, one of two challengers to Sullivan, Porter and Green-Douglass in November's general election. Remington ultimately bested Porter in June's primary for a spot on the November ballot, where the candidates are running without Republican opposition.
"I do think that it's retaliation, given how minor the accusations are in the context of what others have done and been able to maintain employment," Morales said. "I think it was a pretext for how they treated me."
Morales also said he felt like he was being discriminated against, believing other white employees have kept their jobs despite being accused of "manifestly more egregious" conduct than he. He said staff members have assaulted colleagues and are being investigated for financial malfeasance but remain employed.
"(The supervisors) should recognize that they have a role as role models that they're not living up to," Morales said. "And they found themselves a brown scapegoat in me."
Morales said a 'wrongful termination' suit is coming
Supervisor Porter suggested Morales resign rather than be fired on Wednesday, though Morales did not agree.
"I think a resignation would negatively impact my claim for wrongful termination," Morales said during the meeting.
He briefly referenced the county's employee discipline policy during a back-and-forth between Morales and the board's attorney.
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Morales was 'blindsided' by formal meeting
Morales worked with the Johnson County Supervisors for about a year and a half. He said his six-month performance review was "glowing" and he received "the highest merit increase that was available," he said in an interview with the Press-Citizen.
Morales said his 12-month review was still positive, though he disagreed with some supervisor comments about his "personal, private stances on matters of public concern."
Morales said he was also awarded a "retention bonus" by the supervisors about six months ago.
On Friday, Aug. 30, he was informed about a special formal meeting to discuss his conduct and performance. When Morales asked Sullivan for more details, the chair declined to discuss anything further, which Morales said was "off-putting." Morales believed the board was treating him differently than other employees.
"I specifically asked (Sullivan), 'So you're intending to blindside me on Wednesday?' and he said he didn't want to talk about it," Morales said.
Two supervisors oppose termination
Fixmer-Oraiz was the most vocal opposition during Wednesday's vote. They called the remarks by Sullivan "wildly inappropriate." Fixmer-Oraiz said they would have preferred Sullivan and Green pursue a performance improvement plan rather than firing Morales.
"I just don't understand how we're not going through our own HR process for discipline," Fixmer-Oraiz said on Wednesday. "There's so many things that we can do. We can do coaching, we can do check-ins. There are so many steps before termination and I get that you (Sullivan) have lost confidence, but I have not."
Fixmer-Oraiz said Morales' "work ethic" and the "way that he leads" helped form their opinion. They spoke to a department head on Tuesday who said while friction happens between the two, "Guillermo and I have a great working relationship because I respect him."
Fixmer-Oraiz said that Morales admitted to having a "bristly" communication style in interviews for his position, but the board hired him anyway. They said Morales' communication style might be indicative of a broader issue with accepting "professional disagreement."
Fixmer-Oraiz declined a Press-Citizen request for further comment.
Local civil rights group defends Morales
Escucha Mi Voz, a local civil rights organization, shared a statement with the Press-Citizen on Wednesday afternoon, calling Morales' firing "potentially unjust."
"This potentially wrongful termination appears to be a politically motivated retaliation against the first Latino director of the Board of Supervisors because he refused to be manipulated and fought to reform county government to work for everybody, not just well-connected establishment insiders,” Escucha Mi Voz Iowa member Ninoska Campos said.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: The Johnson County Supervisors fired its exec. director for "disrespectful, argumentative" behavior
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