JoCo Board of Supervisors oust executive director

This story has been updated to include comments from Guillermo Morales.

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The Johnson County Board of Supervisors voted to oust its Executive Director Guillermo Morales at its Sept. 4 work session, citing complaints about his "abrasive" treatment of staff members. Supervisors Rod Sullivan, Royceann Porter and Lisa Douglas-Green voted for immediate termination, with Supervisors V Fixmer-Oraiz and Jon Green casting the dissenting votes. The meeting began with a debate on whether or not the session would be a closed one, with some back-and-forth between Board Chair Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Morales. “I was denied the right to know what this is about,” Mr. Morales said, in response to whether or not he preferred the session to be open or closed. According to Iowa law, governmental bodies can perform closed sessions, typically when the subject matter relates to a staff performance evaluation, legal counsel or the purchase and sale of real estate. “How am I going to know whether this is going to impact my reputation, without knowing what the subject matter is?,” he asked, adding that he had inquired “three times” about the evaluation’s content the previous Friday. Mr. Sullivan dispensed with public commentary and read from a statement he prepared, outlining expectations for Mr. Morales’ role and how he fell short. Calling Mr. Morales “insubordinate, argumentative, and disrespectful,” and “a constant source of friction,” Mr. Sullivan said he has fielded numerous complaints from different departments within the county, spending “countless hours apologizing for your rudeness and trying to mend fences, only to watch you continue your abrasive and corrosive behavior.” Mr. Morales was hired in March 2023, replacing former Executive Director Mike Hensch. According to a job description listed on the Johnson County website, the board office executive director “provides administrative guidance to the Board of Supervisors and ensures the effective operation of the Board Office and its staff. The Executive Director is also responsible for overseeing the Board Office’s daily operations, projects, policies, budgets, and strategic initiatives on behalf of the Board of Supervisors.” “In terms of performance evaluations, this is unprecedented,” said Mx. Fixmer-Oraiz, calling the abrupt termination “inappropriate” and requesting a motion to have Mr. Morales undergo a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) instead. Supervisor Green seconded the motion, saying that the abrupt termination would be appropriate only for “egregious” incidents, and the county should follow proper protocols in employee discipline. The motion failed, 3-2. Before opening the motion to terminate Mr. Morales, Ms. Porter asked if it was feasible to give him the option to resign, to which he replied, “I think a resignation would negatively impact my claim for wrongful termination.”

Strong feelings the following meeting

Strong words were expressed at intervals during the supervisor’s formal meeting the following morning, and Mr. Sullivan dispensed with public commentary once more before launching into agenda items. “I want to go on record here in saying that I think (Mr. Morales’ termination) was incredibly unacceptable. We have to follow our own standard practice,” said Mx. Fixmer-Oraiz, holding up an example PIP document. Thanking Mr. Morales for his service, they went on to say that “the person Rod described yesterday is not the man I know and respect.” “What happened yesterday was hard, but the termination was for the behavior,” Ms. Porter said. “This is not about retaliation,” she emphasized, while suggesting that Mx. Fixmer-Oraiz’s stance on the issue wasn’t entirely “transparent.” “Guillermo was your friend, he was your campaign manager,” said Ms. Porter, referring to Mx. Fixmer-Oraiz’s 2022 campaign for Board of Supervisors. Mr. Morales maintains that he never served as Mx. Fixmer-Oraiz’s campaign manager, though he did assist with canvassing efforts, helped edit campaign videos, and displayed a support sign in his yard. “V, I’m happy to talk about work and accountability,” said Mr. Sullivan, suggesting they should be “talking to more than five (county employees)” about Mr. Morales' conduct toward other staff members.

Morales blindsided by termination, lawsuit looms

Mr. Morales said he was “blindsided” by the decision, pointing out that his last annual performance review had been positive, and he had even been awarded a retention bonus. “I’ve never been fired from a job before, except for one situation, one interview,” he said. “Anytime I’ve interviewed for the job, I’ve gotten the job.” Mr. Morales said he knew something was amiss when county attorney Ryan Maas was present during a standing agenda setting meeting with the board chair and vice chair on Aug. 30. “I figured that there might be some real estate transaction that was going to be contemplated during a closed session,” he said. The tone shifted when Mr. Sullivan passed a document across the table, calling for a special session, possibly behind closed doors, to discuss Mr. Morales’ professional performance. Requests for clarification were met with silence, and no further explanation was offered. Mr. Morales only learned the reasons his job performance was scrutinized on the day of the special session, when he was terminated. Addressing the accusations of being “abrasive,” Mr. Morales said he is direct and assertive, and admitted as much during his interview for the position 18 months ago. “I have butted heads with people,” he said. “It's professional conflict that is actually very productive, and I feel like the county has a hard time dealing with that, and (an) even harder time when it comes from a person of color.” During the formal Board of Supervisors meeting Sept. 5, Ms. Porter mentioned that the firing had nothing to do with “retaliation,” which Mr. Morales speculated on. He conjectured his termination might be tied to disagreements with the supervisors over public issues, suggesting his private positions may have ruffled some feathers. Mr. Morales noted pushback on his support for a censure vote related to the county attorney’s decision to prosecute the "IC Seven"—a matter he supported as a private individual. He also supported Mandi Remington’s campaign for the Board of Supervisors. At the time, Supervisors Green-Douglas, Porter and Sullivan were up for re-election. Ms. Remington, a former candidate for the Iowa City City Council, successfully unseated Ms. Porter in Johnson County’s primary elections this past June. The former executive director confirmed that he is proceeding with a wrongful termination lawsuit, and is currently exploring a potential run for a write-in campaign for a seat on the Board of Supervisors. Working for the county was a job he loved, he said. “Love the work,” he said. “Love my job, love my staff, love all the staff across the county," and providing a change in the board’s composition to ensure it would adhere to its own policies and procedures, "I would love to be the Board Office Executive Director again.” Prior to his role as executive director for the Board of Supervisors, Mr. Morales held positions as a labor educator at the University of Iowa Labor Center and as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Iowa College of Law. His career also includes roles as executive manager, interim director of communications, and labor relations representative at the California School Employees Association, as well as regulatory administrator at the Upper Rio Grande Workforce Development Board.