Barrie Coun. Sergio Morales says he felt “targeted” during the exchanges that led to him being reprimanded and told to apologize for comments he made to Coun. Keenan Aylwin last summer.
“My comments in August came from seeing someone raised by wealth and privilege lump me, a visible minority immigrant (Morales is from Bogota, Colombia) who didn’t grow up with that security, into possibly being part of a systematically racist or biased organization. It was tone deaf,” Morales said Tuesday, the day after city council followed integrity commissioner Suzanne Craig’s recommendation to reprimand the Ward 9 councillor and have him write an apology to Aylwin.
“It makes me feel targeted that the mayor (Jeff Lehman), in his capacity as chair, and Couns. (Natalie) Harris and (Gary) Harvey, who made identical or similar comments to me, were not included in the complaint (by Aylwin)," Morales added.
“That feeling of being targeted continues months later when he (Aylwin) chose to mock my grammar on a point I was making that he disagreed with, focusing on the word that didn’t change the context of my point, instead of commenting on my idea, which to do to me, who learnt English as a second language, is toxic,” added Morales, noting this was said during a formal city council discussion.
“That’s frustrating and contrary to the champion of equitability he (Aylwin) portrays to be, and that situation of ‘public portrayal versus reality’ is not the first time it happens,” Morales said. “I hope he (Aylwin) can become self-aware at how his reactions and those of his supporters affect those around him.”
Aylwin was asked Tuesday for his response to Morales’ comments.
“I’m satisfied with council’s decision and will respect it. There are so many people who are hurting in our community right now and they need city council to be focused on the issues that matter to them,” he said. “I’m committed to working for the people of Ward 2 and working with city council in a constructive way.
“Let's get back to the issues that matter to people," Aylwin added. "The integrity commissioner is a valuable resource for council to help us work together, which will result in better decision-making in the long-term. I’m thankful for her work.”
Morales said he could have filed a complaint on Aylwin for the initial comments.
“But I decided not to, both because I want us to move on from this petty divisiveness, and second because I was under the understanding someone was going to file one on the complainant (Aylwin),” Morales said. “Yet, because that filing never materialized, the deadline to file one expired. Now the complainant (Aylwin) cannot face accountability for his comments that started all this.”
Morales said he looked at other ways to address the situation, but to no avail.
“As this pattern of behaviour continued, I approached my team captain, the mayor, in a phone call in July (of 2020) for over an hour, and was told he would rein in all councillors, that things would change. Nothing changed," he said.
Lehman disputed that account on Tuesday.
“I certainly did not and would not say I would ‘rein in all councillors’,” he said. “Councillors’ behaviour in meetings is their own responsibility. I'm the captain, not their dad. As chair, I do try to maintain decorum in meetings, but it has certainly been a challenge at times. There are much bigger issues to focus on.
“I would argue that we did see a change — as anyone watching our strategic planning meeting in December would have seen for themselves, and during the budget in January. Some councillors are stepping up into leadership roles and I welcome their efforts,” Lehman added.
Morales said he considered approaching the city’s human resources department, but was reminded that councillors are not city employees and HR could not help him.
“I would have to talk to the complainant or approach the integrity commissioner,” Morales said. “When I quickly realized no one was able to speak and stand up for me, for us, I decided to speak and stand up for myself.”
Craig determined Morales’ comments to Aylwin contravened Barrie’s Code of Conduct, an agreed-upon understanding by all members of council about what standards they should meet in the individual conduct of their official duties.
“I find that the respondent’s comments, such as, '(I) am living in fear of (the councillor) attacking me,' '(the councillor) pouts when he doesn’t get his way,' 'your comments detract away from the great potential (the complainant) has,' and '(the councillor) is not a leader,' are comments that the respondent (Morales) ought to have known to be offensive,” Craig wrote in her March 15 report.
A reprimand is a penalty under the Municipal Act, a strongly worded condemnation of a member of council.
In addition to the reprimand, Morales has to write an apology to Aylwin acknowledging and recognizing that calling out the Ward 2 councillor and publicly saying Aylwin is not a leader, along with other disparaging comments, doesn’t comply with the Code of Conduct. The apology has to be given to Craig within five days of council’s decision Monday night. Morales also has to recognize that personal attacks against members of council are not permitted by the code.
The comments Craig referenced in her report come from an Aug. 10, 2020 city council meeting, and a direct motion that city staff meet with Shak’s World to identify opportunities including leasing the former City of Barrie Youth Centre at 59A Maple Ave., as well as city facilities, to host its proposed programming and its prepared business plan, and report back to councillors on Sept. 14, 2020.
Shak’s World focuses on community and the well-being of youth through basketball. The local non-profit group was searching for facility space, and was before council asking for $42,000 to rent it. The organization's president and founder is Shak Edwards, who is a Black woman.
Lehman took a vote to waive the rules of procedure so that councillors could hear a presentation by Shak’s World prior to a motion without notice and the direct motion being considered.
Because Shak’s World had not completed many of the requirements that grant proponents are required to fulfil, however, the waiver motion was defeated by a majority of councillors.
Aylwin’s comments about systemic racism led to the exchange with Morales.
“That could be a corporation. It could be a schooling system. It could be a municipal government. Sometimes systemic racism isn’t obvious to those on the outside looking in, especially those who are privileged by the system,” said Aylwin, as reported by BarrieToday at the time.
“Mayor Lehman, Coun. Aylwin is implying that council is being racist to Shak. This is ridiculous,” said Morales.
Lehman responded that he didn’t hear a councillor accuse council of being racist, and tried to turn the conversation back to the motion on the floor, BarrieToday reported.
“Very obviously there’s a misunderstanding of what systemic racism is,” Aylwin said.
Craig said Aylwin’s comments were not about people, however, but issues.
“Based on my discussions with individuals, including the complainant (Aylwin), it was not the intention of the complainant to suggest that members of council planning committee members were racist,” Craig wrote in her March 15 report. “His comments were levelled at the inherent systemic inequities of the decision-making process of the committee, and not at the members who make up the committee.”
She did find that Morales’ comments, however, were directed at Aylwin.
“The complainant (Aylwin) was incorrect in defining the committee’s August decision to defer approval of the grant to the proponent (Shak’s World) as based on inappropriate motives,” Craig wrote in her report. “However, the complainant’s comments do not justify or exonerate the respondent (Morales) from his ethical responsibilities to refrain from insulting and offending a council colleague.”
