A week after he was fired from his post as executive director of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors, Guillermo Morales has begun a write-in campaign for a seat on the Board of Supervisors.
Guillermo Morales (Courtesy of Johnson County)
Morales’ platform would build on the current board’s work with access to affordable housing and child care, but would take “bold and innovative” steps to protect county residents he believes are “under attack by the state legislature,” according to his campaign website.
Morales, who served as executive director for 18 months, was ousted in a 3-2 vote after board chair Rod Sullivan read a statement that alleged Morales had been disrespectful and unprofessional. Sullivan and supervisors Royceann Porter and Lisa Green-Douglas voted for termination.
Supervisors Jon Green and V Fixmer-Oraiz dissented, saying the action was out of line with county procedures.
Morales, who was awarded a one-time retention bonus earlier this year, said he was “blindsided” by the termination.
He believes other factors may have played a role in the board decision, including his support for a controversial — and unsuccessful — censure vote against the Democratic county attorney, and his support for Mandi Remington in her campaign this year for supervisor.
Porter has publicly stated that Morales’ termination was not retaliatory in nature.
Sullivan, Green-Douglass and Porter were up for re-election in the June primary and faced two challengers, including Remington, who emerged as one of the top three vote-getters. That will knock Porter off the board when her term ends.
Morales said he still is supporting Remington for supervisor.
Morales said he wants to see the county’s work on housing needs and child care continue, but it’s going to become more challenging as federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars run out.
“... And so I'm dedicated to doing what it takes to continue the investment and grow the investment in affordable housing,” Morales said Wednesday.
The Board of Supervisors recently purchased a property for affordable housing and has worked to establish a wage-enhancement program for child care workers in the county.
“I want to make it clear that I do think that there are many things that the current board is doing well, and I think these two are among them,” Morales said.
There are other areas, though, where Morales would “diverge a little bit” from the current board, he said. One of those is protecting people who he said are “under attack” by the legislature. Those include trans and nonbinary people, immigrants, people seeking reproductive care, and peaceful protesters.
Additionally, Morales said he would like to use the board’s budget authority to withhold additional funding for elected officials and departments that are not working with the board to protect those targeted by the state legislature.
“ … it's the board's decision on whether or not to give them additional funding. And if we need them to do stuff to protect our residents, to support our residents, then I think it's fair to say if you need X amount of dollars to do these things, this is what we need you to do to get it right,” Morales said Wednesday. “I am willing to do that to ensure that people in the community who are under attack by the state government are protected and supported here, and they can find refuge here in Johnson County.”
Morales also said he wants to ensure the county has just cause before terminating employees, and that it uses “progressive discipline” for county employees.
In order for a write-in vote to count, voters must fill out the oval next to the blank spot and write in the candidate’s name on the ballot. The county will only report write-in votes in the event they make up 5 percent of the vote or decide a winner.
If a write-in candidate gets enough votes to win an election, they also must be a county resident and meet age requirements for the office.
Morales said he hopes to officially launch his campaign next week. He’s in the process of organizing to accept donations, welcome volunteers and host events.
Before working for the county, Morales served as a labor educator at the University of Iowa Labor Center and an adjunct lecturer at the University of Iowa College of Law.
Morales also is a member of the League of United Latin American Citizens, often referred to as LULAC. He serves on Coralville’s community policing advisory board as LULAC’s representative.
www.thegazette.com
Morales’ platform would build on the current board’s work with access to affordable housing and child care, but would take “bold and innovative” steps to protect county residents he believes are “under attack by the state legislature,” according to his campaign website.
Morales, who served as executive director for 18 months, was ousted in a 3-2 vote after board chair Rod Sullivan read a statement that alleged Morales had been disrespectful and unprofessional. Sullivan and supervisors Royceann Porter and Lisa Green-Douglas voted for termination.
Supervisors Jon Green and V Fixmer-Oraiz dissented, saying the action was out of line with county procedures.
Morales, who was awarded a one-time retention bonus earlier this year, said he was “blindsided” by the termination.
He believes other factors may have played a role in the board decision, including his support for a controversial — and unsuccessful — censure vote against the Democratic county attorney, and his support for Mandi Remington in her campaign this year for supervisor.
Porter has publicly stated that Morales’ termination was not retaliatory in nature.
Sullivan, Green-Douglass and Porter were up for re-election in the June primary and faced two challengers, including Remington, who emerged as one of the top three vote-getters. That will knock Porter off the board when her term ends.
Morales said he still is supporting Remington for supervisor.
Building on the work of the current board
Morales said he wants to see the county’s work on housing needs and child care continue, but it’s going to become more challenging as federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars run out.
“... And so I'm dedicated to doing what it takes to continue the investment and grow the investment in affordable housing,” Morales said Wednesday.
The Board of Supervisors recently purchased a property for affordable housing and has worked to establish a wage-enhancement program for child care workers in the county.
“I want to make it clear that I do think that there are many things that the current board is doing well, and I think these two are among them,” Morales said.
There are other areas, though, where Morales would “diverge a little bit” from the current board, he said. One of those is protecting people who he said are “under attack” by the legislature. Those include trans and nonbinary people, immigrants, people seeking reproductive care, and peaceful protesters.
Additionally, Morales said he would like to use the board’s budget authority to withhold additional funding for elected officials and departments that are not working with the board to protect those targeted by the state legislature.
“ … it's the board's decision on whether or not to give them additional funding. And if we need them to do stuff to protect our residents, to support our residents, then I think it's fair to say if you need X amount of dollars to do these things, this is what we need you to do to get it right,” Morales said Wednesday. “I am willing to do that to ensure that people in the community who are under attack by the state government are protected and supported here, and they can find refuge here in Johnson County.”
Morales also said he wants to ensure the county has just cause before terminating employees, and that it uses “progressive discipline” for county employees.
Next steps for Morales’ campaign
In order for a write-in vote to count, voters must fill out the oval next to the blank spot and write in the candidate’s name on the ballot. The county will only report write-in votes in the event they make up 5 percent of the vote or decide a winner.
If a write-in candidate gets enough votes to win an election, they also must be a county resident and meet age requirements for the office.
Morales said he hopes to officially launch his campaign next week. He’s in the process of organizing to accept donations, welcome volunteers and host events.
Before working for the county, Morales served as a labor educator at the University of Iowa Labor Center and an adjunct lecturer at the University of Iowa College of Law.
Morales also is a member of the League of United Latin American Citizens, often referred to as LULAC. He serves on Coralville’s community policing advisory board as LULAC’s representative.
Guillermo Morales launches write-in campaign for Johnson Board of Supervisors
A week after he was fired from his post as executive director of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors, Guillermo Morales has begun a write-in campaign for a seat on the Board of Supervisors.
www.thegazette.com
