An investigation into Agustin Arbulu, the director of Michigan’s Department of Civil Rights, concluded Friday that he made inappropriate comments to a male coworker about a woman he saw at a work event.
The incident happened May 29 in an alleged conversation between Arbulu and communication specialist Todd Heywood. Heywood told the investigator that Arbulu said to him “would you look at that woman” and “check out her ass” when referring to a blonde woman picking her kid up. When Heywood responded negatively to the comments, Arbulu suggested Heywood didn’t understand because “he did not like women.”
The next day, Heywood told state officials about the conversation that had taken place. He referred the incident to human resources, which subsequently launched an investigation.
When asked about the conversation, Arbulu did not recall the comments he made to upset Heywood. If comments were made to his coworker, Arbulu told the investigator it would have been about his daughter whom he had been texting earlier that day and thought he might see. While standing outside with Heywood, Arbulu thought he saw his daughter and made comments he doesn’t recall. The director noted he had a “love/hate relationship” with his daughter and had not seen her for a couple of years.
The investigation also said that Arbulu would make “sexual comments” about his daughter. On June 4, the director saw his daughter at a listening session where he allegedly said “she looked hot,” according to the report done by Michigan’s Civil Rights Department.
“It is also of note that Director Arbulu indicated that if he said inappropriate comments, he was saying them about his own daughter and did not intend to offend anyone or make the comments about a person other than his daughter,” the report states.
The investigation concluded that “it was more likely than not” that Arbulu made these “inappropriate comments” about women. However, the report also found no evidence to exist that the director ever treated male and female staffers differently.
Last week, the state’s Civil Rights Commission reprimanded the director for his “inappropriate comments.”
“We have determined that while the conduct of which the director was accused did not violate the law, his behavior fell short of the conduct the Commission expects of its Director. The Commission has determined that a formal reprimand will be placed in the Director’s file, that he shall submit to a training and mentorship program to be approved by the chair and completed before the end of the year, and during that training period the Director shall not conduct internal or external training sessions for other public or private entities,” the commission said in a statement.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she was “concerned” about the decision to retain Arbulu as director in a letter she wrote to the commission.
Also, Michigan House Democratic Leader Christine Greig (D-Farmington Hills) called on Arbulu to resign from his position. In her statement, she said the director lost Michiganders’ trust and could not effectively lead the Michigan Civil Rights Department.
Arbulu issued a statement after the commission’s decision to punish him.
“Recently I made comments objectifying women – comments that were unacceptable and regrettable. The Commission has determined that my conduct fell short of what is expected of the Director of the Department of Civil Rights. I agree with their assessment, and I take full responsibility. I am deeply sorry and will not allow it to happen again. While I cannot change the past, I intend to use this experience as a learning opportunity, to help me become a better person and a better leader.”
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of Battleground State News. Follow Zachery on Twitter.
