Ruling backs decision to fire Morris
Former Human Rights board leader hoped to clear name, restore reputation
A hearing that Angelicia Morris, former executive director of the Schenectady County Human Rights Commission, hoped would clear her name and restore her reputation after she was dismissed from the position has instead supported the county’s decision to fire her. Her attorney, however, said he’s not surprised by the findings, given that the hearing officer charged with making a ruling on the matter is a former county employee.
In his ruling, former Schenectady County Court Judge Michael Eidens, who was the hearing officer for the case in March, stated that Morris did “abuse her power” as executive director of the county Human Rights Commission, “failed to appreciate and abide by the board’s role as her supervisor” and was “negligent in performing the duties,”
according to a strongly worded report by a hearing officer.
Eidens also ruled that the termination letter from the county outlining five reasons for Morris’ termination was “valid and accurate.”
In addition, he found that Morris’ own testimony “often materially corroborated respondent’s proof.” The county and county human rights commission were the respondents while Morris was the petitioner.
Besides insubordination and abuse of power, the county asserted Morris flouted the organization’s bylaws and compromised its integrity.
“The credible proof clearly established that during the two years preceding her termination, Ms. Morris failed to adhere to requests made by the Commissioners and was insubordinate,” wrote Eidens. “The credible proof also established that Ms. Morris failed to appreciate and abide by the board’s role as her supervisor, and accept the fact that she answered to the board.”
That disagreement emerged as a central theme in the case where Morris, who had served as the agency’s executive director since 2013, has unsuccessfully tried to make the case that the commissioners as volunteers were more advisory than supervisory.
Eidens’ report lists several instances when Morris failed to do her job, including failing to take complaints of discrimination; not issuing publications and reports of investigations; not helping the commission secretary maintain meeting minutes; advising a board member that only Morris could provide outreach and engage with the community; and failing to provide a tentative 2020 budget to commissioners before it was approved by county lawmakers.
In January, state Supreme Court Judge Michael Cuevas ruled Morris could not get back her $69,496-a-year job but was entitled to a hearing to try to clear her name and restore her reputation.
Morris did not respond to a message left on her cellphone earlier this week seeking comment.
Despite the ruling, Kevin Luibrand, the attorney who represented Morris during the proceeding, said earlier this week that his client did her job well.
“Ms. Morris is a renowned civil rights streetlevel activist and shouldn’t have to suffer the foolishness of these bureaucratic and political types,” he said.
Luibrand said he was not completely surprised by the ruling.
“The county appointed the hearing officer, and the hearing officer used to work for the county, so we anticipated that this would be the kind of decision we would see,” Luibrand said.
Eidens did not return a call Friday seeking comment.
Eidens, a Democrat, more recently served as the Public Safety director for the city of Schenectady but has also previously served as a county legislator. He was appointed by county Manager Rory Fluman to hear the case, which was argued by an attorney with an outside firm.
The county attorney’s office declined to comment on the matter.
In the decision, Eidens wrote that the relationship between Morris and the commissioners from 2018 to 2020 was “clearly dysfunctional” and that there were “many areas of contention.”
“Some were more significant than others, but when considered as a whole, it is fair to say that Ms. Morris and the board had widely divergent and mutually exclusive views as to what activities the board should be engaging in and how the executive director” should function, he added. He said that in 2018 and 2019, Morris and the commissioners “engaged in a power struggle.”
“Coming off 2017, when the board did not function, and Ms. Morris was largely on her own, she was unwilling to accept the new direction the board wanted,” the report states.
In 2018, however, when the County Legislature added four new board members and held six board meetings, “the dynamics changed” and Morris “could no longer fulfill her duties as she saw fit,” the report stated.
Eidens also noted that it is clear that Morris, who testified during the hearing, was an “at will” employee who could be “terminated for any reason or no reason.”
The 22-page decision also features testimony from Morris and past and present commissioners, including two of the latter who took the stand for Morris.
The commission, established in 1965, is funded by the Schenectady County Legislature. The commission is expected to foster mutual respect and enhance understanding among all racial, religious and ethnic groups in the county, and to assist people in securing their legal rights.