Brooklyn Park City Council Member Censured a Second Time
The Brooklyn Park City Council censured Council Member Boyd Morson a second time on Monday, April 15.
It’s a rare step and strongest form of reprimand the council is able to give its own members.
This censure came after a city staff member filed a complaint claiming Morson had created a hostile workplace through his social media posts.
“I want to raise a complaint about the conduct of Council Member [Boyd] Morson publicly bashing staff on Facebook,” read a redacted version of the complaint obtained by CCX News. “In my opinion, this type of hostile work environment and social media narrative undermines the work being done by the entire [redacted] department.”
A redacted copy of a complaint filed against Brooklyn Park City Council Member Boyd Morson by a city staff member.
Accusations
The Brooklyn Park City Council discussed the accusations in a March 28 closed meeting.
CCX Media obtained documents from the meeting. They contain several screenshots of Facebook postings and emails dating back to last year showing Morson publicly questioning City Manager Jay Stroebel and other city staff members.
The complaint specifically cited a post by Morson related to the creation of indoor gyms at the city’s Community Activity Center in the hostile workplace claim. The city has recently had intense debates about the future of the Community Activity Center.
In other posts, Morson refers to Stroebel as the “city manager of our misery” when criticizing his decisions.
In yet another, he suggests the city manager and his “go along to get along staff and department heads,” should resign.
Morson, who did not attend the meeting, did not respond to CCX Media’s request for comment before this story was published.
A screenshot of a Boyd Morson Facebook post. It was included in the agenda materials for a March 28 closed city council meeting. The highlighting was added prior to CCX News obtaining the document.
Council Moves Ahead with Censure
The council voted 5-1 to approve the censure, with most members saying Morson violated the city’s elected official code of conduct.
“I have no qualms in supporting and voting to approve this measure, as unpleasant as that is,” said Brooklyn Park City Council Member Tony McGarvey.
Brooklyn Park Mayor Hollies Winston said that the case was clear.
“There was no special investigation that was needed,” he said. “It was all on Facebook. We weren’t creating words, these were words that were publicly posted.”
Brooklyn Park City Council Member XP Lee called Morson’s actions “unbecoming of a city council member.”
Meanwhile, Brooklyn Park City Council Member Nichole Klonowski said that city staff members deserve respect for their service.
“Those staff people deserve to have their service acknowledged and honored,” she said. “They should not be torn down on anyone’s social media accounts for cheap political gain.”
The lone dissenting voice came from Brooklyn Park City Council Member Maria Tran.
Tran — also a recipient of a city staff complaint — recently told CCX News she had faced “intimidation and disrespect” from unnamed officials while serving on the council.
She said that the city ought to offer mental health services or other help to Morson in case he has post-traumatic stress disorder following his military service.
Winston, as well as other council members, said that the city offered counseling as part of the censure.
Terms of Censure
The censure resolution states that Morson violated the city’s respectful workplace policy and the elected official code of conduct.
It restricts his ability to meet and communicate with city staff members.
It also removes him from his commission and committee postings, bars him from representing the city in an official capacity or traveling with city funding.
The council will consider modifications to the censure on a three-month basis.
“Council Member Morson should issue a written apology to the City Manager, City Staff, and City Council for his past conduct,” the censure reads. “Council Member Morson should also participate in city-approved training and counseling related to the matters referenced in this censure.
Brooklyn Park City Council Member Boyd Morson speaks during a 2022 council meeting.
Previous Censure
Morson was last censured in 2022 after a city staff member filed a complaint claiming he touched her inappropriately.
He was also accused of sending this staff member disparaging emails.
Morson denied these claims before he was censured.
“This is a frivolous case, that I did nothing whatsoever to anybody,” he said.
