(WWJ) -- Michigan Civil Rights Director Agustin Arbulu is out of a job after the Civil Rights Commission voted to removed him from office following "inappropriate remarks" he made about a woman earlier this year.
The commission voted 5-2 to fire Arbulu amid the controversy.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had called upon Arbulu to resign earlier this month after the comments came to light. She said if he did not resign -- which he refused to do -- the Civil Rights Commission "should immediately dismiss him."
According to a complaint from department staffer Todd Heywood, Arbulu allegedly made comments along the lines of "check out her ass," about a woman he saw outside a commission listening session at a school in Grosse Pointe back in May. When Heywood told Arbulu he found the comments offensive, Arbulu allegedly told him that's because Heywood doesn't like women.
Arbulu had been reprimanded and he had been on a leave of absence since May 20.
The former director was appointed to the commission by former Gov. Rick Snyder in 2013 and has been director of the agency since 2015.
The commission met for around seven hours Tuesday to make a decision. Prior to the meeting, commissioner Alma Wheeler Smith said Arbulu had done good work, but things have changed.
"He has been, in many regards, a strong and courageous leader for the commission, but the question isn't his work ethic," she said. It's about 'is he the appropriate person given his comments and his role to continue to lead the department?'"
When Arbulu went on leave, he was replaced by Mary Engelman, who is current deputy director of the department. The commission's plans moving forward were not clear.
