Vasquez accuses colleague Wildenhain of racism

PAWTUCKET – City Councilor Elena Vasquez is accusing colleague Mark Wildenhain of “breathtakingly disrespectful and reprehensible” behavior at an informal Christmas gathering following a Dec. 16 council meeting.

As Vasquez wrote in a letter of complaint to Council President David Moran the next day, she says Wildenhain, at the end of an evening at the Arigna Irish Pub, around 10 p.m., threw a pair of $1 bills at her face and told her to “take the bus back to Colombia” in front of several council members and their guests.

That behavior “is an unfortunate testament to the xenophobic, misogynistic, racist, and sexist views that some Americans still consider acceptable as we prepare to enter the year 2020,” she wrote in the letter leaked to The Breeze. “This type of behavior towards anyone was not acceptable 20 years ago and is certainly not acceptable today.”

Wildenhain offers a slightly different version of how the interaction went, but acknowledged he made a “stupid mistake” based on a friendship he said has included a lot of banter back and forth with Vasquez.

He said his colleague doesn’t talk much at the outset of gatherings, but eventually joins in when council members are bantering back and forth. He said this was a similar situation, building on past cases where the two had gone at each other in good fun.

When he realized the next morning that he’d “probably screwed up,” Wildenhain said, he called Vasquez to apologize, the first of several attempts, but she hasn’t taken his calls. He provided an email he sent in apology.

Vasquez told The Breeze the two weren’t interacting at the time of the incident, and that Wildenhain came up behind her and tossed the dollar bills over her shoulder, where they hit the edge of the table and fell to the floor.

As Wildenhain explains it, the joke was about going back to Mexico, not Colombia, and was consistent with a line of jokes he maintains with a number of people about their countries of origin, regardless of race. The two $1 bills were simply a reference to how much he knows it costs to get back and forth from Mexico to Palm Springs in California, he said.

This was never malicious, he said, but Vasquez was highly offended, and for that he’s deeply sorry. Asked again to explain his reasoning in telling a Guatemalan to go back to Mexico, he simply said again that it was silly banter.

“I formed a relationship based on bantering, but I stepped over a line,” he said, adding that he understands why Vasquez is hurt and doesn’t want to take his calls.

Wildenhain said he’s also sorry for messing up relationships on the council going forward, and he hates the fact that it brings embarrassment to the elected body.

“I am writing this email to once again relay how deeply sorry I am for my actions. Please believe that I truly never intended to offend or embarrass you,” he wrote to Vasquez. “I know my actions make that hard to believe, but that truly never was my intention.”

Vasquez said Wildenhain has been referencing this situation as a simple joke, that it’s “part of who he is or that he jokes around,” but “to me this is more than a joke, this was seriously something disgusting that should not have occurred.” She defined what Wildenhain did as “racism and hate.”

Wildenhain’s email doesn’t address the “aggressive verbal abuse” that was the root of the problem, but attempts to make it about their past joking relationship, said Vasquez.

Vasquez said there have been small incidents in the past, with comments about Honduras or El Salvador, and she’s always either asked that they be stopped or ignored it, “but it’s never been to this extent.”

The two offensive aspects of this were the “money in my face,” she said, and being told to take the bus back to Colombia.

“I don’t want to say it’s part of his character,” she said. “I’m not after ruining him as a person, but I want the public to know what happened. I’m not OK with people thinking it’s OK.”

She said last Saturday that she wasn’t happy with the response she’d received to that point.

Wildenhain said he understands Vasquez wants him off the council, but he’s “not going to undo 10 years because of a stupid comment.” He said he feels sorry that he put her in this situation, and has tried to make up for it.

Wildenhain said he tries hard to live up to the reputation his father had on the council before him, and still feels he has a lot left to do for his constituents in District 2.

In her letter to Moran, copied to the mayor and entire City Council, Vasquez said Wildenhain may have a hard time accepting the fact that he lives in an increasingly diverse city and represents an increasingly diverse district.

“He may even feel threatened by this fact. That is not my problem and it certainly does not excuse his disrespectful, reprehensible and embarrassing behavior on Monday night,” she wrote. “I am respectfully requesting that you, as president of the Pawtucket City Council, take immediate action to condemn this aggression by Councilman Wildenhain. This behavior is unbecoming of the privilege it is to hold elected office and does not embody the principles of the Pawtucket City Council, where we serve as elected representatives for all of the city’s residents regardless of where they or their families may have come from.”

She said she is proud of her Guatemalan heritage, and wants this matter put on the City Council docket for a public apology from Wildenhain.

Moran said that he had a few conversations with Wildenhain and Vasquez to discuss the issue and requested an informal meeting among the three, which Vasquez declined.

“I certainly respect and understand Councilor Vasquez’s position; however, I have not given up hope on trying to make this meeting materialize as I think it may benefit all parties involved,” he said. “I have had a few lengthy and stern discussions with Councilor Wildenhain about the situation and he has accepted full responsibility for his actions, which were both disrespectful and uncalled for.”

Wildenhain “comprehends the magnitude of his actions and has been remorseful and contrite and has both texted Councilor Vasquez and sent two separate emails of apology,” added Moran. “As council president, I do not condone this type of behavior and explained to Councilor Wildenhain it is both unacceptable and cannot happen again. We are public officials and must be fully responsible for our actions and behaviors. He understands this and is extremely disappointed in himself and has pledged to do whatever is necessary to ensure this incident does not repeat itself.”

Moran said he has been in contact with legal and personnel departments as well as the administration to coordinate with a reputable vendor to schedule sensitivity workshops in January.

“I am strongly encouraging and urging all councilors to attend this training, which will help to ensure this unfortunate incident does not happen again,” he said. “I confirmed with Councilor Wildenhain that he has signed up for the first training class. I am also inquiring if this can be an ongoing type of training as well.”

He said he has also reached out to departments to review charter and council rules and there is no mechanism for the council president to implement any type of formal discipline related to this situation.

“I, as the council president, am doing what our laws and rules allow me to do,” he said. “It certainly is unfortunate that this occurred and my responsibility going forward is to ensure this never happens again.”