Key Points:

• Sen. Carine Werner said she apologized for her disparaging remarks about a Scottsdale Unified School District employee

• The employee, Patti Bilbrey, said Werner never directly apologized for making remarks about her appearance

• Werner shared a transcript of their phone conversation describing how she apologized

A state senator and Scottsdale Unified School District Governing Board member who appeared to make disparaging comments about a district employee told community members she apologized to the staffer and claimed responsibility for the remarks.

Sen. Carine Werner, R-Scottsdale, said Oct. 7 during a district board meeting that she took responsibility after she was accused of calling Patti Bilbrey, the district’s director of nutrition services, “morbidly obese” during an Aug. 5 board meeting presentation.

However, Bilbrey issued a statement on Oct. 9 saying that while Werner expressed regret about the situation, she never actually apologized for making comments about Bilbrey’s appearance.

Werner responded to Bilbrey’s statement by sharing a text message with the Arizona Capitol Times featuring a transcript of the phone conversation she had with Bilbrey days after the board meeting. 

According to the transcript, Werner apologized at the beginning of the conversation for “what is happening and how you’ve been impacted” and said it was her fault.

The incident caused outrage from parents, teachers and community members who have called for Werner to resign from the board and want to launch a recall campaign against her next month. It has also prompted a response from Werner’s supporters who said she’s unfairly being targeted, and praised her work as a Governing Board member and state legislator.

During the Oct. 7 meeting, Werner addressed the incident after the public comment portion of the meeting, where both her critics and supporters spoke about the situation.

“I did take full responsibility for the comments. I reached out immediately to Patti and apologized. We had a very constructive and respectful conversation,” Werner said. “It is deeply disappointing that a vocal few have taken the opportunity to manufacture controversy for their own political will, even going as far as to make threats against me. I remain committed to focusing on positively serving our community.”

Bilbrey acknowledged the conversation and offered a timeline of what happened in the days following the August board meeting.

“Parents in the district began notifying me on August 6th about what they had heard in the ‘hot mic’ moment the night before. Hearing those remarks was both heartbreaking and deeply humiliating. On Sunday, August 10th, five days after the Governing Board meeting, Mrs. Werner reached out to me,” Bilbrey said in the statement. “While I acknowledge that she called to express regret that I became caught up in this mess, she did not, and has not, apologized for the personal and inappropriate comments made about my appearance or for her dismissive words about the presentation.”

According to Bilbrey, Werner told her the comments were part of a sidebar discussion she was having with her son about childhood obesity.

“However, the live stream video captures those comments being made in direct response to me and my presentation,” Bilbrey said. “I have remained quiet until now because I did not want to distract from the important work our Nutrition Services team does each day. However, I find it necessary to clarify the facts. This incident has been personally and professionally challenging, but I remain focused on leading with integrity and ensuring that every student has access to healthy, nutritious meals that help them learn and thrive, which has been my mission and passion for the past 25 years.”

According to the phone conversation transcript, Werner also apologized later in the conversation, saying she was sorry Bilbrey had been “dragged into it and that your name is posted there.”

During the three and a half minute conversation, Bilbrey said she appreciated Werner calling and acknowledging what happened, and expressed how the incident and its aftermath had taken a toll on her.

After being notified of the transcript, Bilbrey confirmed in an email that Werner apologized during the conversation, but not for the comments about her appearance.

“No personal responsibility or apology for the remarks she made about my personal appearance was offered, which the transcripts she has now shared should confirm,” Bilbrey said.

Almost 1,800 people have signed a petition calling for Werner to resign, which has spurred community members to pursue the recall campaign, said Shea Najafi, a school district parent who has helped lead the group calling for Werner’s resignation.

Najafi previously said petition organizers could consider a recall campaign if they get around 4,000 signatures. 

A recall campaign requires 25% of all votes cast at the last election for the office held by the elected official, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.