SWAMPSCOTT — A movement is afoot to recall Select Board member Donald Hause after comments he allegedly made during a dinner conversation at Mission on the Bay restaurant sparked controversy.
Should the move gain momentum, it would not affect the town election June 30 in which two select board seats are being vacated.
The controversy started when Erik Heilman, a bartender who was working the restaurant’s outdoor dining area last Thursday, made a post on the private Facebook group Swampscott 01907. Heilman alleged he overheard Hause call the Black Lives Matter movement “liberal bull****” and say white privilege is not real. Heilman said he was “distraught” hearing the comments, and made the post because he wanted to “inform” the community about the thoughts of an elected official.
On Facebook, Hause called Heilman’s account inaccurate and defamatory.
“I was working so I obviously wasn’t able to hear every word that was said, but every time I walked over I was dumbfounded by the things I was hearing these people just casually throw around as if nobody could hear them,” Heilman said.
Heilman was subsequently fired for making the post. However, in an interview with The Item Tuesday night, Mission on the Bay co-owner Marty Bloom said the restaurant was a “little quick to pull the trigger,” and has offered Heilman his job back. Heilman, who is from Salem, has told Mission on the Bay he has found other work, Bloom said.
Heilman’s post, made Sunday, garnered 393 comments from residents before a page administrator disabled commenting. Many commenters supported Heilman for making the post, and condemned Mission on the Bay for the firing.
Tuesday, Hause posted on the same Facebook page, saying he waited before responding to allegations so as to not “react in the moment.”
“My family and I have been disappointed and hurt by the insinuations in the original post by Mr. Heilman and many of the follow up comments by his supporters,” Hause said. “None were there that evening and do not know me but have immediately rushed to judgment.”
Hause said he is a proponent of open dialogue, and wished Heilman would have talked to him personally rather than posting online.
“The conversation I was engaged in on Thursday evening was at a restaurant with friends and was an ongoing discussion which included many topics of the day such as the Black Lives Matter movement, politics, media coverage, the police, and re-opening businesses,” he said. “At one point, I shared my personal view that I believed the rioting and looting was hurting the Black Lives Matter movement and its core message.”
Hause said he would be “more sensitive” when speaking about charged topics, and that he often tries to use “humor to defuse the tension” of such topics.
However, Hause said Heilman’s account is not accurate and is not a proper “depiction of me or my views.
“Other than the few occasions when he was actually at our table, for the most part, Mr. Heilman knew little of the context within which anything was being said,” Hause said. “However, he has taken those sound bites and used it to try and define and defame me.”
Hause said he will not apologize for something he did not say. While some commenters said Hause should explain more during Wednesday night’s Select Board meeting, Hause said he will not likely attend the virtual meeting because he is traveling for business.
There have been calls for Hause to resign, and one resident said he intended “to begin the process of having him recalled” if he does not.
In a letter to community members, resident Nicolas Scibelli said the comments allegedly made by Hause are “abhorrent” and “are disrespectful to so many members of the Swampscott community.
“Mr. Hause’s recent actions have demonstrated that he does not represent the values of our community,” Scibelli said.
Mission on the Bay has also been the target of some of the commenters’ ire, with some saying they will no longer dine at the restaurant because of Heilman’s firing.
In its own Facebook post, the restaurant proclaimed its support for the Black Lives Matter movement, and said Heilman was fired because he broke restaurant protocol on guest confidentiality, which is explicitly outlined in the employees’ handbook.
Bloom reiterated that stance Tuesday.
“We have no issues with Erik,” Bloom said. “Erik is one of my favorite people … maybe we could have been slower on the trigger, but we have protocol. When you run a business you have to have rules and you have to follow the rules.
“If you’re here, you’re in Switzerland,” Bloom said. “People need confidentiality in our restaurant.”
Bloom said the confidentiality rule applies in all cases, and that the restaurant doesn’t share when famous people visit, or when a visitor makes a rude comment or visits with someone other than their spouse.
“We’re not here to judge people,” Bloom said.
Bloom said anybody should be able to visit and expect confidentiality. Hause has been a longtime visitor at Mission on the Bay, is a “good friend,” and has always been “respectful” as a guest, Bloom said.
Co-owner Wellington Augusto said in a statement Hause would no longer be welcome back at the restaurant.
“Out of frustration caused by the post by my employee, Erik Heilman, I took action too quickly and let go of him rather than engage in conversation and speak with him about his concerns. This was a mistake; as we cannot hope to learn from one another by acting out of anger or in haste. Erik is correct in standing up for what is right, and I am proud of what he has accomplished with his message,” Augusto said.
“It is with that in mind we no longer can welcome Don Hause into our establishment,” Augusto said.
“I have spoken with Erik and let him know the door to Mission on the Bay is open to him should he ever choose to return,” Augusto said.
Heilman said he stands by what he did, and disagrees with how his firing was handled, although he understands why he was fired.
