Scottsdale school board member Carine Werner criticized over remark about district employee's weight
Based on reporting by Bridget Dowd for KJZZ, published August 18, 2025.
Carine Werner, a member of the Scottsdale Unified School District governing board who also serves as a state senator, is facing criticism after she was heard during a public board meeting describing a district employee as morbidly obese, KJZZ reported.
The comment came while Patti Bilbrey, the district's director of Nutrition Services, was presenting on a program that provides meals to children during the summer. Werner was attending the meeting on Zoom and, according to KJZZ, appeared to have forgotten to mute herself as she spoke over Bilbrey and complained about the presentation.
KJZZ quoted Werner as saying: "This is what I have to listen to. She's nutrition services and she's like morbidly obese."
Among those criticizing the remark was Mike Norton, a parent of former district students who runs a Facebook page called Respect Our Scottsdale Students, which has roughly 4,000 followers. Norton said about 22% of the district's students receive nutritional assistance. He said the comment attacked both Bilbrey and the program and disregarded the needs of the community.
Norton also called Bilbrey a beloved member of the community. He described her as "an incredibly dedicated and fiercely supportive person" who keeps finding new ways to help families.
KJZZ said it reached out to Werner for comment and she did not respond.