RALEIGH - A high-ranking Wake County administrator was suspended from his job last month after he made comments some subordinates found offensive.

Ramon A. Rojano, the county's director of human services, said the complaints against him are the result of misunderstandings rooted in his unfamiliarity with Southern culture, such as when comments about a woman's weight might be interpreted as an insult.

A native of Colombia, Rojano was hired in February 2007 after serving in a similar position in Hartford, Conn.

He was given a five-day, unpaid suspension by County Manager David Cooke after complaints were made during a performance review.

Rojano, whose annual salary is $155,000, said in an interview Friday that the issue arose from comments he made months ago.

He said he is still learning the nuances of both the English language and what is appropriate to say in the South. Remarks that would have been fine in a Latin culture or in Connecticut were deemed offensive by some employees, he said.

"Some people felt intimidated by some of the comments I made in group meetings" during a reorganization of the agency, Rojano said. "I think those stem from me trying to adapt to the culture and learn Southern ways of saying things. I think this has been a huge misunderstanding, but I am learning."

An example, Rojano said, was his well-meaning and sincere suggestions that some female employees needed to lose weight to improve their health.

A frequent dieter himself, Rojano said he suggested they read "Skinny Bitch," a New York Times best-selling weight-loss guide written by a former model and nutritionist.

The book is irreverent and uses language some might find offensive, he conceded.

"Some people were reading things [into it] I really wasn't saying," Rojano said. "I had been using myself as an example. I kept talking too much about how I had lost weight. And when you are reorganizing, so people were thinking, 'Well, he's only going to be hiring people who are fit.' Now I'm learning that I don't want to recommend that book any more."

As director of human services, Rojano supervises about 1,800 full-time employees in such programs as social services, public health and mental health.

He said that he is hopeful his suspension will not tar his reputation and that he plans to stay in his position a long time.

"I love it here," Rojano said.

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