Members of the public are calling on the Westerly Town Council to take action against a councilor who repeatedly gave the audience the middle finger at a council meeting Monday night and made what several witnesses interpreted as an “obscene gesture.”
Video of Monday night’s council meeting shows Councilor Robert Lombardo sticking up his middle finger on at least three occasions, then grinning as he adjusted himself in his chair. Later, he raised a vertical fist and began making a repeated up and down motion while a fellow councilor was talking.
“It was clearly the masturbation gesture,” said Ellen Kane, a Westerly resident and member of the town’s Harbor Management Commission. Kane faulted the other members of the town council for not directly confronting Lombardo about his behavior, which she felt created a “sexualized environment” and a “toxic workplace” for town employees who were present.
“No one took responsibility to call him out on his behavior, his very obvious behavior,” Kane said. “What will the council require him to do in order to reprimand or get rid of him? Does he have to physically assault somebody?”
Lombardo made the offensive gestures about four hours into the nearly five hour meeting. Another member of the Harbor Management Commission, Benjamin Weber, said the middle finger gestures were directed at him and told the council during a public comment period.
“I want to know what kind of circus you guys are running here,” Weber said. “Six times I just got flipped off by a councilor and laughed at … That violates every code of conduct.”
Weber asked the councilors to hold a vote to kick Lombardo off the Westerly Town Council, to which Council President William Aiello replied, “We don’t have the authority.”
Aiello and Councilor Kevin Lowther apologized to Weber after the public comment period without referring to Lombardo by name.
Weber, a prominent shoreline access advocate, said he had a run-in with Lombardo earlier in the evening outside the bathroom. He said Lombardo was dismissive of concerns Weber raised about public access to the Watch Hill Lighthouse.
The property was transferred from the federal government to a private non-profit about six months ago following months of public opposition. Weber and other members of the Harbor Management Commission are seeking access to legal work done by Town Solicitor William Conley they hope demonstrates the road leading to the lighthouse property is public. The solicitor has refused to share the information with the commission, saying it could jeopardize attorney-client privilege protections.
“[Lombardo] stopped me there, and he was like, ‘Give it up on the lighthouse,’” Weber said.
“I’m just appalled,” Weber said of the council meeting.
Lombardo did not respond directly to a call and voicemail Tuesday requesting an interview about Monday night’s meeting.
Instead he sent photos of a seemingly unrelated sprinkler system to The Public’s Radio and a text message that read, “Those sprinklers have been on since early this morning. Last week they went on all day and all night.”
On Tuesday, Councilor Lowther said he did not know what the council could do to address Lombardo’s behavior in meetings. Shoreline access advocates have previously raised concerns about Lombardo targeting them for criticism and scrutiny. Members of the public and councilors alike have raised concerns that Lombardo’s behavior – deemed intimidating and hostile by some – is discouraging participation in local government.
“Censure, essentially, is a slap on the wrist,” Lowther said. “Sometimes approval of your peers means something to some people, and it means less to other people. And I just don’t think it’s an effective tool here because he loves conflict.”
Lowther said he was concerned about the potential implications of Lombardo making gestures that appeared to be sexually suggestive in front of town employees.
In the video, a female attorney from the town solicitor’s law firm can be seen looking down and adjusting her glasses after Lombardo made the motion others described as simulating masturbation. A town employee in the audience covered her face with papers she had with her.
“No one should be in a workplace where they’re subjected to behavior that makes them feel uncomfortable,” Lowther said. “If there is a potential liability issue, that’s something that we need to talk to the solicitor about … But in the meantime, I think we really need to work with Councillor Lombardo on some of his behavior, because it’s just not acceptable.”
Councilor Phil Overton said he felt the issue was ultimately up to voters who will be electing a new council in November.
Councilor Joy Cordio, who was traveling and not at the meeting Monday night, said she watched the video and plans to ask the town solicitor to advise the council on what options are available for sanctioning Lombardo and the procedures that should be followed.
“I was absolutely disgusted,” Cordio said.
