Westerly council rescinds censure hearing and instead admonishes Councilor Lombardo after heated public comments

Westerly — The Westerly Town Council voted at its meeting to rescind a prior vote to schedule a censure hearing and instead adopted a formal admonishment of Councilor Robert Lombardo for conduct reported to have occurred at the council’s June 3 meeting. The move followed extensive public comment in which residents urged stronger discipline for a council member’s repeated comments and email behavior.

Multiple residents told the council they felt intimidated or disparaged by a councilor’s remarks. Ellen Kane told the panel she opposed replacing a censure with a weaker admonishment: “The definition of censure…is to vote and approve a statement of strong criticism,” she said, arguing that admonishment would be “a very watered down, lesser action.” Matthew Forrer said an October 2023 email from Councilor Lombardo had called him “delusional” and asked the council to consider stronger action.

After procedural debate, the council voted to rescind the prior motion to schedule a censure hearing. The record shows Councilor Shalaba voted Yes, Councilor Cordial voted No, Councilor Pietra voted Yes, Councilor Lombardo abstained, and the chair voted Yes; the clerk recorded the result as 3 yes, 1 no, 1 abstention.

The council then considered a motion to admonish Councilor Lombardo for conduct at the June 3 meeting. Solicitor Conley advised the body that, to avoid Open Meetings Act issues, the motion should be confined to the general conduct at that meeting rather than reciting additional specific allegations. The motion to admonish (moved by Councilor Lupietra and seconded with Councilor Lombardo’s name added to the motion) was carried with the council reporting that Councilor Shalaba, Councilor Corteo and Councilor Pietra voted in favor, Councilor Lombardo abstained and the chair also recorded a Yes vote.

Councilors who supported admonishment said the council’s authority is limited by the town charter and Robert’s Rules; the solicitor described admonishment as an informal, symbolic statement rather than a disciplinary penalty. Councilor Shalaba, who had supported action, said the council must balance accountability with the limits of local procedure. In contrast, Councilor Lombardo repeatedly objected to the process during debate and criticized councilors and members of the public who he said were urging removal without due process.

The council’s votes ended the scheduled censure process for now; the rescind and admonishment votes are recorded in the meeting minutes. The solicitor and several councilors emphasized that a formal hearing process would have included defined opening statements, evidence and an opportunity to respond if the council had proceeded to a trial-style hearing.

What’s next: The council marked the admonishment in the record and moved on to other agenda items. Any future disciplinary steps, changes to procedure, or additional hearings would require further council action and must comply with Open Meetings Act notice requirements.