FOR THE RECORD

from The Chief Leader 

After we ran a story last week about a Steamfitter's angry confrontation with an asbestos supervisor, accompanied by a photo of the supervisor giving him the finger, the supervisor called to say he was guilty, with an explanation.

"From the minute I got there, all this man did was yell and scream at me," said George Palermo, the Department of Education's Asbestos Supervisor Liaison Officer of Environmental Health and Safety. "He was yelling obscenities at me. He baited me. I didn't use obscenities; I used an obscene gesture."

The incident occurred June 27, the day after another story ran in this paper regarding the complaint by Steamfitter John Kielbasa that he had been improperly disciplined for reporting asbestos hazards in city schools. When Mr. Kielbasa discovered that old safety valves that had been delivered to his work location at the Queens Area Office appeared to contain hazardous asbestos, he reported it to his supervisor.

Mr. Palermo was summoned to the building, where he said Supervisor of Mechanics Chris Dalimonte informed him, "We have an asbestos complaint."

Mr. Kielbasa told us two weeks ago that Mr. Palermo had angrily challenged his claim. Mr. Palermo said last week that it was Mr. Kielbasa who got overheated. "He came out raving and ranting about how I was threatening his life" by allowing the asbestos to be brought there.

Mr. Palermo said that as he supervised the removal of the allegedly contaminated safety valves, Mr. Kielbasa took out a camera, prompting someone else to yell, "Look out!"

When he turned and saw Mr. Kielbasa taking pictures, he said, "Inadvertently, I gave him the finger, which wasn't professional, but I was startled."

A reporter noted that most people when startled don't respond by extending their middle finger, and Mr. Palermo conceded the point but said he had become frustrated with someone who "followed me and stalked me. Whatever is going on with him and the Department of Education has nothing to do with me."

A DOE spokeswoman had declined to give his side of the story a week earlier, explaining that the agency could not comment about "a personnel matter."

Mr. Palermo was more forthcoming when asked what the DOE reaction had been to the photo of his offending finger: he has been ordered to attend a class in anger management.

 http://www.thechief-leader.com/news/2007/0713/news/022.html