On the evening of July 14, 2012, Blaber said he witnessed Gallo angrily confront a man and a woman who parked an ice-cream truck at the site of an outdoor showing of “E.T.” at Kingston Point Beach. A source who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation confirmed the account. A police blotter entry notes that at 9:20 p.m. Lois and William Lappas contacted police to report a dispute at the “Movies Under the Stars” event. The entry reads that the couple told a responding officer that they had been approached by a white male standing about six-foot-three with a large build and glasses. The man, identified in the report simply as “an employee,” allegedly yelled and cursed at the ice-cream vendors, identified himself as a police officer and demanded that they leave the area. The report states that the officer looked for the man described by the couple but was unable to find him in the crowd.
Blaber and the unnamed source both said the unidentified male cited in the police report was, in fact, Gallo. According to Blaber, Gallo demanded to see the vendors’ operating permit. When the pair failed to produce the document, Blaber said, Gallo angrily demanded that they move their truck. The incident, Blaber recalled, degenerated into “a screaming match,” during which Gallo threatened to call the police and have the businesses vending license revoked.
Earlier that summer, a number of people witnessed a similar display at the city’s annual Independence Day celebration on the Rondout. According to a business owner who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Gallo had told a few downtown restaurateurs that he did not want to see streetside vending and promotional booths in front of businesses. But, the business owner said, no official communication was sent out. Some businesses never got the word. The morning of the festival, a number of vendors had begun setting up their booths when Gallo showed up.
Assa Sacko said she was setting up a promotional booth for radio station WDST in front of the Rondout Music Lounge when Gallo, whom she said she did not recognize, walked up and began shouting at her, demanding that she take down the display and sound system. Sacko said that Gallo screamed in her face, invoked his position as mayor, and threatened to call police and have her arrested.
“He was in my personal space, trying to intimidate me, I was calm, I was talking to him like a normal person but he just kept getting more and more angry,” recalled Sacko. “I just thought, ‘Wait, this is the mayor and he’s acting like this in public?’ I’m still waiting for an apology.”
Sacko said Gallo continued to berate her and other vendors until a group of people, apparently acquaintances of Gallo, came up and led him away. Sacko said she ignored the tirade and continued to operate the promotional booth for the remainder of the day. A business owner who witnessed Gallo screaming at Sacko and other vendors said that the outburst was entirely unprovoked and unnecessary.
“He could have just come in and asked to speak to the managers [of businesses hosting the booths] and explained things,” the business owner said. “But instead he just goes berserk, he was purple. It was totally uncalled for.”
More recently, on April 17, Hurley artist John Bridges described a similar run-in with Gallo following a traffic incident on Wall Street. Like Sacko, Bridges described Gallo as employing verbal and physical intimidation, invoking his title as mayor and threatening to call the police. Gallo and Bridges both in fact called 911 to report the incident. Bridges later said that a Kingston Police Department blotter entry about the incident minimized the mayor’s role in the dispute and failed to include his description of the encounter as an instance of “road rage.”
Get-tough approach
The recent spotlight on Gallo’s anger issues, long discussed among local politicians and journalists, has caused Hoffay and Alderman Bob Senor (D-Ward 8) publicly to question whether the mayor’s behavior was harming the city’s image. But Gallo, elected on the promise of a get-tough approach with everyone from absentee landlords to gang members to city unions, also has had his share of defenders. At a recent meeting of the Common Council, half a dozen people spoke — to applause — on Gallo’s behalf, saying that the council and the press were beating a dead horse in continuing to discuss the behavior uncovered on the Blaber recording.
“You’re embarrassing us, stop it,” city Code Enforcement Officer Jeannie Edwards told the critics at the May 7 council meeting. “He apologized for it, stop it.”
Local karate school owner Keith Bennett told aldermen, “The people believe in Shayne,” and “Hopefully this nonsense about somebody getting angry and somebody taping it will end.”
Others believe that, isolated incident or not, the mayor’s aggressive approach is the right one in a city where many residents believe government has long been unresponsive, lethargic and run for the benefit of a small class of well-connected insiders.
Gallo did not respond to requests for his input into this article. Quigley declined to characterize or comment on Gallo’s “personal behavior.” But Quigley, who has had his own public displays of temper, including outbursts at town board meetings and a profanity-laced voicemail left on Blaber’s phone which Blaber subsequently leaked to the press, said a successful executive cannot take a kid-gloves approach to governance.
“Over the years there has been a whole list of nice guys who have sat in this chair and not gotten anything done,” said Quigley. “That’s one reason why the town is in the hole that it’s in now.”
It amazes me all of the people who think this behavior is “okay.” I guess they are the same ones that say women who are raped “ask for it,” kids that bully other kids to the point that the victims kill themselves “are just being kids,” and that men who beat their girlfriends/wives up and practically kill them just can’t help themselves because they “love too much.” Kingston needs to get its head out of the sand or appropriate body orifice asap. Or optionally we can wait for him to actually physically assault someone and then watch as the city gets sued into the ground. As my mother says, the fish stinks from the head down … This man is NOT good for Kingston.
Are you kidding me? Just because Gallo went off on a FRIEND who stabbed him in the back,YOU think that Gallo’s supporters feel that rape, bullying and physical abuse are OK.. I am a Gallo supporter. I am also a domestic abuse survivor who was stabbed 5 times by my ex-husband. I have been a victims advocate, worked in the local soup kitchen and I have advocated for domestic abuse victims by working in our local women’s shelter. HOW DARE YOU say that anyone who supports Gallo is nothing less than a good citizen. It is obvious that you ANONYMOUS are an idiot..If people do not like Gallo’s manners or how he conducts himself. Let them quit or file a complaint. He is the best Mayor we have ever had. He works for his paycheck. He is not like our last MAYOR.(cough,cough).Gallo did not get elected because he is a passive man. He is a passionate man. If he is not liked then vote him out at the next election, until then we need to support him or put up with him until the next election.
Have you even read any of the articles about how this hothead has gone off on many many people? It’s not just Blaber.
Sorry to hear about your traumatic experience, but NO ONE should have to tolerate anyone screaming in your face until they’re purple with rage. What kind of mayor have we, who screams in the face of a woman setting up a street vendor stand? What kind of mayor screams at a couple in an ice cream truck? What kind of mayor chases someone in their own personal vehicle and stops them for speaking on the cell phone?
Cleaning up Kingston can be accomplished without screaming in people’s faces or losing one’s composure every 5 minutes.
These people are not criminals and everyone is entitled to respect and dignity. The common thread here is Gallo’s instability, deep seated issues and vindictive nature. One day, he will get in the wrong person’s face and get clobbered or he will end up hurting someone.
In the meantime, I’d recommend calling the state police if anyone has a conflict with the mayor. Do not count on the KPD to help you, as they know who signs their paycheck.
I see that thwe wizard of the Town of Ulster has mangaged to get an IBM plant back there instead of just lament how terrible the “assessment” is on that property. Wow, yes, I see that things get done when you take an angry approach. What other employers has he snagged? Oh yeah, none. Right. MHA in Ulster County. Hahahaha. Beer World. Heheheheh. Panera Bread…well ok nowww we are getting serious…
In fact not a single thing gets done period in this area by any of these politicians, and perhaps they are angry at themselves for this, in which case we might find some hope;otherwise there remains no hope here. They can all return to Coleman for reunions and have whatever Catherine Gormley shows up there be proud her boys. Hah. EMPTY and SAD, OLD and TIMEWORN. But wait–since Sr. Elizabeth DiPippo quit the Nunhood, maybe Gormley will show up sans habit too sometime. The biggest potential excitement to look forward to. Pishawwwwwwwwww.
Is this the end or is there still more? I’ve heard other stories that are so damning, it would be irresponsible to repeat them to anyone. I hope none of them are true.
I support most of what Mayor Gallo is trying to do; I’ve never witnessed his temper tantrums.
I will never, ever support a bully, having been bullied growing up in Brooklyn (I fought back, and I’m not above fighting ‘dirty’ against a bully). While I believe in second chances and redemption, chronic, repetitive behavior such as bullying (witness the Catskill Mountain RR episode) will make it impossible for Mr. Gallo to receive my vote during the next mayoral election cycle.
One thing I noticed yesterday at the Farmer’s Market, Mayor Gallo, stayed long enough to cut the vine and then literally scurried off. I saw him scurrying up Wall St. on his phone. He made no attempt to go around the market and congratulate the residents on all their hard work and to see what people in his city actually do. It was a time to celebrate and reaach out to the community, and like he has done every year, he scurries off.
This is the MOST UNBALANCED story I have ever read in this “news” paper. This reads more like a smear campaign. Any journalist student knows that one is to investigate and report both sides of an issue. To merely use a few quotes from people at a public meeting to defend the mayor is curious. Were they not available to speak? Perhaps this “reporter” should dig deeper than the surface. Is it any wonder that Mayor Gallo has uncovered wrong doing and corruption and fired people? Does this “reporter” think to dig deeper to see, what perhaps, people are afraid of in City Hall? I can tell you this: dig a LITTLE deeper and look at Blaber’s background. I can GUARANTEE you that you will find more than meets the eye. He is no innocent little employee who was bullied. What about Gallo’s background? As a lawyer, where are the multitudes of stories and drama about his supposed personality deficit when he was a lawyer? How about as a student at GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY? Gee? I am shocked that this has only erupted once he became Mayor of the city. Mike Madsen, Jeremy Blaber are the voices of reason here? As I said, look at Blaber’s seedy background. Look at Mike Madsen posting disgusting ads on Craigslist. It is common knowledge. Stop with the smear campaigns, please, and do some REAL HONEST REPORTING!!
Yes, Gallo has a problem and he needs help! Until he gets the help he needs, his behavior will continue. A mayor of this city a bully is not good for the city or it’s residents.