NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The mayor of North Providence says he has no regrets after his expletive-filled rant at a firefighter was caught on tape by an unidentified person.
Mayor Charles Lombardi apparently launched a tirade against Firefighter Thomas Guilbealt for allegedly insulting his family, according to FoxProvidence.
The newly released audio recording of the mayor’s attack has him ordering Firefighter Guilbealt to wax a fire truck as punishment and to never speak the mayor’s name or he’ll “have a serious headache.”
The recording dates back to Spring 2011 at a meeting with Firefighter Guilbealt, the North Providence fire chief, and the battalion chief, however, only the mayor and Firefighter Guilbealt are heard on the tape.
In the recording, Lombardi claims that his son-in-law was denied access to a bar because he “works for the Lombardis.”
Firefighter Guilbealt denied the claim and said that he was happy with his job, to which Lombardi said, “You’re happy. Ok then, keep your mouth shut.”
FoxProvidence reports that repeated attempts to contact the person who recorded the meeting were unsuccessful.
The relationship between the firefighters’ union and Lombardi has been tumultuous in the past after the union failed to block a city-sanctioned closure of a fire house around the same time the meeting occurred.
Lombardi said that he is fine with the way he handled the situation and that it was appropriate given that Firefighter Guilbealt was questioning his “family’s integrity.”
An attorney for Lombardi said an investigation has been launched into how to handle the situation.