Radio Clash: Levy Calls Palmieri a Hypocrite, Bully and Phony Councilor

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Walter Bird Jr., GoLocalWorcester Reporter

Philip Palmieri

Former Worcester Mayor and City Councilor Jordan Levy is mincing no words over his opinion of City Councilor Philip Palmieri, labeling the six-term official a hypocrite, bully and phony.

Levy made the critical comments to GoLocalWorcester after he and Palmieri engaged in a verbal melee on Levy’s drive-time radio show on WTAG 580AM. The spat was over the council’s recent approval of an amendment to the city's tobacco control ordinance. The vote paved the way for a hookah to be used in Byblos Lounge’s Mediterranean restaurant in Union Station. A hookah is used for smoking flavored tobacco.

“It’s just plain hypocritical,” Levy said of the council and Palmieri allowing smoking inside a public building. Palmieri was one of six councilors who supported the amendment. “There’s got be more to it. You can’t be hypocritical in this business. He’s a phony and a bully. He bullies people.”

Palmieri didn’t miss a beat in responding to the insults, saying: “(Levy) was looking in a mirror and talking to himself when he said those things, because he’s all of that.”

He called Levy “an angry man who can’t take the heat.”

‘No credibility’

The war of words was a continuation of the verbal sparring between the two earlier this week, when Palmieri called into Levy’s radio show. After Levy gave the councilor a chance to explain his vote, he said: “Your argument has no credibility with me.”

He referenced a previous effort by Palmieri to outlaw the sale of cigarette rolling machines and papers at a local store, and wondered why he would turn around and OK smoking in a public place.

“You’re a hypocrite,” Levy snapped. “You’re an outright hypocrite. Your vote encouraged a public building to be used by people 18 and older to go and smoke tobacco.”

When he tried to continue, Palmieri cut in, challenging Levy to “be more honest about why you care about this and level with the public.”

It was a reference to Levy’s longtime relationship with Gus Giordano, who owns Luciano’s Restaurant, which is also in Union Station.

“My relationship with Gus Giordano has absolutely nothing to do with this,” Levy said, to which Palmieri responded, “That’s the main reason you’re against (the hookah bar).”

Feud continues

The argument escalated from there, with Levy accusing the councilor of being told how to vote on the issue.

“No one tells me how to vote,” Palmieri said, as the two started talking over each other’s voices.

“You’re just an angry guy,” Palmieri said to Levy, who answered, “You know why? Because people like you get elected.”

It made for good radio, but the feud didn’t end there. Levy was still revved up on Friday, and gave a little more insight into just why he has become so worked up over the hookah bar. It has nothing to do with his 30-year friendship with Giordano, he said.

“I had cancer three times from smoking,” said Levy. “My wife died two years ago (Saturday) from cancer. She was 64. My mother, father and sister all smoked and they died from cancer."

“No one hates smoking more than me, but I will fight for the right for people to smoke as long as it’s legal, but not in public.”

‘Hypocrites’

Union Station, he argued, is not a place where smoking should be allowed. Palmieri, he said, is among the councilors who have publicly supported the Great American Smokeout and other anti-smoking initiatives. Those who voted in favor of the hookah bar were hypocrites, Levy said.

He spared one councilor from his wrath, saying while he disagreed with his vote in favor of the amendment, At-Large Michael Germain has at least been consistent.

“I watched my father have a massive heart attack and die right in front of me,” Germain said. “But as far as I’m concerned, cigarettes didn’t kill him. A heart attack killed him because he chose to smoke. I will not infringe upon a person’s civil liberties.”

District 1 City Councilor Tony Economou was opposed to the amendment, saying, “I looked at it that the council had approved there would be no smoking in public a public place. At some point, you’ve got to draw the line.”

‘An angry guy’

Palmieri strongly believes Levy has a personal interest in opposing the hookah bar, since his friend has a business in the same building.

“He’s a good friend of Gus,” Palmieri said. “He’s done this regularly. How are you objective if, in fact, one of your closes friends owns a restaurant? How are you going to comment on the validity of anything?”

Isn’t the issue, he was asked, about the hookah bar and not someone’s friendship?

“I see nothing wrong with being friends, but it’s part of … from my vantage point, Jordan is an angry guy,” Palmieri said. “He’s hostile.”

Different circumstances

The way he sees it, the real hypocrite is Levy, saying, “He wants to say this is a health issue and he was for rolling machines in my district.”

The restaurant at Union Station, he noted, received approval from the state Department of Revenue to allow smoking. It needed city council to amend its tobacco ordinance, however. Palmieri said the owner of Byblos, Salim Lahoud, had been working on his plans before the ordinance went into affect.

“These were unusual circumstances and more variables have been at play here,” said Palmieri, adding Levy is angry because he doesn’t like to be challenged. “No one challenges him but me. What municipal or state official has challenged him? He can’t take the heat.”

Levy, on the other hand, said it is Palmieri who feels threatened, because, “I’ve got a contact everywhere and I know things. He’s threatened by it.”

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