According to an article in this morning’s Tribune, the city has made a final determination in the case of a city worker, Celestino Divieste, who mowed down 1642 purple pinwheels placed on the lawn in front of City Hall to honor of the victims of child abuse:

“Divieste was found guilty of neglect of duty and given a three-day suspension. However, by agreement, the suspension will be held in abeyance on the condition that Divieste makes restitution, according to Warren human resources director Brian Massucci.”

In other words, this act is going unpunished. If you ran your mower over the neighbor’s rose bush, but paid her for its value, no one would say the repayment was “punishment.” That would just be the minimum a decent person would do, as long as it was accompanied by an apology. The article doesn’t mention whether or not Trumbull County Children Services, who bought and placed the pinwheels, received an apology.

The message was: “Pay for the damage you did or we will be forced to give you a 3-day vacation.”

The article also fails to mention that Mr. Divieste is the uncle of Warren’s Director of Public Safety and Service, Enzo Cantalamessa, the man who ultimately determined Mr. Divieste’s “punishment.” Both Mr. Divieste and HR director Brian Massucci work for Mr. Cantalamessa.

Many people in Warren feel that this is the much bigger story. A city worker intentionally destroying a memorial created by local citizens is shockingly stupid, and good for some easy jokes. But the rampant nepotism and complete lack of accountability the incident highlights are far bigger and pervasive problems in Warren city government.