All Over Albany

State inspector general: Ward Stone "engaged in improper conduct with virtual impunity"

The state Inspector's General office released a report today accusing former state wildlife pathologist -- and local media figure -- Ward Stone of serial misconduct. Among the allegations the report:

+ Stone admitted living at the DEC facility in Delmar "half to as much as 75 percent" of the time from 2001 until 2009.

+ DEC employees alleged that Stone made them help him prepare course materials for classes he taught at SUNY-Cobleskill, and chauffeur him to WAMC in a state vehicle so he could record his radio program. "Stone also conceded that when he first appeared on the WAMC radio program, he had staff drive him to the station because he had not been provided a parking spot." [We add: Having parked at WAMC thousands of times, parking is not that hard to find there.]

+ Employees alleged that Stone kept personal chickens, ducks, turkeys, and a puppy at the Delmar facility and used state employees and money to care for the animals. Said one employee: "He tells everyone that the domestic animals are used for research and training needs, but there have been no tests run on these animals, nor does he have the proper certification to use live animals for research purposes."

+ Stone frequently brought his kids to the office and asked state employees to watch them.

+ Stone allegedly did not properly train staff about proper lab and safety protocols. The IG's office says two employees of Stone's office contracted West Nile -- one of them by cutting himself on an improperly disposed scalpel, the other in an undetermined manner. "For such a small staff, two instances of exposure to potentially deadly disease are clearly unacceptable."

+ Following an affirmative action complaint against Stone, the state's Division of Human Rights concluded that "Stone treated everybody poorly, regardless of sex or race."

For what it's worth, the report does credit Stone for his work on PCBs, pesticides, the dangers of mercury and lead in the environment.

The IG's report also faults DEC management for not reigning in Stone, and "while Stone's direct supervisors and other mid-level managers at DEC made serious and persistent efforts to address his conduct through established disciplinary procedures, their efforts at times were deliberately thwarted by DEC's executive management." The report alleges that DEC management was reluctant to discipline Stone because of his profile in the media and public support.

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Ward Stone responds

State wildlife pathologist Ward Stone responded in multiple outlets today to the allegations in last weekend's TU story. From a long Metroland piece, featuring his response and that of many supporters:

Stone said that it was likely that the article was designed, he said, to cause his reputation damage. Each criticism, he said, seemed aimed to injure him personally, and wouldn't hold up under scrutiny. Yet, Stone didn't comment on the allegations that he lives in his office. And, as one of his supporters points out, "I am angry that he gave them so much ammunition to attack him with."

Chet Hardin reports that many of Stone's supporters think the story was a "hit job" arranged because of Stone's work for an environmental group concerned about pollution from the LaFarge cement plant in Ravena.

James Odato, the TU reporter who wrote the Sunday piece, talked about about how the story came about today on The Capitol Pressroom.* Odato said "it came to his attention that there had been allegations" about Stone. He said there were "an awful lot of people out there" who were ready to confirm the allegations. (the segment starts at the 14:30 mark)

Odato also said there was "no indication at all" that the people who tipped him off are related to the LaFarge situation.

Stone also appeared on the show.

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Allegations against Ward Stone

From a story in the TU this weekend about state wildlife pathologist Ward Stone:

During his 41 years as New York's wildlife pathologist, Ward B. Stone has built a statewide reputation as an environmental hero, popular with the media and a rare public servant willing to thumb his nose at authority to defend nature.

What is less known about the 71-year-old scientist at the state's Wildlife Resources Center in southern Albany County, except among co-workers and state investigators, is that he has a long history of allegations of abusive, unethical and inappropriate behavior, ranging from berating colleagues to shooting animals, and has been repeatedly faulted by his frustrated superiors, according to interviews and records.

Read the whole thing. The list of allegations is long. (Also, "Dr. Stone" doesn't have a PhD.)

Stone told Fox23 this weekend that he's had problems with his accusers "Because they aren't good enough to be in pathology." And he told WTEN that he's been "a bargain for the state."

It'll be interesting to see how these allegations play out in the local media -- Stone is a real media fave. He has a rep as a crusader for the public interest -- recently on topics such as concerns about emissions from the Lafarge cement plant in Ravena, and lead in children's toys.

Stone's lab is at the Five Rivers Environmental Center in Delmar.

Updated at 1:20 pm WAMC says it's suspending production of the show that featured Stone, "In Our Backyard." The statement is after the jump.

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