... and with the kind of splash we've come to expect from the Palm Beach Post's gossip columnist. Lambiet, who has been on hiatus for several weeks (like Corral, he's been underground working on a special piece), hits us with a piece on embattled and recently divorced Palm Beach County Commissioner Tony Masilotti's fling with a WPTV-Channel 5 reporter Kathleen Walter that apparently led to her quitting her job at the station. Here's the
brunt of it:
On June 22, Masilotti told his colleagues he was embarking on a 10-day vacation with his children. Three days later, however, it was Channel 5 reporter Kathleen Walter, 32, that Masilotti took to the Keys. I'm told single mom Walter met up with the commish at a vacant Home Depot near his Welly home. They drove three hours to Islamorada. There, she told friends, they held hands and shared soulful kisses on the beach.They also were spotted in a t�te-�-t�te at Rooney's in WPB, with more canoodling.
"A week later, Kathleen was all freaked out because he wasn't returning her calls," one Channel 5er said.
When Walter's boss, News Director Peter Roghaar, confronted her about the relationship, she claimed she was just trying to score an exclusive with Masilotti. He has rarely spoken with reporters since the feds earlier this year started investigating several of his private land deals.
But as Roghaar kept prying, Walter reportedly admitted to the smooching and writing Masilotti a note that described her time with him as "dreamy." She added they were no longer an item.
Still, worried about the station's image and potential conflicts, WPTV brass suspended Walter for a week. She resigned Sept. 1. She just became director of public relations for Hospice of Palm Beach County.
Walter only said: "There was no dating. I left Channel 5 on good terms."
Score an exclusive, huh? If you read the rest of the article, she wasn't getting anything exclusive from Masilotti at all.