Niagara ReporterFormer employer calls Diodate’s second resume ‘lies and nonsense’
After Mark Diodate was outed for submitting a “fake” resume for consideration for hire as Niagara Falls Council Secretary, his prospective council bosses allowed him to submit a second resume.
The Reporter noted in an exclusive story in our last issue (“Tale of Two Resumes”) that Diodate changed more than 20 items between his first and second resumes.
Nevertheless, the council voted to hire Diodate, 4-1, with Councilman Kenny Tompkins voting against the hire.
Following the publication of our story, Jerry Puleo, owner of Tropical Heating and Cooling, contacted the Reporter to state that Diodate’s second resume, “was completely false including his job duties.”
Puleo was referring to Diodate’s last claimed job – at Tropical Heating and Cooling – in Niagara Falls.
Diodate stated on both of his resumes that he was managing partner of Tropical Heating, implying that he was one of the owners.
Tropical’s Puleo said, “He was a sales guy who was under-performing. He didn’t produce the revenue he claimed and he certainly was not an owner. I own the company 100 percent.”
There was also a discrepancy over the company mascot.
In his first resume, Diodate claimed he solely developed the popular mascot, Tropical Tom, who often appears at schools and charitable events.
In his second resume, Diodate shared credit, claiming he ‘helped develop” Tropical Tom.
Puleo said “Mark Diodate had zero influence in Tropical Tom’s development or design. The only thing he did was go with Tropical Tom when I was unable to make an event.”
The mascot was designed two years before Diodate started working for Tropical, Puleo said.
Diodate also claimed to develop something called the “We Care” program as part of his employment for Tropical.
Puleo said there is no “We Care” program.
Diodate claims in his resume that he developed Tropical Tom. His former boss says that that’s untrue.
Puleo told the Reporter, “I hope the kid succeeds in life, but he worked for me for three and 1/2 months. That’s it. He wasn’t a managing partner. He wasn’t even a partner. He was not a sales manager. He managed no one. He was a salesmen. It is all lies and nonsense.”
Diodate was first outed for submitting a questionable resume when he failed to mention his employment with H.W. Bryk & Sons, Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Air Quality Control.
It was a clumsy omission since one of his potential employers, Councilmen Tompkins, worked for Bryck and was Diodate’s former boss.
That led to other questions, which prompted Council Chairman Andrew Touma to suggest Diodate submit a second resume.
The Reporter uncovered 20 material changes between resume #1 and #2.
Diodate declined to respond to repeated requests for comment.
Councilman Ezra Scott told the Reporter, “I really liked Mark as a candidate. What I told him after [he got caught lying] the first time, ‘You’re a man. All I need to know that you’re comfortable putting [the second resume] out there.’ Mark said the second resume was truthful.”
Tompkins, the sole councilman to vote against Diodate, told the Reporter, “I feel bad for the other applicants. I interviewed them all. There were some incredible applicants. I thought their resumes were fantastic.”
Scott said he is waiting for more information before he could make any further comments.
“I believe in second chances,” Scott said. “If [Diodate] is lying, it is something he has to handle as a man. We gave him a second chance. I said to him, ‘We trust you.’ I haven’t heard anything from Human Resources that says [the second resume is false]. I can’t speak for the second resume.”
