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What if Fung had won?

Christopher Curran
Posted 8/27/15

On Nov. 4 last year, Rhode Islanders chose a governor from a field of three distinctly different candidates.

Democrat Gina Raimondo prevailed with 40.7 percent of the vote. The beyond unique …

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What if Fung had won?

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On Nov. 4 last year, Rhode Islanders chose a governor from a field of three distinctly different candidates.

Democrat Gina Raimondo prevailed with 40.7 percent of the vote. The beyond unique Moderate Party nominee, Robert Healey, garnered a surprising 21.4 percent of the vote. The Republican Party candidate, Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, received 36.2 percent of the vote.

With just a few points between the top vote getters, Fung easily could have been the victor. For that matter, many political analysts believe that if Healey had not been the Moderate Party nominee, Fung would have prevailed. Considering the recently revealed and quite damning report in which the State Police evaluated the Cranston Police Department, one has to wonder what type of governor Allan Fung would have been.

The 182-page report, titled “The Assessment of the Cranston Rhode Island Police Department, 2014-2015,” uncovers an uneven management style by Fung and a department in turmoil, chock full of unwarranted retribution directed to certain officers undeserving of such treatment. Unabashed unionism combined with avarice and political positioning produced an atmosphere of unrest and dysfunction.

A consistency in leadership is the cornerstone of any municipal government. When the mayor does not exhibit strong directive skills and is fearful that any action may not serve political expediency, the interconnected departments below the mayor’s office often reflect that inconsistency throughout the government. This was unquestionably the case in the police department. Mayor Fung’s inability to assert his office in a proper fashion which served the taxpayer and not political goals provokes an unavoidable question.

In consideration of the report and understanding how foolishly Fung handled the difficulties in his police department, how could he have been an effective governor?

The success of Allan Fung in reaching the mayor’s office is a true American story. The son of immigrants from British Hong Kong, his parents came to the United States in search of the American Dream. They opened a restaurant business and as a result young Allan came to appreciate the value of hard work and determination. This lesson learned drove Allan to graduate from Rhode Island College and Suffolk University Law School afterwards.

Yet somewhere along the way, through becoming an attorney for an insurance firm, being elected a citywide councilman, and eventually becoming mayor, Allan Fung’s parental-instilled ideals were eclipsed by the predicating administrative decisions with political pondering. Forging alliances with perceived benefactors and contemplating elective impacts in priority to practical proctoring, portrayed Mayor Fung as an opportunistic and incompetent administrator.

The accusing report was written by State Police Capt. Kevin M. Barry, who was acting chief in Cranston for several months after Col. Marco Palombo was placed on paid administrative leave, and State Police Lt. Matthew Moynihan. Barry and Moynihan interviewed over 50 people, including police officers, civilians and city workers. The results of those interviews were startling. They examined the logistical aspects of the department and gained a sense of the morale of the people sworn to protect Cranston.

The report concluded that the department suffered from “poor leadership” and “political interference.” They determined that the working environment was hostile, where retaliation was common, morale dreadful, and where officers secretly recorded conversations with superiors in preparation for possible future legal battles. The report’s summary quotes are telling:

“Throughout this report, there are examples of Mayor Fung showing inconsistent leadership styles at times and interjecting himself into the operation of the Cranston Police Department. Mayor Fung failed to take the necessary and appropriate corrective actions, which empowered others to continue to make unprofessional decisions.”

“We found numerous examples of officers who were harassed and retaliated against. We also found inappropriate interference, undue influence, lack of accountability and inconsistent action from Mayor Fung, Colonel Palumbo, as well as other city officials.”

One particularly well-publicized problem in the police department became widely known as “Ticketgate.” In response to “no” votes by two council members in regard to a police contract, then Capt. Stephen Antonucci, who was also president of International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 301, ordered an aggressive campaign of ticketing illegally parked cars in the two wards represented by those officials.

Upon hearing this misuse of police power, Mayor Fung should have ordered the tickets rescinded immediately and dolled out some sort of administrative punishment toward Antonucci. Instead, Fung weighed the political aspects of the situation and sat on his hands. Was the mayor fearful of reprisals from a union leader?

Several months after the incident in April of 2014, Fung did finally call for Antonucci’s firing.

This circumstance was merely one of several misbehaviors by police officials that were revealed in the report. A captain named Todd Patalano stated that Col. Palombo was “out to get him” because of his allegiance to the former Col. Stephen C. McGrath, who served under former Mayor Napolitano. Palombo hired a private detective agency to watch him after he injured himself on the job resulting from a fall. Sgt. Matthew Josefson secretly taped conversations with abusive superiors. He was demoted to patrolman. The state police study concluded that the demotion was unwarranted. Mayor Fung could have ordered a restoration of his rank, but declined to. Furthermore, Capt. Karen Guilbeault claimed mistreatment and gender bias from the police hierarchy.

Additionally, Fung attempted to forge a secret compromise deal with Antonucci to settle his status. This deal would have been strongly beneficial to Antonucci. Mayor Fung held back the terms of this deal until after the election for fear of political fallout. As the state police colonel stated clearly in the report, “I made it clear to the mayor that it was very transparent to me why he waited until after the election was over to reveal this. I felt this was an attempt by Mayor Fung to avoid any public scrutiny associated with the private agreement during the election cycle.”

Similarly distasteful was the treatment of city employees under the police department’s dysfunction. In a resignation letter from former Director of Personel Susan Bello to Mayor Fung, Bello explained that she had endured “repeated attacks” from Palombo and Antonucci: “They have engaged in bullying, thuggish behavior that has blossomed since you took office.”

The state police examination of the Cranston police unearthed a self-defeating culture of disruptive management styles, erroneous punitive judgments on certain police officers, aggressive dictatorial behavior and a total lack of proper oversight from the mayor of Cranston. Allan Fung’s apprehension on when and how to act rendered the police department adrift in a sea of troubles.

One can not help wondering if the mayor had acted forcefully and instantly and in a principled manner, rather than examining the political fallout of every word or action, how much better Cranston would be today. Moreover, had Fung been elected as governor, would he have transferred his uneven and inconsistent management style to the administration of our state?

Fortunately, the Cranston Police Department is on the mend with a new colonel, Michael Winquist, and a rising level of professionalism. However, the disarray of the immediate past cannot be forgotten easily.

Can Allan Fung regain his stature politically and professionally? Perhaps the more important question is, does Fung have the consistent character to lead a government, whether that is our third-largest city or conceivably our state?

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  • Justanidiot

    He would have fit in just fine with the Smith Hill Mob.

    Thursday, August 27, 2015 Report this