Cranston press conference flap draws global attention

By DANIEL KITTREDGE

Cranston has drawn international attention in recent days, but not for reasons the community would likely prefer.

The uproar surrounds a Jan. 5 press conference at the Cranston Senior Enrichment Center, in which officials announced a new program through which high school students can shovel for senior citizens to earn community service credits toward graduation.

Sue Stenhouse, former executive director of the city’s Department of Senior Services, unexpectedly resigned from her position at the end of that week. Neither she nor city administration officials would discuss the reasons for her departure.

Days later, NBC10 first reported the apparent cause of Stenhouse’s resignation – a middle-aged, male bus driver for the center had been dressed as an elderly woman in a bid to improve optics for the press event. That driver, who has been identified as David Roberts of Providence, wore a dress, wig, earrings and lipstick at the event, along with a nametag reading “Cranston Senior Home Resident.”

He stood alongside Stenhouse, Mayor Allan Fung, Assistant Superintendent of Schools Norma Cole, Cranston High School West Principal Tom Barbieri and a number of student volunteers during the announcement. The students were also given shovels, which they used at the end of the ceremony to dig into a pile of ice shavings that had been transported from the city’s ice rink.

Stenhouse has declined to discuss the matter, providing only an emailed statement expressing pride in her accomplishments as senior services director and affection for the community’s elders.

The administration, too, has been mum on the subject. Shortly after Stenhouse’s departure, Director of Administration Robert Coupe said it was a personnel matter on which neither the mayor nor he would comment. He did say Stenhouse’s resignation was her “personal decision” and that the mayor’s office thanked her for her service and wished her well.

He also said the administration would move quickly to put an interim senior services director in place and would then commence the search for a permanent replacement.

Carlos Lopez, the mayor’s chief of staff, on Tuesday said the administration had no additional comment. He did confirm that David Quiroa, the director of the center’s Retired Senior Volunteer Program, or RSVP, has been appointed interim director of senior services.

Others have spoken out on the situation, including on social media, where the story has spread across the globe.

A story published by The Daily Mail, a British daily newspaper, was among those making the rounds on Facebook. A Google News search on the topic reveals hundreds of similar posts and articles.

In some corners, the story has been dubbed “Whisker Gate.” It even inspired a parody Twitter account, under the handle @eldercranston, bearing a photo of the bus driver in disguise.

It has also become a campaign issue. Michael Sepe, the city Democratic Party chairman who has announced he intends to be a candidate for mayor in the fall, issued a statement calling the matter a “black eye for the city” and “more than just the backfiring of a PR stunt.”

“To me, this is just another example of the disconnect between Mayor Fung’s office and the city departments that the mayor is ultimately responsible for…I, for one, am tired of seeing the city of Cranston being embarrassed over and over again,” the statement reads.

Democratic City Council President John Lanni also had strong words regarding the episode, saying it makes Cranston the “laughingstock of Rhode Island” and that he intends to seek an explanation from the mayor, who is a Republican.

While Stenhouse has been silent, one social media posting appears to provide insight into why the van driver was asked to pose as an elderly woman at the press event. In a Facebook post, Marie Ahlert, former city clerk in Warwick, commended Stenhouse for “thinking of the safety of the frail seniors.”

“It was 26 degrees last Tuesday and slippery by the snow pile [which was a prop as there was no snow]! Knowing Sue, I’m sure she was also thinking of the possibility of putting a ‘real’ senior in harm’s way should someone recognize that person and go to their home to take advantage of them. I commend Sue and the staffer for putting safety first!” the message reads.

Stenhouse later shared a screenshot of Ahlert’s post on her Twitter feed, adding the message: “Thanks, Marie!”

Stenhouse took the reins of the Cranston Senior Center in December 2013, and over her two-year tenure launched several initiatives. The facility was also re-branded as the Cranston Senior Enrichment Center.

Stenhouse previously served as a Ward 1 City Council representative in Warwick and currently sits on the Warwick Planning Board. She ran unsuccessfully for secretary of state as a Republican in 2006 and also served as an aide to former Gov. Donald Carcieri.