EDITORIAL

Rebuilding trust is no easy task

Posted

Less than a year ago, Cranston Mayor Allan Fung had a very real chance of becoming Rhode Island’s next governor.

Following a spirited Republican primary challenge from former Moderate Party candidate Ken Block – and with the infamous “Ticketgate” episode and its aftermath still unfolding – Fung in the fall of 2014 had secured his party’s nomination, albeit after traveling a far rockier path than he’d likely ever anticipated.

The late entry of former Cool Moose candidate Robert Healey into the gubernatorial race under the Moderate banner was another unexpected hurdle – one by which the mayor was visibly frustrated.

Fung, of course, lost to Gina Raimondo. He made a very respectable showing at the polls, though, and his remarks on election night indicated he had already set his sights squarely on another run for the state’s top office in 2018.

Fast-forward several months, and the climate has changed dramatically. The recently released, 182-page assessment report of the Cranston Police Department completed by Rhode Island State Police is extremely critical of the mayor, his administration and former members of Cranston’s command staff, and describes a toxic, decades-old dynamic in the city’s police force fueled by factionalism and political gamesmanship.

Never mind another bid for statewide office – now, Fung’s re-election as mayor seems deeply in doubt. Calls have been made, from residents and elected officials alike, for the mayor to resign. He has thus far emphatically rejected those calls, and instead strongly suggested he will seek another term.

The fallout from the state police report is just beginning. Exhaustive though the document may be, there are many questions that remain, and a number of the situations and issues it addresses are still unresolved. New litigation is almost certain to emerge. A City Council investigation, whatever form it takes, seems increasingly likely. The 2016 mayoral campaign will serve to amplify new developments and keep the report at the forefront of public discourse.

Fung has, to his credit, made himself available to address the report and its findings, first through an hour-long media session and then during a marathon council meeting last week. He has repeatedly pointed to the leadership of the new chief of police, Col. Michael Winquist, and we agree that the mayor’s move to bring in the first outside chief in the Cranston department’s history has proven enormously positive. Praise for Winquist has, rightfully, been universal, and we applaud the colonel’s efforts to address the department’s issues while building new connections with the community.

But according to the report, as Ward 1 Councilman Steven Stycos has pointed out, Fung was willing to let Winquist walk away just months after his appointment, when the new colonel balked at a deal that would have returned Capt. Stephen Antonucci, the central figure in “Ticketgate,” to the force with minor discipline.

The mayor said he was motivated by fiscal considerations and the uncertainty surrounding the disciplinary process, but his answer felt very much incomplete, particularly given timing of events and the well-established political connections between the mayor and the embattled captain. And that was far from the only matter in which Fung’s response or rationale left much to be desired, given the nature of the report’s findings and allegations.

The mayor apologized for missteps while pointing to the misdeeds of others, and pledged to grow personally and as a leader based on the document’s findings. But now, in his sixth year in office, we must question why it took such upheaval – and so many thousands of dollars, and so many lives and careers so deeply affected – to recognize the problems and take action.

Most important is the issue of trust. The confidence many of Cranston’s citizens and other elected leaders have in the mayor is clearly now frayed, if not altogether lost. In such an environment, effective leadership becomes virtually impossible.

In response to questions about that lost trust, the mayor has pointed to his achievements and said it will be up to the voters to decide. It’s a long time until Election Day, but based on where things stand now, the mayor has a monumental task ahead of him.

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