To the Editor:

I read with a great deal of interest the claims of my Republican colleague and the Mayor. Councilman Farina and the Mayor took credit for the solar panel array at Cranston West. The mayor also took all the credit for the upcoming installation of streetlights throughout the city.

The fact is Councilman Farina had nothing to do with the solar panel project. It was the efforts of the School department, Councilman Mario Aceto in his role on the school buildings committee, and grant writer Ken Filarski that pushed the project and made it a reality.

Mayor Fung took credit and also lauded his Public Works department for making the installation of the streetlights possible. Nice, but not entirely accurate.

Mr. Filarski, in numerous emails, kept the Mayor’s office and the Council in contact with National Grid, who was running the project as far back as 2014. Ken, a Council appointee, kept them abreast of deadlines and played a key role in the implementation of the program.

One Republican councilman is taking credit for the playgrounds in Ward 5. These are budget items that are passed in the Finance Committee. You guessed it. He isn’t even on the committee.

The mayor takes credit for everything and never gives credit to the council, while his fellow Republicans take credit for projects in which they played no part. Now that’s political!

I would bet the next thing the Republicans take credit for will be the discovery of the polio vaccine.

Richard Santamaria

Vice President

Cranston City Council