Why I voted ‘no confidence’ in mayor

Steven Stycos
Posted 9/2/15

Mayor Allan Fung’s handling of the Cranston Police Department is so disgraceful that August 24 I voted for a City Council resolution expressing no confidence in him.

In November 2013, police …

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Why I voted ‘no confidence’ in mayor

Posted

Mayor Allan Fung’s handling of the Cranston Police Department is so disgraceful that August 24 I voted for a City Council resolution expressing no confidence in him.

In November 2013, police union president Stephen Antonucci retaliated against Councilman Paul Archetto and me after we cast critical votes to reject an expensive police contract he negotiated with Mayor Fung. Immediately following the vote, Antonucci, a political ally of Mayor Fung, coordinated mass ticketing of our wards.

Subsequently, the Rhode Island State Police took over the police department, and Antonucci was placed on administrative leave pending a termination hearing. This summer the state police produced a report that revealed a police department racked with intrigue, factionalism and political influence. The report also shows gross mismanagement by Allan Fung.

I no longer trust Allan Fung for the following reasons, all of which are detailed in the report.

1. After Allan Fung agreed he would not interfere with the operation of the police department while the Rhode Island State Police ran it, he secretly negotiated a return to work deal with Stephen Antonucci.

2. After he lost the election for governor, Allan Fung wanted to restore Stephen Antonucci to the Cranston Police Department with full rank and minor penalty.

3. On two occasions, Allan Fung said he was ready to return Stephen Antonucci to work with minor penalty and let new Police Chief Michael Winquist resign in protest.

4. After Allan Fung learned that Chief Palumbo violated the civil rights of a computer contractor by ordering a Cranston police officer to spy on him, (Palumbo was pressuring the contractor for the computer access codes of other officers) and after Allan Fung learned Palumbo ordered falsification of overtime records to cover it up, and after the computer contractor called Allan Fung to say Chief Palumbo threatened him, Allan Fung asked Chief Palumbo to investigate himself, never asked for the results and never disciplined Palumbo.

5. To open a captain’s position for then Lieutenant Antonucci, Allan Fung rushed the forced retirement of Captain Thomas Dodd with an expensive disability pension.

6. After being told by the state police of the unfair demotion of Sergeant Matthew Josefson, engineered by Palumbo and union president Antonucci, Allan Fung, in the middle of his race for governor, did nothing for a year to correct the injustice.

7. Allan Fung put Captain Todd Patalano on paid administrative leave, with the cooperation of Chief Palumbo and Union President Antonucci, for 22 months over bogus charges. The case cost the city $370,000 and is the subject of a $5 million lawsuit, but could have been settled for $98,000.

8. Allan Fung erected a major barrier to a settlement with Patalano by insisting that he receive all Patalano’s tape recordings of conversations with Palumbo and others to avoid embarrassment during his race for governor.

9. After he learned of Chief Palumbo’s effort to subvert and manipulate the civil service promotion process in the case of Lieutenant Karen Gilbeault, Allan Fung did nothing.

10. After learning of many misdeeds by Chief Palumbo, his hand picked police chief, Allan Fung failed to discipline Chief Palumbo, and instead put him on paid administrative leave long enough to retire with another year on his pension and a generous severance package.

(Steven Stycos represents Ward 1 on the Cranston City Council)

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