The Cranston Fire Department finally has a new permanent chief in place – although as has been the case in the weeks since William McKenna’s retirement in July, the confirmation of Stephen MacIntosh by the City Council on Monday was not without debate and controversy.

“I’m humbled, truly,” MacIntosh said after the council’s 7-1 vote in favor of his nomination to lead the department and before Mayor Allan Fung swore him in just across the hall from Council Chambers.

MacIntosh is a 35-year veteran of the fire service, starting with the Seekonk Fire Department before arriving in Cranston in 1984. He has served in various capacities during his tenure, including as deputy chief and fire marshal since 2011. He became assistant chief following McKenna’s retirement.

McKenna, who departed after nearly 40 years of service on the Fire Department and roughly eight years as chief, called MacIntosh “a loyal friend, a supporter of the city of Cranston, and a backbone of the Cranston Fire Department.”

“He’s here because of his expertise, he’s here because of his dedication to the fire service and the Fire Department …He has the backing of our firefighters. He has my support,” he said.

The path to MacIntosh’s appointment has been unorthodox.

MacIntosh had been one of three candidates considered through the Fire Department’s promotional rules – a field that included Bernard Patinaude, who was appointed as East Greenwich’s fire chief in March, and Paul Valletta.

Following McKenna’s retirement, Fung nominated Valletta – president of Cranston’s IAFF Local 1363 and a lobbyist with the Rhode Island Association of Firefights – as the next chief. The mayor’s administration said Valletta – who became acting chief and received the backing of the council’s Finance Committee – had scored highest on all three components of a competitive selection process among the three hopefuls.

Valletta’s nomination drew some criticism, however, because of his strong union ties and his involvement in a 2017 altercation at a city firehouse. As part of his nomination, Valletta has agreed to leave the union and end his lobbying work at the State House.

Additionally, Jim Vincent, president of the Providence chapter of the NAACP, alleged that he heard Valletta use a racial slur on an audio recording of the 2017 altercation. Fung said he had repeatedly listened to the audio recording and did not hear the slur. Herald staff members also listened to the recording – which WJAR NBC 10 released in its unedited form on YouTube – multiple times and did not hear the slur.

Then, just days before the scheduled full council vote to confirm his appointment through the advice and consent process in late July, Valletta announced he instead planned to retire.

Fung subsequently nominated MacIntosh as the next chief. MacIntosh assumed the role of acting chief following Valletta’s departure in late July, and a special meeting of the council’s Finance Committee was scheduled for Aug. 26 to consider the appointment and other business. That meeting was held just two hours before the regular full meeting of the council.

Then, in the days leading up to the meeting, Vincent and members of the Cranston Action Network, or CAN, expressed opposition MacIntosh’s nomination.

They alleged that during a July meeting of the city’s newly created Diversity Commission – of which the fire chief has been a member, and on which Vincent serves – MacIntosh had made comments that the city should not “dumb down” its Fire Department in order to increase diversity among its ranks, and that Providence had seen a decline in the quality of its fire and police departments since taking steps aimed at diversification.

“That was said. That’s not something I imagined … I was offended by it,” Vincent told council members during Monday’s finance hearing. “I thought it was a reckless statement. I mean, my head literally snapped back.”

Vincent spoke of his involvement in ongoing efforts to increase diversity on the Fire Department, and said other communities have been successful similar efforts. Currently, the Cranston department’s ranks include three women and no firefighters of color.

“I have grave concerns moving forward,” he said.

CAN members Debbie Flitman and Dana Holmgren also spoke in opposition to MacIntosh’s nomination.

“I don’t support him for this very, very special position within our city … I would like to see that the new fire chief, whoever it is, supports the need for more diversity,” Flitman said.

“This is a difficult situation … There are people in the room who heard one thing said, and you have Deputy MacIntosh saying he did not say that,” Holmgren said.

Holmgren also referenced remarks made by Fung following an incident over the summer at the Budlong Pool – saying he had made “public statements calling youth from Providence punks, using divisive rhetoric” – and said MacIntosh’s alleged remarks represented a similar mindset.

“This is absolutely unacceptable in a city that claims it is committed to diversity … [and] reflects a culture that prioritizes business as usual,” she said.

When asked by Ward 1 Councilwoman Lammis Vargas about the alleged remarks and the unapproved minutes from the Diversity Commission’s meeting, MacIntosh responded unequivocally.

“That’s easy. I didn’t say those words. That was never said,” he said.

MacIntosh said when he received the minutes of the meeting for review, he “drafted and immediately sent an email to the committee contesting those words and asking for a correction or a retraction for the next meeting.”

Shortly later, Citywide Councilman Ken Hopkins asked MacIntosh: “I think what we're all doing is kind of dancing around the bush here … Are you a racist?”

“No,” MacIntosh replied.

Hopkins then added: “I don’t think there’s a prejudicial bone in your body that would determine whether someone gets onto the fire department or not … I think you’d be a great chief.”

The accusation led to an unusual scene, as during the full council meeting, city Personnel Director Susan Ayrassian – who chairs the Diversity Commission – read a passage from the unapproved minutes of the meeting as well as a summarized transcript she made of audio from the meeting.

She then, at the request of Ward 3 Councilman John Donegan, played the audio recording of the July proceedings on her cell phone. In an effort to make the recording audible to a full Council Chambers, she held her phone up to the microphone at the podium used for public comment.

The recording appeared to support MacIntosh’s recounting of his remarks during the meeting and Ayrassian’s following conclusion: “At no point did [MacIntosh] state that Providence had suffered, or that the quality of the workforce in Providence or Central Falls was in any way inferior as a result of some of the changes that those departments had made.”

The recording also largely satisfied concerned council members, including Donegan, who had voted against MacIntosh’s nomination during the Finance Committee hearing but gave his backing during the full council’s vote.

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed with some of your answers [regarding diversification efforts] … I would have like to have heard more concrete plans and ideas going forward,” Donegan told MacIntosh. “I understand that issue doesn’t start and end with you … It’s something we all have to work on.”

Vargas, who also sits on the Diversity Commission and was present at the July meeting, said the city has “a lot of work to do” to make its workforce – including the Fire Department – more reflective of the population it serves and to strengthen relationships with underserved segments of the community.

“I will be voting in favor of Mr. MacIntosh’s confirmation, appointment as chief. But I look forward … to making sure that we recruit more people of color that look like the demographics that are rapidly growing in our city,” she said.

Citywide Councilman Steve Stycos was the sole vote against MacIntosh’s appointment. He said during his nine years on the council, “nothing has improved” in terms of diversifying the Fire Department despite ongoing discussions of the issue. He said the city’s workforce “should reflect our population,” and that the sentiment expressed by MacIntosh at the Diversity Commission meeting “at the very minimum … represents a lack of sensitivity to the issue.”

“We have to get at why people aren’t applying. That’s a serious issue … When I asked Mr. MacIntosh tonight what his plans were, he didn’t have any plans. He didn’t have any suggestions,” Stycos said.

Other council members responded in defense of MacIntosh.

“I think it’s extremely disrespectful to refer to this man as ‘mister’ when he’s worked over 35 years and deserves to be called ‘deputy chief,’” Ward 2 Councilman Paul McAuley said, drawing applause from some in the room.

“What I’m concerned about is how dangerously close we came to really bashing this man’s reputation over a misstatement or a misquote of something that he said … What we were told was said is totally different than what we heard on the recording, and it scares me,” Ward 6 Councilman Michael Favicchio said.

He added: “It’s not [MacIntosh’s] job alone to solve this problem.”

Council President Michael Farina told MacIntosh: “I apologize to you and your family for what you had to go through during the Finance Committee meeting.”

“This is a systemic problem in our country and our society … Working together is the only way,” he added.

During the council president communications portion of the meeting, he added: “I’m glad we were able to appoint a chief to the fire department after everything that’s happened over the last few months … I think Chief MacIntosh will do an excellent job.”

At the Finance Committee level, the vote in favor of MacIntosh’s appointment was 5-1, with Ward 5 Councilman Chris Paplauskas joining McAuley, Hopkins, Favicchio and Farina in support and Donegan voting no. Ward 4 Councilman Ed Brady was absent from Monday’s meetings.

Before the full council, Donegan, McAuley, Paplauskas, Hopkins, Favicchio, Farina and Vargas voted in favor of the appointment, with Stycos the sole no vote. In other business:

The council’s Safety Services & Licensing Committee also met Monday, approving licenses for the planned Asia Grille location in Garden City Center and the Uptown Burger Bar set to occupy the former Johnny Rockets space in Chapel View. A representative from Asia Grille said the restaurant, to be located in the former Corner Bakery location, is scheduled to open before the year’s end.

The Safety Services & Licensing Committee also rejected a request from the Laundromax location at 1294 Park Ave. to operate on a 24-hour basis. A hearing on the proposed Views Lounge nightclub at 1280 Cranston St. was delayed due to the applicant not being present.

The full council approved a resolution, brought forward by Vargas and sponsored by the entire body, in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. A formal observance at City Hall is being planned for early October. “I’m extremely happy that we’re bringing that here to Cranston,” Vargas said.

The council also voted 8-0 to support a new three-year contract agreement with the Cranston Teachers Alliance. The School Committee approved the pact – which provides for 2 percent raises in each year – in July.

Consideration of a proposed cell tower lease on city-owned land off Phenix Avenue was continued until the council’s next meeting. Farina said the applicant for the lease has agreed to appear before the council to discuss the project and answer questions.