When Allan Fung assumed the office of mayor in January 2009, he knew difficult times were ahead.

The financial crisis of the previous two years had wrought economic havoc across the globe, and its effects – felt acutely in Rhode Island – were continuing to unfold. Property values plunged, while the city faced the loss of aid from the state and the strain of existing budgetary issues.

“There were a lot of challenges financially, with the economy, that were out of our control … It was a crazy time to inherit [the mayor’s office]. I wanted the job with all the challenges,” he said.

Then, a little more than a year into Fung’s first term, came another devastating blow. The historic flooding of 2010 left portions of the city underwater and required a response unprecedented in recent memory.

“All we needed was locusts and I was, like, ready to wave the white flag,” Fung said with a laugh.

A decade later, as Fung prepares for his final months as mayor, the landscape has changed enormously.

Economic challenges remain, and many residents have not fully recovered, but the worst days of the Great Recession have long passed. The city’s financial position has improved, and new developments – while often the subject of civic debate – have emerged in various corners of the community. Steps have been taken to abate the risks to life and property from future flooding, although much more work lies ahead to prepare for the effects of rising seas and a changing climate.

Recently, ahead of the turning of the calendar to 2020 and the arrival of a new decade, Fung sat down with the Herald at his City Hall office to reflect on his 11 years as mayor and share his hopes for Cranston’s future.

“I hadn’t really thought about it … Every single day, you’re just focused on getting the job done,” the mayor said.

He added: “It kind of really puts things in perspective … It’s been a fun ride.”

Early lessons

Fung said in the early days of his administration, he frequently turned to chief executives in other communities – several of whom he went on to serve alongside for a number of years.

“I had a lot of guidance, a lot of partners that were working with me … not just internally but externally,” Fung said. “I remember that first year I was relying a lot also on the advice of other mayors, especially [former Warwick] Mayor [Scott] Avedisian.”

Fung said his close relationship with Avedisian was strengthened during the response to the 2010 flooding, given that Cranston and Warwick were among the worst affected communities. The bonds extended beyond the two mayors, he said, to include their respective staffs.

“You can collaborate. Forget all the bureaucracies that sometimes get in the way, but in that crisis … we were just focusing on the safety of our residents, getting things done,” he said.

Fung said the bonds built with Warwick haven proven fruitful in other ways. Collaborative efforts have included the provision of meals for the Pilgrim Senior Center through the food service program at the Cranston Enrichment Center.

Fung said he has also developed close relationships with Johnston Mayor Joseph Polisena and North Providence Mayor Charles Lombardi over the course of his administration. Angel Taveras, a childhood friend of Fung’s who served as Providence mayor from 2011 to 2015, became another sounding board – and someone Fung was able to provide with guidance.

The mayor additionally spoke of his appreciation for the team within Cranston’s government, from department heads to employees – particularly during those early days.

“Through it all, we withstood everything because we had a really solid team of people around me,” he said.

Seeing a ‘transformation’

Aside from the financial and flood-related challenges of his first term, Fung said he sought to focus on turning around a local business climate that had grown “stagnant.”

Now, he points to a dual “transformation” in the city – physical changes seen through economic developments such as Chapel View, and the turnaround in its financial standing – as among the high points of his tenure.

“I’m glad that 11 years later, the policies that we put in back then, the reforms, the changes that we made, have worked,” he said. “It’s kind of nice to see the byproduct over time … to see the transformation of the city.”

Reciting a long list of new businesses or expansions, Fung said the city has drawn more than $100 million in development under his administration. He specifically cited Yushin America, Tasca, Taco, Restaurant Depot, Scott Brass, BlumShapiro, Dave’s Marketplace, Johnson Controls, CarMax and other businesses as having invested in Cranston.

He pointed to the impending arrival of Topgolf on Sockanosset Cross Road and a new Chase Bank branch at the corner of Phenix and Atwood avenues as among the last major projects he expects to see completed before he departs the office in January 2021.

The mayor said in addition to the larger businesses and developments, there have “been a lot of cool, small, smaller, family-owned businesses” coming to the city or expanding their existing operations.

“A lot of it’s been food, which is fantastic,” he said, listing off Marchetti’s, Brewed Awakenings, Lou Umberto’s Italian Kitchen, Iannuccilli, Seven Stars Bakery as among the growing culinary scene.

While attention often focused on Garden City Center, Chapel View or the commercial stretch of Reservoir Avenue, Fung said “every part of Cranston” has seen new economic activity over the course of the decade.

“Every single piece of the city has seen redevelopment … We haven’t forgotten a single part of the city,” he said.

He added: “My focus, because I came from a small business background, my family’s restaurant … [was] don’t ever forget about the small business owners, especially the ones that are just starting.”

Fung said “validation” for the city’s progress, economically and otherwise, has come from external observers. He mentioned Cranston’s being named one of “America’s 50 Best Cities to Live” by the website 24/7 Wall St. and selected as Money Magazine’s “Best Place to Live in RI.”
“It’s cool to see … There’s a lot of great outside validation that the hard work and efforts that we put in years ago have worked,” he said.

Financial focus

Fung frames the city’s ability to attract new development and investment as having been spurred by a focus on its financial health – and he cites a number of specific accomplishments as having been important on that front.

Among the most significant steps was the 2013 passage of ordinances that made changes to police and fire retiree pensions, which the mayor says has realized millions of dollars in annual savings for taxpayers. A group of retirees mounted a legal challenge to the changes, which were upheld in Superior Court and by the Rhode Island Supreme Court. Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition from the retirees’ group to review the case.

Fung also pointed to the move of newer municipal hires to a defined-contribution, 401(k)-style retirement plan. Many younger employees, he said, appreciate the flexibility afforded by the new approach, given that it has become more common for workers to change jobs rather than remain with a single employer throughout their career.

“They want to be able to have that portability … That is part of how we’re changing,” he said.

The mayor said both department heads and municipal employees have played a vital role in making city services more efficient and effective over the last 10 years.

“Internally, there’s been a lot of people, probably too many to name,” he said. “All of them have had an overarching goal that we put the constituents first, modernize how we do things.”

He added: “One of the things we never tolerated was, ‘We’ve always done it that way’ … I’ve instilled kind of that challenge in not just each of the directors, but the employees.”

The financial focus, Fung said, has paid off in the form of increased bond ratings, the growth of the city’s so-called “rainy day” fund and an ability to minimize tax increases.

As the Charter Review Commission mulls recommended amendments to the city’s governing document, the mayor recently submitted a list of recommendations – including an expansion of mayoral veto authority – that he said are designed to ensure continued financial stability in the years ahead.

“There’s a lot that we’ve tackled on so many different fronts … I’m hoping that, financially, we continue along with this stability,” he said.

Looking ahead

As the city’s population grows and its demographics evolve, Fung said meeting the changing needs of residents must remain a top priority for civic leaders going forward.

“We have to be smart about how we grow, attract the right type of businesses, keep a stable, efficient government going, but most importantly, service our residents, because the demands are there,” he said.

In recent years, adapting to the community’s demands has taken many forms. The mayor cited the installation of new artificial turf at Cranston High School West, upgrades to playgrounds, the Cranston Public Library’s move to a “fine free” model for children’s and teen materials, the “phenomenal” community policing initiatives undertaken by the Cranston Police Department and the work of groups like the Cranston Substance Abuse Task Force as among the projects and initiatives that have made Cranston a better place to live.

The emergence of social media has been one of the defining trends during Fung’s tenure, and he said keeping pace in terms of technology will be vital for the city going forward.

He spoke of his own efforts to engage with constituents over platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, particularly to provide updates during snowstorms or other similar situations.

“Social media’s played a big part in it … A lot of times, I engage people on social media. It’s good and it’s bad. Because I’m out there, I want to keep people up to date on what’s going on,” he said.

Fung also pointed to the recent launch of a new city website and efforts over the years to make services such as online tax payments available to residents.

Witnessing the spread of new residential development, particularly in western Cranston, has also shaped Fung’s perspective. He said during the course of his time in office, he has become more attuned to “emerging trends” and the long-term consequences of adding new homes.

“Are they going to require more police officers, more fire, more rescues, more schools? So it’s trained me in a different way of thought,” he said.

Ultimately, Fung said, his hopes for the city’s future are inexorably tied to his own story.

“We’re seeing a lot more people realizing their American dream, just like my parents did,” he said. “They started with nothing in their pockets, came to America, started a business in Cranston but lived in Providence until they could afford to come and live in Cranston. We’re still seeing that migration, where people are choosing Cranston as the next step … I want Cranston to continue to still be that place of opportunity.”