Valletta to retire, nod for chief withdrawn

35-year veteran cites wish to keep union role; MacIntosh to be nominated as next fire chief

By DANIEL KITTREDGE
Posted 7/24/19

By DANIEL KITTREDGE Paul Valletta had been poised for confirmation as the next permanent chief of the Cranston Fire Department at Monday's meeting of the City Council. Instead, Valletta - a 35-year veteran of the department - will retire on Friday, and

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Valletta to retire, nod for chief withdrawn

35-year veteran cites wish to keep union role; MacIntosh to be nominated as next fire chief

Posted

Paul Valletta had been poised for confirmation as the next permanent chief of the Cranston Fire Department at Monday’s meeting of the City Council.

Instead, Valletta – a 35-year veteran of the department – will retire on Friday, and Mayor Allan Fung has announced his nomination of Fire Marshal Stephen MacIntosh to fill the position vacated by William McKenna’s retirement earlier this month.

Valletta’s sudden – and unexpected – departure was announced in a statement from Fung’s office on Sunday.

“This weekend, I was notified by Acting Fire Chief Paul Valletta that he will be retiring from the Cranston Fire Department as of Friday July 26, 2019, to focus on his union leadership position with the IAFF at the State House,” the statement reads. “As such, his nomination as permanent fire chief will also be withdrawn.”

It continues: “The city of Cranston is grateful for his decades of skilled fire service and wishes him all the best in his future endeavors.”

Valletta’s nomination remained on the docket for Monday’s council meeting because the announcement came too late for it to be removed. There was no action on the nomination, and no members of the public or the council made comment on the matter.

As part of the nomination to become the department’s chief, Valletta had agreed to leave Cranston’s IAFF Local 1363 – of which he has served as president – as well as his role as a lobbyist with the Rhode Island Association of Firefights.

On Tuesday, Director of Administration Daniel Parrillo reiterated the mayor’s statement that Valletta cited his desire to continue in his union role as the impetus for his retirement.

“Obviously, he felt that he wanted to continue in that role,” he said.

Local 1363’s Executive Board, through union president Scott Robinson, posted the following statement Sunday on Facebook:

“Paul contacted me today to let me know he has dedicated 35 years to International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1363 and is uncomfortable withdrawing from the union he loves so much. Therefore after careful consideration he has decided to retire as of Friday to spend time with his family and focus on the Rhode Island State Association of Firefighters legislative agent position. While the executive board will miss the dedication he brought to the local as the fire chief, we are happy for him and his family and are excited to see how he helps RI firefighters in the coming years at the [State House].”

While he did not have precise figures, Parrillo said Valletta will receive compensation for various time he has accrued during his tenure upon his retirement.

“He’s been here for 35 years, so I’m sure he’s got accumulated time … Whatever the contractual obligations are, that’s what he’ll get,” he said.

Parrillo also confirmed Tuesday that MacIntosh will be nominated as the next chief. MacIntosh has been offered the position, he said, and a personal services contract is being finalized. Like Valletta, MacIntosh will agree to leave the union as part of his nomination.

Along with Valletta and Bernard Patinaude – who was appointed as East Greenwich’s fire chief in March – MacIntosh was part of the field of three candidates to succeed McKenna as chief.

The candidates took part in a three-step process, while included a written examination, an interview with a panel of three outside fire chiefs and an interview with Fung, Parrillo and Deputy Director of Administration Josh Psilopoulos. Parrillo has said Valletta finished first in all three parts of the process.

MacIntosh is slated to become acting chief upon Valletta’s retirement. He would go before the City Council for confirmation as permanent chief in August.

During a hearing on his nomination before the council’s Finance Committee on July 1, Valletta drew praise from fellow firefighters and nearly all members of the council. McKenna offered a glowing endorsement of Valletta as his successor, calling him a “firefighter’s firefighter.”

The nomination was not without controversy, however.

During the July 1 hearing, citywide Councilman Steve Stycos said he would oppose the nomination because of Valletta’s September 2017 arrest in connection with an altercation at a city firehouse.

In that incident, Valletta was accused of punching Lt. Scott Bergantino and was charged by Rhode Island State Police with simple assault and disorderly conduct. He was suspended before returning to duty in October 2017.

Valletta was acquitted of the simple assault charge and found guilty of disorderly conduct, but that ruling was later vacated as part of an appeal. Bergantino remains off duty and has filed a federal lawsuit against Valletta and the city.

Then, after the July 1 hearing, Jim Vincent, president of the Providence chapter of the NAACP, alleged that Valletta could be heard using a racial slur on an audio recording of the September 2017 firehouse altercation. He called on Fung to reconsider Valletta’s nomination.

Fung said he had repeatedly listened to the audio recording and did not hear the slur. Cranston Herald staff members also repeatedly listened to the recording – which WJAR NBC 10 released in its unedited form on YouTube – and did not hear the slur.

Last week, the Cranston Action Network announced its opposition to Valletta’s nomination and urged its members of attend Monday’s council meeting. In a statement, the group cited both the September 2017 incident and Vincent’s allegation, saying its leadership – like Vincent – heard the slur on the audio recording.

“CAN has serious concerns regarding the nomination of Paul Valletta for fire chief of the city of Cranston. We believe he does not have the right temperament to become fire chief … CAN strongly believes that in order to achieve significant and lasting well-being for racial and ethnic minorities in the city, the city must move beyond ‘business as usual’ hiring practices exemplified by Paul Valletta’s nomination,” the statement reads.

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