The Cranston GOP primary is among the state’s hottest electoral races this year. Pictured is Cranston City Hall. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
They say familiarity breeds contempt. To wit: Cranston Mayor Ken Hopkins and Rep. Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung — once political allies and friends, but now rivals in a fiery race that is arguably Rhode Island’s hottest primary day contest this year.
The two have spared little ammo in their verbal barrages on each other ahead of the city’s GOP primary on Tuesday, Sept. 10. Things have obviously changed since 2020, when Hopkins’ mayoral campaign had the endorsement of Allan Fung — the office’s predecessor and Fenton-Fung’s husband.
Cranston GOP mayoral candidates spat over tuition costs for immigrants
Most recently, a lawsuit that alleged Hopkins essentially drove away with a 1975 Morris Garage MGB Anniversary Edition and has yet to pay for or return the sports car to its owner. The lawsuit was first reported by the Boston Globe and Hummel Report. Hopkins has mantained he had a verbal agreement involving the ownership of the car and told the Globe the car story was a “prop” orchestrated for Fenton-Fung’s campaign, adding that the lawsuit is “meritless.” The story has even received national coverage on Jalopnik, a popular car news site.
Fenton-Fung has called for the Rhode Island State Police and the state’s Attorney General to investigate.
Whoever drives across the finish line Tuesday, the victor in the GOP primary will go on to face Democratic challenger and current City Councilor Robert Ferri (who was also a Republican as recently as 2020).
I frequently say ‘One heart, One Cranston.’
– Cranston Mayor Ken Hopkins
Fenton-Fung has chosen not to seek reelection to her District 15 seat representing western Cranston in the Rhode Island General Assembly in hopes of unseating Hopkins.
Hopkins has trained his rhetorical crosshairs on Fenton-Fung’s voting record at the State House, where she has clung to the national party line about half the time. According to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which rates legislators on how closely their votes adhere to conservative priorities, Fenton-Fung scored about 47 out of 100 over the past three years. Her conservative cred dropped 23% from 2022 to 2023, in CPAC’s evaluation.
“Her record at the General Assembly is not one that Cranston should be happy with,” Robert Murray, a spokesperson for Hopkins’ campaign, said in a recent interview, citing a mailer that alerted voters to Fenton-Fung’s support of two bills that made it easier for undocumented students to pay in-state tuition or attend Community College of Rhode Island. (Neither bill explicitly gave undocumented students free rides, however.)
Hopkins also received the endorsement of Cranston’s Republican Party, which reaffirmed its “unwavering support” for Hopkins in a press release Sept. 5.
Fenton-Fung, meanwhile, has consistently painted the Hopkins administration as an exercise in failed policies and deceit.
Our current administration and City Council are in chaos because they don’t trust each other — for reasons that have come to a boiling point after three and a half years with this mayor.
– Rep. Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung
“I also think it’s insulting to people in Cranston that he thinks they’re stupid enough to buy his lies,” Fenton-Fung told Rhode Island Current after an Aug. 26 debate at Cranston Public Library. “People in Cranston are very invested in their city. They work really hard.”
Hopkins’ war chest has the edge over Fenton-Fung’s.Total cash on hand for Hopkins’ campaign was $166,733 as of Monday, Sept. 2. Fenton-Fung’s campaign had $107,382.
A lighter wallet has not proven a problem for Fenton-Fung in the past, however. In 2020, she ousted former House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, spending only $70,000, compared to the Democratic incumbent’s $340,000 in expenditures.
Fenton-Fung plans to vote at around 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Her watch party for the election results that night will be at Asia Grille in Garden City.
Hopkins’ appearances for primary day weren’t set as of Friday, but he and his supporters will gather Tuesday night at St. Mary’s Feast Society’s hall to watch the results.
Candidates share their political passions, views on Budlong Pool and favorite beaches
Rhode Island Current asked the two mayoral candidates to respond to a series of questions. Here are their responses:
Mayor Ken Hopkins is seen at a debate on Aug. 26, 2024 at Cranston Public Library. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
INCUMBENT
Ken Hopkins
Party: Republican
Age: 70
Job: Mayor of Cranston; retired teacher and administrator at Cranston Public Schools
Political bio: Elected to Cranston City Council at-large in 2016 and 2018; Mayor since Jan. 2021
Favorite beach in Rhode Island: Scarborough South for family atmosphere.
Official Facebook
Previous coverage
How long have you lived in Rhode Island, and where else in the state have you lived?
I have lived in Garden City for 41 years and raised my family and all my children attended Cranston schools. When I was born my parents lived in Johnston and I graduated from Johnston High School.
What about your life experience would inform your outlook and help you serve the people of Cranston?
Before elective office, I spent my entire adult life as a teacher, school administrator and college coach. Honorable public service has been at the heart of everything I and members of my family have contributed to our community. I have seen the positive impact you can have on a student in a classroom by being supportive and a good listener. I have seen residents appreciative when their local government fulfills a need or concern. Treating everyone with respect, being open to new ideas and trying to make a positive and lasting difference in this community will continue to be my mission as mayor of Cranston.
What are some of the more urgent housing issues in Cranston and what are some possible solutions?
Housing is a concern at every level of government. The challenges we see in the marketplace are impacted by things like interest rates, cost of construction and low inventory. At the state level, housing leaders are trying to encourage new housing opportunities, but money is not always the answer. As the state has done, we need to look at a broad range of solutions from building regulations, zoning laws and permitting requirements. But in the end private investment and potential development has to respect neighborhood and community parameters. I have supported mixed use developments, and new multifamily housing at projects like the Cranston Print Works.
The Budlong Pool was once the largest municipal pool in Rhode Island. But after the pandemic kicked off a series of summer closures, the pool was closed. The city announced in March 2023 that the pool would be reconstructed (albeit at a smaller scale).
How will the rebuilt Budlong Pool serve Cranston’s residents? What could have been done differently?
A brand new pool complex that will be handicap accessible and a renovated bath house will serve Cranstonians for decades to come. The old pool built in the Depression with WPA [Works Progress Administration] funds had outlived its usefulness. I refused to keep putting Band-Aids on an outdated and broken pool. We have started construction on the new pool and are building the biggest one we can with the available $4.7 million.
Electoral races in Cranston can be tight contests between Republicans and Democrats — like the 2022 election, where Republicans won several categories of popular vote but failed to capture the entire state.
How do you plan to persuade voters from across the city’s diverse political spectrum?
As Mayor I have tried to do the best job for all of Cranston. I frequently say “One heart, One Cranston.” When you are delivering constituent services, you do not look at residents’ political affiliation. I want to keep Cranston going in the right direction for all residents. I ask for their vote to continue our work to keep Cranston an award-winning community.
Are there any other major issues, problems or solutions that you feel passionate about addressing if you become mayor?
I want to be re-elected mayor to finish the job that I have started in my first term as mayor. We will continue to enhance the city’s financial posture, express support for our schools in promoting 21st-century education principles in the classrooms and build and improve new schools and facilities. I want to focus on opportunities for the youth of our city in my second term.
Rep. Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung is seen speaking at an Aug. 22, 2024 press conference outside Cranston City Hall. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
CHALLENGER
Rep. Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung
Party: Republican
Age: 43
Job: Acute care physical therapist at Lifespan
Favorite beach: Sachuest Beach in Middletown is wonderful and where many of us learned to surf.
Political bio: Elected to House District 15 seat in 2020
Campaign site
Previous coverage
How long have you lived in Rhode Island, and where else in the state have you lived?
I was born in Newport Hospital and have lived in Rhode Island my whole life, save a few years I attended university in Boston, Sydney, Australia, and Edinburgh, Scotland. As a child, I grew up on Aquidneck Island, but have been in Cranston now for over a decade.
What about your life experience would inform your outlook and help you serve the people of Cranston?
After I defeated Speaker Mattiello in 2020, I dove headfirst into being a state representative, and have been lucky enough to serve on and learn so much while on a wide array of commissions and committees. We’ve accomplished so much, like lowering copays for life-saving medications, eliminating taxes (a personal favorite), increasing support for our public schools, and increasing funding for critical infrastructure like our roads and school buildings. I understand how important it is for short- and long-term planning, and how to navigate the sometimes complicated waters at the State House as one of the more bipartisan members of the chamber.
I’ve also always worked well in team environments. That camaraderie is what we need to tackle big issues, and something we desperately need to restore in the city. In Cranston, the current mayor and council are constantly at each other’s throats, one is now suing the other, and nothing gets done. Hopkins and the Republicans lost control of the council his first year because the mayor couldn’t get along with Councilman Ferri — a Republican who then flipped parties. We then lost out on $8 million for a community center because the two sides didn’t trust each other so they tossed their hands up in the air and walked away from it all. Under my administration, we’re going to be #TeamCranston, no matter your political party or who you voted for. That will yield much better results for our neighbors.
I know I get criticized sometimes on talk radio for always saying “we” instead of “I” but in reflection, that’s because when you don’t care who takes credit, you get a lot more done. In my role at our state’s major trauma hospital, it’s a constant collaboration; health care is a total team sport. That’s how I’ll approach big issues as mayor.
What are some of the more urgent housing issues in Cranston and what are some possible solutions?
Housing is certainly an issue we’ve been very aggressive about in my time in the House of Representatives, and I hear about it all the time from older adults when I go door to door. I’ve met widows who tell me that if one thing went wrong in their house, they’d be in financial ruin. Utility bills keep rising, insurance rates are going up, and if an appliance broke — like a simple refrigerator — they don’t know how they’d pay to replace it. Sometimes the homes that contain thousands of wonderful memories are becoming an endless source of stress.
But here in Cranston, there aren’t enough single level condos, or assisted and independent living communities in which older adults can thrive in during their later years. No one wants to move to another city — they want to enjoy dinner in Knightsville, walk around the Garden City Shops, and stay with the same pharmacist and banker that they’ve known for decades.We’ll work with developers to foster more accessible and supportive housing options in neighborhoods all over the city, so that our older adults can worry less, and enjoy Cranston more.
How will the rebuilt Budlong Pool serve Cranston’s residents? What could have been done differently?
Hopkins’ Budlong Pool fiasco is such a failure of leadership. We should’ve had a community conversation about enclosing it with our $42 million golden parachute federal COVID money to create a year-round structure like Warwick’s McDermott pool. It could have been a collaboration with the school department and local swim leagues, and would have added more value here in the city for your tax dollar. The Hopkins’ administration plan for a pool 1/3 the current size was soundly rejected by neighbors, but he didn’t listen to them. Community input was ignored, and the neighborhood is incredibly frustrated.
How do you plan to persuade voters from across the city’s diverse political spectrum?
At the State House, I am blessed to have a reputation of being one of the most bipartisan members of the chamber. If it’s a good idea, that protects the taxpayer and helps us solve problems, I’m willing to have a discussion no matter the sponsor’s political identity. At the municipal level, there’s no real Republican versus Democrat way to pick up trash, plow snow, or you know, fix the pool and ice rink. It’s a very pragmatic form of government, which I appreciate. Our current administration and City Council are in chaos because they don’t trust each other — for reasons that have come to a boiling point after three and a half years with this mayor. Once elected, I’ll be working on repairing those relationships, and building trust with all members of the council so that we can work together and get big things done for our residents.
Are there any other major issues, problems or solutions that you feel passionate about addressing if you become mayor?
Almost every Cranstonian has seen, or gotten caught up in the street flooding we’ve been experiencing during these intense storms. Neighbors in Pawtuxet Village know all too well about the life-altering damage that happens when the mighty Pawtuxet overflows its riverbanks. But now it’s not just at the riverbanks, it’s in Garden Hills, it’s in Pontiac, it’s on Fletcher Avenue and Mollie Drive. With more extreme weather events, we know that we need to work with our state and federal partners to create better stormwater management, and improve our resiliency around the city. We’ll bring in the experts and aggressively work on the issues to minimize the potential for damage to homeowners as the weather continues to become more intense.
Road safety is also top of the mind for families everywhere I go. In addition to making large investments in paving and sidewalk repairs, we need to look at the designs of those roadways in high pedestrian corridors. Last year, I was part of a national fellowship of legislators looking at innovative solutions — and here in Cranston, we’ll draw on those ideas, and utilize SafeStreet modifications to make it safer for drivers, safer for pedestrians, and safer for bike riders to share the roads.
We also need to be much more aggressive about controlling speeding in our neighborhoods. Beyond adding more enforcement, we can trial innovative technologies like speed modification traffic lights, currently being used in Quebec, that can slow down drivers on local speedways like Budlong Road and Broad Street. We are going to think outside of the box and bring a full court press to make this a safer city for all.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX