At a debate Monday night at Cranston West High School, incumbent Mayor Ken Hopkins and Democratic challenger Robert Ferri portrayed two very different visions for the city.
Moderated by The Public’s Radio morning host Luis Hernandez, a panel of three journalists – Rory Schuler of the Cranston Herald, The Public’s Radio political reporter Ian Donnis, and Rhode Island PBS reporter Isabella Jibilian – asked the opponents about topics ranging from immigration to the city’s flooding problem.
Ferri, a Cranston city councilor, put Hopkins on the defensive at times – pointing to what he characterized as financial mismanagement, accusations of corruption, and a lack of investment in housing and public works.
When asked about the state of the city’s finances, Hopkins said “Cranston is in great financial shape,” pointing to the city’s high credit rating and what he described as “excellent services with great schools.”
But Ferri said the city’s budget is “not as rosy” as Hopkins described.
“Mayor Hopkins mentioned that last year he didn’t use any COVID money, but the previous two years, we used over $30 million of COVID money, and we have not shown a substantial means of replacing that revenue,” Ferri said. “We have created a future structural deficit that will affect the residents of the city for a long time.”
Ferri also asserted that the city needed to invest more heavily in public works. He said one of his first actions as mayor would be to hire a public works director, “because we’ve been without one in this city for over three years.”
Hopkins praised the interim public works manager and blamed the city council for not budgeting enough money to keep people in the job.
“That job [public works manager] has been posted for two years to try to get somebody,” Hopkins said. “We had a gentleman who went back after eight months to private industry. Try getting those positions [filled] based on the amount of money that the city council gives us.”
The pair also differed on approaches to affordable housing, transportation, reconstruction of the Budlong swimming pool, and the city’s rat problem.
Another hot-button issue of the night was the ongoing lawsuit against Hopkins that alleges he stole an MG sports car, a claim Hopkins has described as baseless.
“There are some very serious allegations in reference to this sports car against the mayor. And I feel it is my responsibility as a council person to make sure that the truth be told about this sports car, because elected officials need to be ethical,” said Ferri, who has called for an investigation into the matter. “One of three things happened with that sports car, Ken. You either stole the car or you did a quid pro quo and promised a guy a favor, or you abused your power. Which one is it? Because the people deserve to know which one it was.”
Hopkins maintained that the investigation was a “political hit job” by his primary opponent, and declined to provide further details, saying more information would come out through the lawsuit.
Towards the end of a rapid-fire segment that included questions about their favorite local food joints and a prompt to say nice things about one another, the opponents did agree on one thing – both said their favorite holiday is Independence Day.
The general election takes place Nov. 5, and early voting begins Oct. 16. Go here for a guide to voting in Rhode Island.
Election 2024 coverage by The Public’s Radio is sponsored in part by Ascent Audiology & Hearing, Providence Picture Frame and Rustigian Rugs. Find more of our elections coverage at thepublicsradio.org/2024elections.
