“As I said in April when this regretfully started, I had no role in his hiring or promotion,” Hopkins said in a statement. “The end of this investigation today supports that statement in its prompt review and dismissal.”
He said he has never been involved in the hiring of firefighters, leaving those duties to the city’s personnel department and Fire Department leadership.
“My opponent owes my family an apology,” Hopkins said. “More importantly, she owes our dedicated fire department members and its leadership an apology for undeservedly placing a cloud over the well-established and professional hiring and promotion procedures utilized to hire the best candidates to protect our citizens and properties.”
He noted the complaint was filed by John A. Psilopoulos, who served as deputy director of administration for Hopkins’ predecessor, former mayor Allan W. Fung, who is married to Fenton-Fung.
“Shame on him as he clearly was acting as a political tool for my primary opponent and her husband, for whom Psilopoulos worked for when he was mayor,” Hopkins said. “I chose not to retain him when I took office, so I have no doubt he engaged in this failed and reckless political strike for my opponent.”
Fenton-Fung issued a statement blasting the Ethics Commission decision.
“Rhode Island’s reputation for insider politicians acting badly and getting away with it just got served another punch in the gut with this erroneous decision that ignores that the mayor is the appointing authority,” she said. “This decision issued behind closed doors opens the floodgates for mayors and other government officials around the state to start hiring their children and family members with not a concern in the world or even getting an ethics opinion at the forefront.”
State Representative Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung, a Cranston RepublicanHandout
Fenton-Fung said that while the Ethics Commission decision won’t result in reform, Cranston voters “still have the opportunity to reject such insider deals at the polls this September.”
While Hopkins said he had no role in the hiring or promotion of Shackleford, the complaint states the Cranston City Charter gives the mayor the power to appoint and remove all Fire Department employees. The complaint claims Hopkins never sought an Ethics Commission opinion or recused himself from the appointment of Shackleford. And the complaint says Shackleford and his wife live with Hopkins.
An attorney for Hopkins maintained that decisions about the hiring of firefighters or new recruits are made by the fire chief, not the mayor. All applicants undergo tests, including an agility test, a written examination, oral examinations, and personal interviews, and prospective hires are then rank-ordered based on their scores, the attorney said.
A written decision explaining the commission’s reasoning will be issued in a couple of weeks.
The Ethics Commission also voted for an advisory opinion saying the ethics code does not prohibit Joseph Graziano, a senior public information specialist in the secretary of state’s office, from receiving unsolicited contributions from lobbyists as he runs for the House District 16 seat.
Graziano, a Democrat, is challenging Representative Brandon C. Potter, a Cranston Democrat, in a September primary. Potter has claimed he is facing a challenger as a direct result of his opposition to the iGaming bill championed by Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio. But Graziano has said Ruggerio did not recruit him, and Ruggerio has called that allegation “petty nonsense.”
Graziano has said he will not solicit political contributions from lobbyists, either directly or through surrogates, according to the advisory opinion. And he has said he will recuse himself from all discretionary matters involving lobbyists regardless of whether a lobbyist has contributed to his campaign, the opinion states.
The advisory opinion notes that the ethics code does not prohibit or limit the right of “a subordinate” to make unsolicited political contributions, which are protected by the First Amendment. The opinion advises Graziano that “no public time or resources may be utilized in furtherance of his campaign and there must be no understanding that campaign contributions would affect any officials action by (Graziano).”
Also on Tuesday, the Ethics Commission passed a resolution thanking Chairwoman Marisa A. Quinn as she steps down after a decade on the commission.
Former governor Gina M. Raimondo appointed Quinn in April 2015. She served as vice chairwoman from 2016 to 2020, and commission members elected her as chairwoman in January 2020.
Quinn “led the commission through many prominent opinions, investigations, and administrative trials involving officials at the highest level of government, always without fear or favor, and adhering to the highest standards of ethics, transparency, independence, and nonpartisanship,” the resolution states.
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Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com. Follow him @FitzProv.