Kenney: Respect to the Position, But Not to Pare
Tom Kenney, GoLocalProv Guest MINDSETTER™
Kenney: Respect to the Position, But Not to Pare
There were a total of six members promoted today, two to Battalion Chief, one to Fire Captain, one to Rescue Captain, one to Fire Lieutenant and one to Rescue Lieutenant. Because of the number of members being promoted there was a near full house at the auditorium of the Providence Public Safety Complex – members’ friends and family as well as many off duty members of the PFD.
Many were there to support Chief Fontaine who was denied a well-earned promotion last year by Providence Commissioner of Public Safety Steven Pare. Fontaine challenged Pare’s decision in court and eventually reached an agreement with the City which allowed him to be promoted to the rank of Chief but not receive the pension that comes with retiring at that rank. This coincides with what Fontaine has stated all along, that it was never about money but only about being promoted to the rank that he earned during his PFD career.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe reason I am so proud of my fellow PFD members today is that they were all gathered for a positive reason, celebrating their friends’ promotions. They didn’t make a scene about Commissioner Pare being the one who ultimately swore in Chief Fontaine. He (Fontaine), his wife, me and pretty much all members of the PFD believe that Pare’s decision to not promote Fontaine last year was a personal and political statement that is consistent with his type of negative leadership.
As I’ve stated many times in the past, he regularly takes advantage of members, especially senior members, of the department by denying requests and forcing many into early and unwanted retirement by threatening to strip them of their pensions. He knows that if the member chooses to fight his decision that member will be forced off the job with no wages or pension until the case is settled in the courts – probably years later. These members can’t survive that long with no income, so they allow Pare to force them into retirement. There is really no Headquarters Staff to oppose Pare’s decision. There are no administrative management officials in the PFD except for him. It’s his way or the highway.
As I spoke to members in the auditorium today it was very obvious that all (ALL) senior members of the PFD hate this man. They hate him because he has single-handedly destroyed one of the proudest fire departments in the country – a fire department these members love. Members who were here before he became Commissioner didn’t begin hating him, it was a gradual process. First, they accepted his role and didn’t give it much thought. The next step was doubting him as he began to make decisions against the recommendations of the Command Staff of the PFD even though they represented scores of years of fire experience and he couldn’t tell the difference between an engine company and a ladder company.
They lost all faith in him when he forced the Chief of Department, and the rest of the Command Staff, off the job and named himself as the Acting COD. They finally lost any remaining respect for him, mostly just respect for the position at that point, when he forced the department into a 3 platoon system that was destined to be a train wreck from the beginning. The members all knew it would be but he pushed ahead and only relented when it proved to be a catastrophic decision financially for the City. All this, combined with the outright disrespect he’s shown during his tenure as Commissioner to our individual members has lead the average (again, pretty much all) member(s) to hate this man.
I was told directly today by almost everyone I shook hands with that they wish Pare had bowed out of this particular ceremony. They also were well aware that there was absolutely no chance that he would have done so. Yet, to the credit of the members of the PFD, no one was publicly disrespectful to him. Members in uniform saluted him. Those promoted shook his hand when he offered it. No one made any disparaging remarks. To me, this speaks volumes about the character of our members. I salute them.
The Commissioner has pretty much destroyed the morale of the PFD but he can never kill their Esprit de Corps!
Tom Kenney is a retired captain of the Providence Fire Department.
GoLocal: Benchmark Poll, October 2017
Sponsor: GoLocalProv
Sample: N=403
Rhode Island General Election Voters Margin of Error: +/- 4.9% at 95% Confidence Level
Interviewing Period: October 9-11, 2017
Mode: Landline (61%) and Mobile (39%)
Telephone Directed by: John Della Volpe, SocialSphere, Inc.
Are you registered to vote at this address?
Yes: 100%
When it comes to voting, do you consider yourself to be affiliated with the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, Moderate, or Unaffiliated with a major party?
Unaffiliated: 49%
Democrat: 32%
Republican: 15%
Moderate: .4%
Next year, in November of 2018, there will be a statewide general election for Governor and many other state offices. How likely is it that you will vote in this election?
Will you definitely be voting, will you probably be voting, are you 50-50...
Definitely be voting: 78%
Probably be voting: 13%
50-50: 9%
In general, would you say things in Rhode Island are headed in the right direction or are they off on the wrong track?
Right track: 39%
Wrong track: 45%
Mixed: 10%
Don't know/Refused: .6%
What would you say is the number one problem facing Rhode Island that you would like the Governor to address?
Jobs and economy: 21%
Education: 12%
Taxes: 12%
Roads: 12%
State budget: 9%
Corruption/Public integrity: .8%
Healthcare: 3%
Governor: 3%
Homelessness: 2%
Immigration: 2%
Other: 7%
Don’t know: .9%
Over the past three years or so, would you say the economy in Rhode Island has improved, gotten worse, or not changed at all?
Changed for the better: 35%
Changed for the worse: 16%
Not changed at all: 43%
Don't know/Refused: 5%
Over the same time, has your family's financial situation improved, gotten worse, or not changed at all?
Changed for the better: 26%
Changed for the worse: 19%
Not changed at all: 54%
Don't know/Refused: 1%
Recently, a proposal has been made to permit the issuance of $81 million in bonds by the State to build a new stadium for the Pawtucket Red Sox. If there was an election today on this issue, would you vote to approve or reject issuing $81 million in financing supported moral obligation bonds to build the stadium?
Net: Approve: 28%
Definitely approve: 15%
Probably approve: 14%
Net: Reject: 67%
Probably reject: 19%
Definitely reject: 48%
Don't know: 4%
Could you please tell me your age?
18-24: 7%
25-34: 15%
35-44: 15%
45-54: 20%
55-64: 17%
65+: 25%
Don't know/refused: 1%
What was the last grade you completed in school?
0-11: 2%
High school grad: 16%
Technical/Vocational school: 1%
Some college: 23%
College grad: 34%
Graduate degree: 24%
Don't know/refused: 1%
The next question is about the total income of YOUR HOUSEHOLD for the PAST 12 MONTHS. Please include your income PLUS the income of all members living in your household (including cohabiting partners and armed forces members living at home).
$50,000 or less: 27%
More $50,000 but less than $75,000: 13%
More $75,000 but less than $100,000: 13%
More $100,000 but less than $150,000: 17%
$150,000 or more: 13%
Don't know/refused: 17%
What particular ethnic group or nationality - such as English, French, Italian, Irish, Latino, Jewish, African American, and so forth - do you consider yourself a part of or feel closest to?
American/None: 21%
English: 13%
Italian: 13%
Irish: 12%
Black or African American: 6%
Latino/Hispanic: 6%
French: 6%
Portuguese: 3%
Jewish: 3%
German: 1%
Would you say that Donald Trump has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as President?
Excellent: 13%
Good: 12%
Fair: 14%
Poor: 57%
Never heard of: 0%
Cannot rate: 3%
Would you say that Jack Reed has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as a United States Senator?
Excellent: 22%
Good: 29%
Fair: 23%
Poor: 15%
Never heard of: 6%
Cannot rate: 6%
Would you say that Sheldon Whitehouse has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as a United States Senator?
Excellent: 17%
Good: 22%
Fair: 21%
Poor: 28%
Never heard of: 6%
Cannot rate: 7%
Would you say that David Cicilline has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as a Member of Congress?
Excellent: 9%
Good: 29%
Fair: 21%
Poor: 27%
Never heard of: 6%
Cannot rate: 8%
Would you say that James Langevin has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as a Member of Congress?
Excellent: 7%
Good: 30%
Fair: 20%
Poor: 18%
Never heard of: 13%
Cannot rate: 11%
Would you say that Gina Raimondo has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as Governor?
Excellent: 6%
Good: 28%
Fair: 30%
Poor: 31%
Never heard of: 1%
Cannot rate: 3%
Would you say that Daniel McKee has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as Lieutenant Governor?
Excellent: 3%
Good: 16%
Fair: 21%
Poor: 8%
Never heard of: 26%
Cannot rate: 25%
Would you say that Peter Kilmartin has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as Attorney General?
Excellent: 3%
Good: 20%
Fair: 28%
Poor: 17%
Never heard of: 13%
Cannot rate: 19%
Would you say that Seth Magaziner has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as General Treasurer?
Excellent: 4%
Good: 18%
Fair: 24%
Poor: 13%
Never heard of: 21%
Cannot rate: 21%
Would you say that Nellie Gorbea has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as Secretary of State?
Excellent: 5%
Good: 21%
Fair: 21%
Poor: 10%
Never heard of: 20%
Cannot rate: 23%
Would you say that Jorge Elorza has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as Mayor of Providence?
Excellent: 4%
Good: 24%
Fair: 24%
Poor: 22%
Never heard of: 9%
Cannot rate: 15%
