RI-02: Allan Fung (R)
Mayor Allan Wai-Ket Fung is known for his bold reforms that made Cranston, Rhode Island, one of the top 50 Cities to live in America.
Fung is the eldest of Kwong Wen and Tan Ping’s three children. Growing up on the diverse south side of Providence, Rhode Island, he has lived the American dream because of his parent’s sacrifices.
Allan graduated from the prestigious Classical High School, before becoming the first in his family to graduate from college. After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Rhode Island College, he graduated with honors from Suffolk University Law School in Boston.
He served as a criminal prosecutor in the Narcotics and Organized Crime Unit of the R.I. Attorney General’s Office and then went to the private sector where he became the Government Affairs counsel for MetLife.
As mayor, he led Cranston to its highest bond rating in over two decades, increased business development by over $110 million and added over 4,700 new jobs during his tenure. He negotiated pension reforms with tough public sector unions that even survived writ at the Supreme Court of the United States. During a time of great social upheaval in 2020, he stood shoulder to shoulder with law enforcement, defending his city from riots that were taking place in a border city. He also worked hard with the local public schools. Once swamped in debt, the school system now runs surpluses, all while increasing the high school graduation rate by over 20%.Fung has been recognized nationally for his work fighting anti-Asian bias, and for promoting Asian Americans in government. He has also been the two-time Republican nominee for governor of Rhode Island. After leaving the mayor’s office due to term limits in 2020, while still having an amazing 82% approval rating intact, he returned to the practice of law. Fung was named a partner at Pannone, Lopes, Devereaux, and O’Gara, the most diverse legal firm in the state.
Fung married his wife, Barbara Ann, in 2016, after meeting at the 2012 Republican National Convention. He was by her side for her first political run in 2020, where she became the first person in 114 years to defeat a sitting speaker of the House in Rhode Island.
The biographical information above was sourced from the candidate’s campaign website, see links above for more information.
