CRANSTON, R.I. -- Mayor Allan W. Fung said he was following the advice of city lawyers this week when he vetoed two ordinances that would have created local rules for lenders to follow when foreclosing on residential properties.

The Republican mayor said that while he appreciated and respected the effort to help people who are faced with foreclosure, he could not support measures that "interfere with and alter existing mortgage agreements" and "contradict state law," potentially creating "problems with the titles of properties in our city."

Legally sound or not, Fung's vetoes prompted members of the all-Democratic City Council to say they will likely seek overrides when they meet again on Nov. 23.

His vetoes also drew protests from Democratic City Committee Chairman Michael J. Sepe, who issued a two-page statement Friday with the headline: "Fung turns back on Cranston's homeowners,"

Sepe wrote: "One has to ask, what motivated Mayor Fung to take the side of the mortgage bankers over the concerns of his own constituents? Has his extensive training and years of experience as a paid lobbyist on Smith Hill for a major national insurance company tainted his reasoning so that he is incapable of feeling empathy for those unfortunate Cranston residents who have lost their jobs and now find themselves -- through no fault of their own -- in a position of losing their homes to some out-of-state bank with an '800' telephone number."

He continued: "On behalf of all those Cranston homeowners who are affected by Mayor Fung's callous, cold-hearted veto, I implore him to get real, come to his senses and reconsider the fallacy of his reasoning."

Republican City Committee Chairman James Quinlan said Fung's vetoes show that he is looking out for taxpayers and trying to spare the city the cost of defending ordinances that won't hold up in court.

Of Sepe and the council, Quinlan said the Democrats are focused on trying to win votes when they should be concerned about budget deficits and cuts in state aid.

"You can see where the council's financial priorities are," he said.