(The following is not a verbatim transcript of comments or discussion that occurred during the meeting, but rather a summarization intended for general informational purposes. All motions and votes are the official records).
CRANSTON CITY COUNCIL
| Jessica M. Marino, President, City-Wide | Bridget R. Graziano, Ward 1 |
| Daniel Wall, Vice-President, Ward 6 | Kristen E. Haroian, Ward 2 |
| Richard D. Campopiano, City-Wide | Andy M. Andujar, Ward 3 |
| Christopher E. Buonanno, City-Wide | Frank J. Ritz, Jr., Ward 4 |
| | Michael A. Traficante, Ward 5 |
REGULAR MEETING – CITY COUNCIL
-JANUARY 20, 2026-
Regular meeting of the City Council was held on Tuesday, January 20, 2026 in the Council Chambers, City Hall, 869 Park Ave., Cranston, Rhode Island.
I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER:
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 P.M. by the Council President.
II. ROLL CALL:
Roll call showed the following members present: Councilmen Andujar, Ritz, Traficante, Councilwoman Vaziri, Councilmen Campopiano, Buonanno, Council Vice-President Haroian and Council President Wall -8.
Absent: Councilwoman Graziano -1.
Also Present: Anthony Moretti, Chief of Staff; Christopher Paplauskas, Deputy Chief of Staff; Nicole Renzulli, Governmental Affairs & Communications Director; Christopher Millea, City Solicitor; Michael Marcello, City Council Legal Counsel; David DiMaio, City Council Budget Analyst; Rosalba Zanni, Assistant City Clerk/Clerk of Committee; Ron Ronzio, Stenotypist.
III. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by the body.
IV. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, COMMENDATIONS AND CITATIONS
· Citation congratulating Michael Traficante in his retirement as Cranston Public Schools Athletic Director.
Council President Wall stated that Mr. Traficante could not attend this evening
and this will be continued to the February Council meeting.
V. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
· APPROVAL of the minutes of the December 15, 2025 Regular Council Meeting
· APPROVAL of the minutes of the December 22, 2025 Special Council Meeting
On motion by Councilman Traficante, seconded by Council Vice-President Haroian, it was voted to approve the minutes as a block and they stand approved as recorded. Motion passed on a vote of 8-0. The following being recorded as voting “aye”: Councilmen Andujar, Ritz, Councilwoman Vaziri, Councilmen Traficante, Campopiano, Buonanno, Council Vice-President Haroian and Council President Wall -8.
VI. PUBLIC HEARINGS AND PUBLIC COMMENT – DOCKETED ITEMS
None
VII. RESOLUTIONS
None
VIII. REPORTS OF COMMITTEES
A. Report from the Chair, Councilwoman Vaziri, on the CLAIMS COMMITTEE meeting of January 5, 2026 Claims Paid
No action needed.
B. Report from the Chair, Council Vice-President Haroian, on the SAFETY SERVICES & LICENSES COMMITTEE meeting held January 5. 2026
CLASS BV LIQUOR LICENSE-NEW
License Period: Current date to 12/1/26
1. Brewed Awakenings Oaklawn Ave, LLC located at 1234 Oaklawn Ave
Robert Murray, Esq.
Hours: Sun-Sat 5am-12am; drive through to close at 6pm
OVER THE CAP AND REQUIRES FULL COUNCIL APPROVAL
Outstanding items required prior to issuance of license by City Clerk
- Letter of Good Standing
- Certificate of Insurance
- Certificate of occupancy
On motion by Councilman Traficante, seconded by Councilman Andujar, it was voted to approve this license application subject to receipt of Letter of Good Standing, Certificate of Insurance and Certificate of Occupancy. Motion passed on a vote of 8-0. The following being recorded as voting “aye”: Councilmen Andujar, Ritz, Councilwoman Vaziri, Councilmen Traficante, Campopiano, Buonanno, Council Vice-President Haroian and Council President Wall -8.
C. Report from the Chair, Councilman Andujar, on the FINANCE COMMITTEE meeting held January 5, 2026:
RESOLUTION Authorizing Real Estate Tax Abatements as requested by the Tax Assessor and recommended for approval by the Finance Committee January 5, 2026.
On motion by Council Vice-President Haroian, seconded by Councilman Buonanno, the above Resolution was adopted on a vote of 8-0. The following being recorded as voting “aye”: Councilmen Andujar, Ritz, Councilwoman Vaziri, Councilmen Traficante, Campopiano, Buonanno, Council Vice-President Haroian and Council President Wall -8.
RESOLUTION Authorizing Tangible Tax Abatements as requested by the Tax Assessor and recommended for approval by the Finance Committee January 5, 2026.
On motion by Councilman Traficante, seconded by Council Vice-President Haroian, the above Resolution was adopted on a vote of 8-0. The following being recorded as voting “aye”: Councilmen Andujar, Ritz, Councilwoman Vaziri, Councilmen Traficante, Campopiano, Buonanno, Council Vice-President Haroian and Council President Wall -8.
12-25-06S ORDINANCE amending the City of Cranston 2025-2026 Municipal Budget (Rescue 5 – Full Time). Sponsored by Mayor Hopkins.
On motion by Council Vice-President Haroian, seconded by Councilman Buonanno, the above Ordinance was adopted on a vote of 8-0. The following being recorded as voting “aye”: Councilmen Andujar, Ritz, Councilwoman Vaziri, Councilmen Traficante, Campopiano, Buonanno, Council Vice-President Haroian and Council President Wall -8.
D. Report from the Chair, Councilwoman Graziano, on the PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE meeting held January 7, 2026
No action needed.
E. Report from the Chair, Councilman Andujar, on the ORDINANCE COMMITTEE meeting held January 7, 2026:
12-25-01 ORDINANCE in amendment of Chapter 17 of the Code of the City of Cranston, as amended, entitled “Zoning”. Sponsored by Councilman Ritz. Co-sponsored by Councilmen Andujar and Bu0onanno.
Council President Wall asked to be added as co-sponsor.
On motion by Council Vice-President Haroian, seconded by Councilman Traficante, the above Ordinance was adopted on a vote of 8-0. The following being recorded as voting “aye”: Councilmen Andujar, Ritz, Councilwoman Vaziri, Councilmen Traficante, Campopiano, Buonanno, Council Vice-President Haroian and Council President Wall -8.
12-25-03 ORDINANCE authorizing the sale of City-owned property located on Cardinal Rd. (Assessor Plat 24, Lot 204), pursuant to Charter Section 7.08. Sponsored by Mayor Hopkins.
Solicitor stated that there is one line of language that needs to be added. He asked that the Ordinance be amended, post it and make it available at the next Council meeting. The amendment would be to add: “Section 3” and Section 3 would become Section 4. Section 3 would read: “this Ordinance shall not be effected by the provisions of Ordinance 3-08-040 subsection F”.
On motion by Council Vice-President Wall, seconded by Councilman Andujar, it was voted to amend above Ordinance as stated by Solicitor and re-advertise for February
Council meeting for passage.
Under Discussion:
Councilman Buonanno questioned if this would necessitate this Ordinance to go back to Committee to be re-approved and come back to the City Council. Attorney Marcello stated that he spoke to the Solicitor and this Ordinance will be advertised and it will be back on the Council agenda for final passage.
Councilman Traficante asked if this would impact the insertion of the Rescue in Ward 3. Director Moretti stated that the Fire Department is in the process, but Administratively, the Mayor gave it the okay to begin the recruitment process for those candidates, but we need this passed before the actual hiring is performed.
Roll call was taken on above motion and motion passed on a vote of 8-0. The following being recorded as voting “aye”: Councilmen Andujar, Ritz, Councilwoman Vaziri, Councilmen Traficante, Campopiano, Buonanno, Council Vice-President Haroian and Council President Wall -8.
IX. PUBLIC COMMENT FOR UNDOCKETED ITEMS
Marcia Fowler, 35 Milton Ave., appeared to speak and thanked Councilwoman Graziano and Councilman Campopiano for their quick actions and help with neighborhood health concern. She appreciates Council President and Councilman Campopiano’s dedication to keeping tabs on the City’s finances along with other concerns by requesting a date change of the Primary Elections. Her concern tonight is also with the City’s finances and the fact that there is not yet a stated amount for how much a proposed new Housing Court will cost us. She has emailed or contacted all the City Council Members with this question and has heard back from only a few, but as of now, no one has an answer to how much a Housing Court will cost us and only one shares her concern. She urged everyone to put more research into this proposed Court. She asked what everyone has been doing in the meantime to address these housing concerns that are serious enough to ask at the State level for approval to start a new Housing Court. She questioned if our current Inspections Department has been addressed to see if they need more resources. Has a list of houses and businesses that need addressing been compiled and, if so, have these property owners been approached to discuss health and safety concerns and why they are not making the repairs? She is concerned that a Housing Court will become a line item in they City budget and none of us know how much that is going to be.
X. ELECTION/APPOINTMENT OF CITY OFFICIALS
APPOINTMENT of Jessica Marcil to the Juvenile Hearing Board as Alternate #3 for term ending December 1, 2026; as requested by Councilwoman Graziano and Council Vice-President Haroian.
Council President Wall stated that Councilwoman Graziano could not be present this evening, but asked that her statement be read into the record. Council President read Councilwoman Graziano’s statement into the record.
On motion by Councilman Andujar, seconded by Councilman Buonanno, it was voted to add Councilwoman Graziano’s letter into the record. Motion passed on a vote of 8-0. The following being recorded as voting “aye”: Councilmen Andujar, Ritz, Councilwoman Vaziri, Councilmen Traficante, Campopiano, Buonanno, Council Vice-President Haroian and Council President Wall -8.
On motion by Councilman Traficante, seconded by Council Vice-President Haroian, it was voted to appoint Jessica Marcil to the Juvenile Hearing Board as Alternate #3 for term ending December 1, 2026 as requested by Councilwoman Graziano and Council Vice-President Haroian. Motion passed on a vote of 8-0. The following being recorded as voting “aye”: Councilmen Andujar, Ritz, Councilwoman Vaziri, Councilmen Traficante, Campopiano, Buonanno, Council Vice-President Haroian and Council President Wall -8.
RE-APPOINTMENT of Anthony Mastantuono to the Board of Contract & Purchase by the Minority Leader, Councilman Campopiano, for the term 1/5/2026 to 1/4/2027
No action needed.
RE-APPOINTMENT of Brian Moretti to the Board of Contract & Purchase by the Minority Leader, Councilman Campopiano, for the term 1/5/2026 to 1/4/2027
No action needed.
XI. REPORT OF CITY OFFICERS
None
XII. EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS
Councilman Andujar stated that a few months ago, one of the Solicitors, Attorney Marsella, stated that there was not that much action at Housing Court, but yet he is still submitting a $32,000 line item and questioned that. Is he busy or not? Solicitor stated that there is some flexibility with the budget being self-insured within the City and he has been doing his best since he started this job five years ago to stay within the budget. If the Housing Court comes to fruition, he is sure that he would be able to work with Councilman Andujar and members of the City Council to try and figure out how to best budget that if that is the question. Councilman Andujar stated that he just wants to make sure that the Solicitor is watching the line item.
Council Vice-President Haroian indicated that Solicitor Marsella’s payments do not look like they are Housing Court issues. Solicitor stated that this is not necessarily the Housing Court, this is the legal expense report. Some may have to do with housing or various other things. Attorney Marsella also handles other matters such as Municipal Court, Housing Court, Zoning matters at night and the Planning Board. He does a lot of the land use and so a lot of his bills are intermixed. He submits them on an hourly basis to the City. He works out of the Solicitor’s Office, but he is not one of the staff.
Request to be continued in service for one year as of October 16, 2025 through October 15, 2026, Assistant Chief Richard Mancini, Cranston Fire Department.
Director Moretti stated that Chief Mancini has been an incredibly valuable asset to the City of Cranston. He is a man of impeccable service and impeccable dedication. He is a tremendous Firefighter and a powerful Administrator in the Department. Chief Mancini is requesting a continuance of service and Mayor endorses that and requests City Council approval.
Council Vice-President Haroian stated that Chief Mancini is a great asset to the City.
On motion by Councilman Buonanno, seconded by Councilman Andujar, it was voted to approve the above request. Motion passed on a vote of 8-0. The following being recorded as voting “aye”: Councilmen Andujar, Ritz, Councilwoman Vaziri, Councilmen Traficante, Campopiano, Buonanno, Council Vice-President Haroian and Council President Wall -8.
XIII. COUNCIL PRESIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
· Da la Comunidad Charter School, letter to RIDE regarding concerns with approval
Council President Wall stated that he sent a letter to RIDE approximately a
week ago regarding the Da la Comunidad Charter School and although it is not necessary to read the entire letter, the substance of it was that Da la Comunidad did not get the required Resolution or Ordinance approving of their Charter School to be a sending City. He read the letter into the record and stated that besides RIDE, it was also sent to the members of the Department of Education and members of the City Council. He did get a response a number of days later and basically their attorney stated that the law did not apply because Da la Comunidad is not looking to have more than one school. It does state in the law that a Charter School that does encompass an elementary and a secondary school would be considered a network Charter School. It seems to be a bit of gamesmanship or semantics as they said it was not plural. In his view, and some of the attorneys have said that a K-12 School absolutely encompasses an elementary and a secondary school. The other sending cities were Pawtucket and Providence. They have also sent letters subsequently and he will keep everyone posted as to what happens, but as of right now, we are in touch with our School Committee and some of the attorneys here.
He has also been in touch with Senator Hanna Gallo, who is the author of the law and she concurs that it seems like De la Comunidad Charter School is trying to circumvent the law in this respect. He questioned why a school that seeks and who claims to be so in tuned with helping the citizens of the City of Cranston, not even consider getting the consent of this elected officials, he means the City Council, the School Committee, the Mayor, the Superintendent who is appointed by the School Committee and also the President of the Teachers Union. They did not get the support, they did not ask for the support of one of those bodies. To him, that seems like something is wrong. He will keep everyone updated on this matter.
Councilman Traficante stated that he agrees with everything Council President Wall stated and also stated that he is Chairman of the Charter School in Cranston and before they got their Charter, they had to get permission of the Council. They had to get permission of the Cranston School Committee and on top of that, they became a subset of the Cranston School Department. The Cranston School Department holds what is called the LEA, Learning Education Agency, for the Charter School in Cranston so they did none of that.
Councilman Ritz stated that he appreciates Council President Wall sending the letter and he shares the same concerns. As everyone knows, it has an impact on School funding and classroom resources.
Councilman Buonanno thanked Council President Wall for sending that letter and stated that many of us were present at the public meeting held at the Cranston Public Library and for those that were there, the elected officials in the room had a lot of questions. There definitely was not a ringing positive endorsement from any of our elected officials. He has tremendous amount of faith in our public schools and Cranston Public Schools is second to none and he has tremendous amount of faith in our Superintendent and School Committee to give the education that Cranston needs. He hopes that the leaders of the School Committee will confer with their legal counsel and perhaps take it a step further based on the interpretation of the law that was heard.
Council Vice-President Haroian thanked Council President Wall for what he has done. As everyone knows, this has a big financial impact on the budget, on the Cranston School Department and on the City budget. She believes it is about $19,000 per student that the City loses in State funding per child that goes to a Charter School and that makes a big difference with 200 students. You are talking hundreds and millions of dollars. We offer all these things in our public schools.
Councilman Andujar stated that he is a strong believer in education and most of these kids that are probably going to go to Da la Comunidad are probably going to come from Ward 3 so he is totally all for education, but he is not in agreement with them bypassing this body. He applauded Council President Wall for sending that letter and hopes he follows through with it and he will have his support if this come back to the Council and even just to ask.
XIV. COUNCIL MEMBER COMMUNICATIONS (no votes)
None
XV. COUNCIL BUSINESS MATTERS CARRIED OVER
None
XVI. INTRODUCTION OF NEW BUSINESS
1-26-01 ORDINANCE in amendment of Title 10, Chapter 12, Section 280 of the City of Cranston Code of Ordinances, 2005, entitled “Traffic Prohibited on Certain Streets – Local Access Only”. Sponsored by Councilwoman Graziano. To be referred to Ordinance Committee February 4, 2026.
1-26-02 ORDINANCE in amendment of Title 3 Revenue and Finance, of the City of Cranston Code of Ordinances, 2025, entitled “Chapter 3.12.060 Adjustment of Exemption of Veterans in compliance with Title 44, Chapter 3,, Title 24 of the General Laws of the State of Rhode Island”. Sponsored by Councilwomen Vaziri, Graziano, Councilmen Buonanno, Andujar, Ritz, Traficante, Council Vice-President Haroian and Council President Wall. Referred to Finance Committee February 2, 2026.
RESOLUTION requesting the General Assembly consider swift action to change the date of the September 2026 Rhode Island Statewide Primary Election due to concerns regarding the Labor Day Holiday. Sponsored by Council President Wall and Councilman Campopiano. Referred to Ordinance Committee February 4/2026.
PETITION of Narragansett Electric and Verizon New England Inc. for installation of stub pole on Comstock Parkway. Referred to Public Works Committee on February 4, 2026.
CLAIMS to be referred to the Claims Committee meeting of February 2, 2026 as follows:
CLAIMANT TYPE OF CLAIM DATE OF INCIDENT
Park East Realty, Inc. property damage 7/3/2025
Megan Sanderson property damage 7/7/2025
Carol Bordieri property damage 11/25/2025
Joseph Day property damage 12/17/2025
Josephine Howell property damage 1/7/2026
Kelli & Marc Engstrom Property damage 1/1/2026
Kevin Plociak Property damage 12/27/2025
Council President Wall stated that if there are no objections, he would like to take all the New Business as a block and refer to appropriate Committees. There were no objections.
On motion by Councilman Buonanno, seconded by Councilman Andujar, it was voted to refer all above New Business as a block to appropriate Committees. Motion passed on a vote of 8-0. The following being recorded as voting “aye”: Councilmen Andujar, Ritz, Councilwoman Vaziri, Councilmen Traficante, Campopiano, Buonanno, Council Vice-President Haroian and Council President Wall -8.
XVII. EXECUTIVE SESSION
On motion by Council Vice-President Haroian, seconded by Councilman Andujar, it was voted to go into Executive Session. Pursuant to RIGL 42-46-5(a)(2) Litigation – Discussion of Legal Bills from Law Department. Motion passed on a vote of 8-0. The following being recorded as voting “aye”: Councilmen Andujar, Ritz, Councilwoman Vaziri, Councilmen Traficante, Campopiano, Buonanno, Council Vice-President Haroian and Council President Wall -8.
The meeting went into Executive Session at 7:40 p.m.
Present in Executive Session: Councilmen Andujar, Ritz, Traficante, Councilwoman Vaziri, Councilmen Campopiano, Buonanno, Council Vice-President Haroian and Council President Wall; Anthony Moretti, Chief of Staff; Christopher Paplauskas, Deputy Chief of Staff; Nicole Renzulli. Governmental Affairs & Communications Director; Christopher Millea, City Solicitor; Michael Marcello, City Council Legal Counsel; David DiMaio, City Council Budget Analyst; Rosalba Zanni, Assistant City Clerk/Clerk of Committee.
XVIII. RETURN TO OPEN SESSION
The meeting came out of Executive Session at 8:02 p.m.
On motion by Councilman Andujar, seconded by Council Vice-President Haroian, it was voted to come out of Executive Session. Motion passed on a vote of 8-0. The following being recorded as voting “aye”: Councilmen Andujar, Ritz, Councilwoman Vaziri, Councilmen Traficante, Campopiano, Buonanno, Council Vice-President Haroian and Council President Wall -8.
Council President Wall stated that there were no votes taken in Executive Session.
On motion by Councilman Traficante, seconded by Councilman Andujar, it was voted to seal the minutes of Executive Session. Motion passed on a vote of 8-0. The following being recorded as voting “aye”: Councilmen Andujar, Ritz, Councilwoman Vaziri, Councilmen Traficante, Campopiano, Buonanno, Council Vice-President Haroian and Council President Wall -8.
XIX. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS – NO ACTION REQUIRED
None
XX. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m.
/s/ Rosalba Zanni
Assistant City Clerk/Clerk of Committees