Cranston City Council Regular Meeting – June 15, 2026
Cranston City Council Regular Meeting – June 15, 2026
The Cranston City Council met in regular session on June 15, 2026, to consider resolutions, committee reports, multiple public comment periods, and appointments. Key actions included recognition of awareness months, a fire department promotion, a referral of a Verizon utility petition, an ordinance amendment, and two undocketed matters concerning a digital sign and a noise complaint.
Consent Calendar (Resolutions Passed Unanimously)
- Mental Health Awareness Month: Resolution recognizing May 2026 as Mental Health Awareness Month and June 2026 as Men's Mental Health Awareness Month. Sponsored by Councilman Anduhar, Councilman Ritz, Councilman Trafficante, Councilman Banano, and Council President Wall. Passed unanimously (9-0).
- Portuguese Heritage Month: Resolution recognizing June 2026 as Portuguese Heritage Month. Sponsored by Councilman Anduhar and Council President Wall; all members added as co-sponsors. Passed unanimously (9-0).
- Pride Month: Resolution recognizing June 2026 as Pride Month. Sponsored by Councilwoman Graziano, Council Vice President Heroyan, Councilman Ritz, Councilman Trafficante, Councilman Banano, Councilwoman Vazieri, and Council President Wall; all members added as co-sponsors. Passed unanimously (9-0). Councilman Ritz noted receiving some negative feedback for supporting the resolution but affirmed his role to represent all residents.
- Juneteenth: Resolution recognizing June 19, 2026, as Juneteenth. Sponsored by Councilwoman Graziano, Council Vice President Heroyan, Councilwoman Vazieri, Councilman Ritz, Councilman Campubiano, and Council President Wall; all members added as co-sponsors. Passed unanimously (9-0).
Public Comments & Testimony on Docketed Matters
- John Paglarini (7 Camden Lane): Spoke on Item D (Verizon New England petition). Claimed Verizon’s application under a grant was invalid because the street is already served by Cox and T‑Mobile and passes speed tests. Requested the item be tabled until more information is provided.
- Richard Mancini (124 Rome Drive): Spoke in support of Chief Green’s promotion to assistant fire chief. Cited nearly 30 years of service, leadership as EMS division chief, and advancements in technology, training, patient care, and fiscal responsibility under Green’s direction.
- Cat via Marshal (city official): Requested a friendly amendment to an outdoor fire ordinance (discussed earlier at the ordinance meeting) to specify “nationally recognized testing laboratories” instead of just “nationally recognized.” Also expressed strong support for Chief Green’s promotion.
Discussion Items
- Verizon New England Petition (Camden Lane): Councilman Ritz asked to refer the petition back to the Public Works Committee after constituents reported miscommunication and no notification. Residents had ~12 technical questions. Director Rinzel stated that Verizon, not the city, is responsible for notification; a Verizon representative noted they had a Butters list (mailing list) at an earlier hearing but were unsure if it was distributed. Council voted unanimously to send the matter back to the Public Works Committee for a hearing on July 1, 2026. Verizon’s representative agreed to send proper notifications for the next meeting.
- Outdoor Fire Ordinance Amendment (Title 8, Chapter 8, Section 200): The Ordinance Committee proposed amending the code to require outdoor fire equipment to be listed by a “nationally recognized listing and testing laboratory” (line 42). The amendment passed 9-0, but because it was changed from the originally advertised version, the full ordinance must be re-advertised and voted on at the next council meeting (July 2026). The ordinance was continued.
- Finance Committee Report – Nomination of Assistant Fire Chief Richard Green: The committee met on June 1 and recommended approval. Director Rinzel presented Mayor Hopkins’ nomination, citing Green’s 29-year career, leadership as EMS division chief, and community ties. The full council confirmed the appointment unanimously (9-0).
Key Outcomes
- Resolutions: All four resolutions (Mental Health, Portuguese Heritage, Pride, Juneteenth) were adopted unanimously (9-0 each).
- Verizon Petition: Referred back to the Public Works Committee for a July 1, 2026, hearing (9-0). Verizon will notify residents.
- Fire Department Promotion: Richard Green was confirmed as Assistant Fire Chief (9-0).
- Ordinance Amendment: The amendment to require nationally recognized testing laboratory listing was approved (9-0), but final adoption postponed to July 2026 after re-advertisement.
- Appointments: Jason Cates (Republican alternate) and William White (Democratic alternate) were appointed to the Board of Campaigns (each 9-0).
- Undocketed Public Comment – Shriners LED Sign: Jonathan Stevens (29 Windsor Road, Patuxet) presented findings of fact that a 30‑square‑foot digital sign at 1 Rhodes Place (Shriners building) was installed without proper permits (residential zone allows 6 sq ft, no electrical permit). He submitted a packet to the council. Director Rinzel stated the building inspections department has already cited the property and given a final chance before municipal court. Frank Dimash (Secretary, RI Shriners Charities Trust) disputed the size (said less than 16 sq ft) and argued the sign follows ordinance, was permitted, and is needed for their dyslexia school. Several neighbors testified the sign is excessively bright and disruptive. The council entered the packet into the record.
- Undocketed Public Comment – Noise Ordinance Enforcement: Melissa Orpin (185 Warren Avenue) described a 3‑month pattern of a vehicle parking nightly, playing loud bass, with no effective enforcement from police. She submitted a documentation packet; the council entered it into the record.
- Executive Session: The council convened to discuss litigation and legal expenses, then returned to open session. No votes were taken during executive session. Minutes were ordered sealed.
- Adjournment: The meeting adjourned after recognizing court reporter Ron on his last day; a citation was presented.
Meeting Transcript
And welcome to this regular city council meeting this uh evening, June fifteenth, two thousand and twenty six. At this time I'd like to call the meeting to order, and I ask the clerk to please call the roll. Councilwoman Graziano, present. Councilman Anduar. Present. Councilman Retz. Councilman Trafficante. Present. Councilwoman Vizieri, present. Councilman Cavapiano. Present. Councilman Banana. Present. Council Vice President O'Ryan. Council President Wall. Here. This time I'm going to ask everyone to please stand. Let's just before we take the pledge, please take a moment of silence for uh the passing of solicitor Walson. Please remain seated for the Pledge of Allegiance. I believe it's replied the United States of America. Okay. Now, this evening, I see there's a large amount of people in the chambers this evening, so I want to remind you this public comment would be public comment on docketed matters only. So if there's something you'd like to speak of that is on the docket this evening, please uh step up to the podium, state your name and address for the record, and I will time you for four minutes. Okay. If anyone who would like to speak on dock it at matters only, please step up to the microphone. For the record, John Paglarini, seven Camden Lane Cranson. I speak about item D on your calendar, which is the Verizon issue on Camden Lane. Contrary to representations to your subcommittee. And I spoke with the representative or somebody at Commerce today who runs this uh plan, and they said that the street is not eligible since we're currently served by Cox Cable and T Mobile. It's for neighborhoods that do not have access or have underserved because it's under 100 megabytes or technical terms, but um, they said that our speed test had passed, and they're looking into why this application was made under that grant. So I asked that it be tabled until such time as there's additional information provided to the neighbors. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Um, I'm just gonna make a general announcement. Uh just prior to the uh meeting, uh, the councilman from Ward 4, uh, Councilman Ritz did it did come up to me, and he explained the situation. And when it does come up on the agenda, I know Councilman Ritz is going to ask for this to be continued, and I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be very common sense. But um, just a general announcement. If that's if a lot of people are here, it's probably what's gonna happen anyway. I can't predict the future, but I have a pretty good idea. Um, anybody else in chambers who would like to speak on docketed matters. Richard Mancini, I live at 124 Rome Drive. I'd like to speak on behalf of Chief Green. First, I'd like to extend my heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you for your ongoing support to the department. The commitment shown to us into our city is vital to enabling us to serve this community effectively. Together, we are building a safer and stronger community. For that I'm truly grateful. I'm here today to advocate for the promotion of Chief Green to the position of assistant chief. Over the nearly 30 years that I've known him, I've witnessed his growth and dedication to the department first to him. Chief Green has advanced to the ranks of the EMS division, consistently demonstrating strong leadership and a dedicated commitment to the department. His ability to remain calm in challenging situations, along with his extensive knowledge of emergency response, has made him a trusted figure among the men and women of the fire department.
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