Cranston Republicans Elect Leadership for 2019-2021 term

CRANSTON, RI – “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” said City Wide Councilman Kenneth Hopkins. “You stick with what works,” said Ward 5 Councilman Christopher Paplauskas, and on Thursday evening, the Cranston Republicans did exactly that, unanimously keeping their officers in their party’s leadership for another 2-year term.

The Cranston Republican City Committee is proud to announce that they have unanimously elected the following people to their executive leadership team for the 2019-2021 term:

Chairman - Christopher Edward Buonanno

Vice Chairman for Operations - Hillary V. Costa

Vice Chairman for Fundraising - Lawrence DiBoni

Secretary - Amy L. Ricci

Treasurer - Steven Agnoli

Party Legal Counsel - Michael Lepizzera

Chairman Christopher E. Buonanno was nominated by Mayor Allan Fung and unanimously elected by the committee to continue in his role as Party Chairman.

Said Mayor Fung: “I am glad that Chris Buonanno has been selected for another term as the Cranston Republican chairman. He worked hard with our candidates during the last election cycle and the results speak for themselves. Maintaining the majority with five Republican council members ensures fiscal stability, continued business development and a great quality of life for our city. Chris is committed to recruiting more of Cranston’s next generation to be a part of our team to ensure that our voices will be heard in the city for years to come.”

Council President Michael Farina was also very happy about Buonanno continuing in his current role. “We know that with Chairman Buonanno at the helm once again, we will keep the momentum going well into the next decade so that generations of Cranstonians can live, work, and grow their families in a top rated city in America. Chairman Buonanno has been effective at bringing the city’s Republicans together to rally around what is best for all residents of Cranston. It has been a great experience working with Chris, and as council President, I am proud that we have worked together to hold the council under the leadership of Mayor Allan Fung and look forward to working with the Chairman to move Cranston forward in the years to come.”

Buonanno, 34, is a lifelong resident of Cranston, a 2002 graduate of Cranston High School East, and a 2010 graduate of Rhode Island College. He is married to Kristen Buonanno and they have one daughter, Carmella. He has been on innumerable boards, commissions, and committees for the past 20+ years going back to when he was a middle school student. Most recently, before taking the helm of the party, he was a four term Secretary of the St. Mary’s Feast Society. And he is certainly no stranger to Cranston politics. He has been involved in several campaigns for members of both parties spanning 4 decades starting as a young child in 1986. In 2014, he got involved with the Cranston Republican City Committee at the request of Mayor Fung, and former Republican chair (and college roommate) Nicholas Lima. He has often said, “I am a conservative because of Ronald Reagan. I am Republican because of Allan Fung.” He was Vice Chair of Operations from 2015 and briefly served as chair from November 2016 until January 2017 returning to the number 2 spot thereafter. However, upon the resignation of former Chair Mark Collins, he was elevated to the role of chairman in December of 2017 and led the Republican City Team to another council majority against the biggest blue wave in recent history in November’s elections.

“I’ve been involved in Cranston’s politics from the womb, and I am thrilled and humbled that my Republican brethren have put their faith in me to lead the party for the next two years,” said Buonanno. “It is absolutely clear to me that our party is on the correct side of the issues in our wonderful city. I have enjoyed every minute of working with Mayor Fung, Councilmen Farina, Hopkins, Paplauskas, Brady, and Favicchio. And I am eager to continue the work with all of the team of executive board members to ensure the right candidates are elected to maintain our financial responsibility, superior schools, and business friendly economic climate. I am a lifelong Cranston boy, and I am not going anywhere, so I have a vested interest in this community. Cranston has thrived under the leadership of our spectacular Mayor and Councilors. We did not maintain the majority because of me; we did it because we had superior candidates, and because of teamwork! We are all a part of #TeamCranston! Let’s keep it going!”

Vice Chair for Operations Hillary Costa was also quite happy with the election of Buonanno, and her own election to the number 2 position. “In one of the largest voting turnouts in Rhode Island history for a midterm election amidst a ‘blue wave,’ Cranston Republicans were able to maintain the Republican majority on the city council and that is due in large part to Chairman Buonanno’s leadership, and the team we have together. I am thrilled to have played a part in that and I am thrilled to be back.”