Cranston GOP elects chair, leadership. Commits to “One Cranston”

CRANSTON GOP RE ELECT COLASANTE AS CHAIRMAN AND CONFIRM ‘25-’27 LEADERSHIP TEAM

The Cranston Republican City Committee elected John Colasante and a full leadership team in a unanimous vote at their biennial reorganization meeting last week. Colasante’s role of Chairman, which was mid-term, is now for a full term. The committee has cited major successes since his installment as Chairman, including a successful mayoral primary to re-elect Cranston Mayor Ken Hopkins by a wide margin, and the general election, an additional Republican city-wide seat on the city council, and a steady growth of diverse membership to the city committee.

State Representative Chris Paplauskas shared the following about the committee’s reorganization: “It was an honor to nominate John Colasante to continue as our chairman. His leadership, energy, and unwavering dedication to strengthening our party and improving our City are unparalleled. I’m excited for the future of our committee, the newly appointed officers, and all of our members as we continue making Cranston better together.”

Colasante stated, “It has been a true privilege to serve my Republican colleagues as Chairman. We will continue to work together to promote the ideals and conservative, good-government practices that have been responsible for the success of our great City of Cranston for a number of decades.”

“I am elated that my friend John Colasante will continue in his role as Cranston’s Republican Party Chairman for at least the next two years,” said City-Wide Councilman Chris Buonanno, who had previously served as party chair from 2016-2021, John’s skill set, which includes patience, political acumen, and passion for Cranston, will continue to serve not only our party well, but all of Cranston well, too. It’s no secret why he was a unanimous choice to continue in his role and lead our committee and party for the next two years.”

The leadership team installed alongside Chairman Colasante includes Anthony Melillo as Vice-Chair of Operations, Marcus Stephenson as Vice-Chair of Fundraising, Frank Ritz Jr. as Treasurer, Ernie Tommasiello as Secretary, and Michael Favicchio as Legal Counsel.

Mayor Kenneth J. Hopkins stated, “Optimism abounds as the GOP continues to grow. I am excited about the leadership and direction of our party.”

Colasante added, “This team is equipped and ready to get to work. I am inspired by the skills and the enthusiasm that they have brought to their new roles and look forward to working with them these next two years.”

Vice-Chair Anthony Melillo, who also serves as the city-wide member to the School Committee, added, “As an elected official, I believe in working together with our community to achieve a common goal: ensuring the continued success of the City of Cranston, where our families, schools, and businesses can thrive.”

Colasante and his leadership team outlined their plans for the upcoming term, with a focus on fundraising, building partnerships with local non-profits, sponsoring events to benefit Cranston’s more vulnerable residents, and identifying and raising up leaders within the community.

Colasante concluded by saying, “Our committee is focused on improving our community, not solely through political discourse and the traditional approaches, but by being an active body that supports the needs of our neighbors and strives to always put the best interests of Cranston residents first. As Mayor Hopkins often repeats the phrase, ‘One Cranston, one heartbeat,’ I have tasked our committee to operate in a manner that embodies that sentiment.”