Farina Announces Cranston City Council Reeleection Bid

CRANSTON, RI—Cranston City Councilman Michael Farina has announced his intention to run for a third term on the City Council.

The announcement comes after Farina, citing what he said is cronyism and gamesmanship at the expense of taxpayers, switched parties and became a Republican after serving his first and most of his second term as a Democrat. 

In a statement released Monday, Farina said that he has served Cranston over the last four years feeling honored and privileged and "consistently represented the taxpayers and ensured the city had financial stability and worked to improve bond ratings to historic levels by finding ways to allocate funding and spending more efficiently.” 

Farina described his goals as centered on public safety and quality of life issues. He also said he supports increased school aid, investments in infrastructure and finding ways to expand the middle class by attracting decent-paying employers to the city.

"We must continue to operate in a fiscally responsible manner. We must continue to have transparent government on the city council. There will be continued financial challenges facing Cranston and we need keen financial minds to fight for Cranston’s future," he said.

Farina, who represents Cranston as a citywide candidate, is a lifelong Cranstonian and a graduate of Cranston High School West. A director of financial planning and business strategy for a Fortune 100 company, Farina is married to his wife Ruthanne and the father of two children, Michael and Isabella. 

Farina was first elected in 2012 as he rode a wave of major Democratic victories that year. He was named vice president of the council during his first term. 

Full release:

Cranston R.I. City Wide Councilman Michael Farina declared his intention to seek reelection. Farina stated “Over the last four years I have been honored and privileged to support the residents of Cranston as a Councilman. I consistently represented the taxpayers and ensured the city had financial stability and worked to improve bond ratings to historic levels by finding ways to allocate funding and spending more efficiently.”

Farina believes that his high standards of fiscal responsibility, public safety, transparency and ethics are needed to continue moving Cranston in the right direction.  “My tenure has seen a balanced budget, with no increase or new taxes. I have consistently put the needs of the taxpayer first and have stood diligently against those who seek to gain benefits on the backs of our citizens. Due to the acquisition of new police cars, and new firefighting equipment through grants, we are making our city streets safer and restricting the financial the burdens on our taxpayers.”

Farina also stated that important victories in funding for education and Cranston’s children are key examples of success for the council “I worked to ensure we committed more resources to our students by adding additional funds for education, worked to bring back Middle School Sports, improve the cities playgrounds and fought to support all-day Kindergarten.”  Councilman Farina takes great pride in his accomplishments, but thinks the work to ensure an even brighter future for Cranston is not finished.

Farina’s goals for his next term are clear and concise.  “We must continue to operate in a fiscally responsible manner. We must continue to have transparent government on the city council. There will be continued financial challenges facing Cranston and we need keen financial minds to fight for Cranston’s future.”

“We need to continue to improve our infrastructure, working harder and faster to repair our roads and sidewalks. We need to continue improve our educational system by fighting unfunded mandates. Most importantly we have an obligation to expand the middle-class by attracting more well-paying employers to Cranston.”

Farina wants to be open and accessible to the voters. “The lines of communication must be open and Council members work diligently to improve their relationships with the tax payers. Being more available, more social networking and old fashioned coffee talks to keep the tax payers up to date with everything that is going on in the City is imperative for an educated community.”

Farina is running for re-election to continue to address these issues and find solutions for the shared future of all of Cranston’s residents. Farina noted “I have the track record and experience needed to ensure Cranston continues on the path to a brighter and better tomorrow.”

About Mike:

Michael Farina is a lifelong resident of Cranston and a graduate of Cranston High School West. He has served the city most recently as a City Wide Councilman since 2012 and has held leadership positions including Cranston Council Vice president from 2012 through 2014. During his time on the council he served as the Vice Chair on the Finance committee, Vice Chair of the Safety Services Committee and also was a member of every regular standing council subcommittee. He is employed a Director in Financial Planning and Business Strategy at a fortune 100 company and sits on the Board of Directors for CODAC Behavioral Healthcare. He is involved in his community as a member of the St Mary’s Feast Society and supports noble causes like Special Olympics through his work as a Freemason. He is a married to Ruthanne and they are the proud parents of Michael and Isabella.