As a Democrat, Robert Ferri faces a bigger challenge as he tries to unseat incumbent Mayor Ken Hopkins as mayor of Cranston. That’s because electing Republican mayors is a tradition in Cranston, even though the GOP remains locked out of state and federal offices in Rhode Island and has struggled for years to increase its meager General Assembly representation.
Local historian Steve Frias, a former state GOP official, said different factors explain the party’s local success. Cranston has a critical mass of fiscally conservative voters and it resembles a suburb with its many neighborhoods with lush green lawns.
And Frias said Republican success over time has created a reservoir of support for Mayor Ken Hopkins to draw on.
Ferri ran as a Republican when he first won a City Council seat in 2020 — and he supported Hopkins for mayor that year before later changing parties to become a Democrat.
Now, though, the gloves are off.
During a recent Cranston West debate co-sponsored by The Public’s Radio, Ferri charged that budget cuts made by Hopkins have hurt the city’s ability to serve residents.
As he approached the end of his first term, Hopkins claimed credit for fostering economic development in different sections of Cranston, including Pawtuxet Village, Knightsville and the area near the Park Theater.
This story was reported by The Public’s Radio. You can read the entire story here.
