Projo Politics Blog

Several Smith Hill faces are on the growing list of candidates lining up for a shot to succeed Michael T. Napolitano as the mayor of Cranston.

First, State House lobbyist and former Republican mayoral candidate Allan Fung expressed interest in the job, as did Democratic Representatives Charlene Lima and Peter G. Palumbo.

(Palumbo has since backed off.)

But State House regular Dan Beardsley, who has been the executive director of the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns for the last 19 years, has since said he is “very serious” about gearing up for a run.

“I’ve had a longtime interest in elective office,” Beardsley, 61, said last week. “And needless to say, my 34 years at the League of Cities and Towns gives me a unique perspective on what works in local government.”

Other Democratic hopefuls as of this writing included Cranston City Council Vice President Paula B. McFarland and former council members Cynthia M. Fogarty and Mario Carlino.

--By Cynthia Needham and David Scharfenberg
Journal staff writers

---