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Who We Are
Below is a list of the members of the New Cranston Democrats who are running for ward seats on the Cranston Democratic City Committee.
Ward 1
Edgar Citron
Edgar Cintron is an educator and mental-health professional running for Cranston’s Ward 1 Democratic Committee. A lifelong Rhode Islander and first-generation college graduate, Edgar has dedicated his career to supporting children, families, and young people. He believes strong communities are built when neighbors look out for one another and everyone has a genuine voice in the decisions affecting their lives. As a committee member, Edgar hopes to strengthen the connection between Ward 1 residents and their local Democratic Party while advancing transparency, inclusion, and responsible leadership that puts people first.
Andrew Belcher
My name is Andrew Belcher, and I'm running for Cranston Democratic City Committee, Ward 1. I'm a clinical social worker, dad of two, and founder of Middle Way Wellness. As a parent with kids in our public schools, I know we need more school funding, better roads and sidewalks, and a city government that actually listens to residents. Join me in standing up for a Cranston that works for all of us!
David-Banks Richardson
My name is David Banks (D.B.) Richardson, I'm a high school science teacher, and parent to a fun-loving three-year old. I've called Cranston's first ward home since 2024. I'm running for Cranston Democratic City Committee because I want to make the committee more transparent and representative of everyday people who are concerned about the housing crisis and the city budget.
Avery Mangahas
Avery Mangahas is a mental health counselor who has lived in Cranston since 2023 and looks forward to starting a family here. She has engaged in political advocacy work, as well as founded her own organization called Rhody Civics Club dedicated to helping people learn about local government. Her experience counseling and advocating for everyday people has inspired her to run for office to make the city better for everyone.
Michael Beauregard
Michael Beauregard is a communications and strategy consultant who runs a Cranston-based small business, Reach Consulting , that has won regional and national recognition for its innovative campaigns. As Managing Principal of Reach, he leads the company’s strategy and operations. He began his career advocating for people with disabilities and organizing local campaigns. He has advocated successfully for laws and public policy to invest in communities, prevent overdose deaths, improve health outcomes, raise wages for frontline workers, protect net neutrality, implement automatic voter registration, and other policies. He lives in Edgewood with his wife, Jennie, their sons Arlo and Lukas, and their dog Alice. Mike is engaged locally because he wants Cranston to be a great place for his kids to grow up and go to school.
Ward 2
Kokila Mendis
Kokila “Koki” Mendis directs communications for social justice think tank Political Research Associates. In 2018, she moved to Cranston with her family and discovered a city and a community worth fighting for. She is running for Cranston Democratic City Committee with a passion for helping build community power so that Cranston can work for the people who live here.
Catherine Tiley
Catherine Tiley is an advocate for voting rights, bodily freedom, and LGBTQIA+ rights with experience in policy work at the state level and years of volunteerism. They work tirelessly to help the people and causes they care about. Catherine is running for the Cranston Democratic City Committee to ensure that their neighbors have a voice in our democracy, and that people in power are held accountable.
Sara Haupt
Sara Haupt is a civil engineer who solves complex problems for a living and she is running to bring real ideas to Cranston to save money and work smarter, not harder. She and her husband have a three year old son, and as a mom Sara is passionate about good schools, safe streets, and a functioning city budget that can support quality city services. Sara is a second-generation Cranstonian and bought her mother's house in Ward 2 in 2020 because she believes Cranston is a great place to raise a family, and she wants to ensure that the community is smartly managed into the future.
Sandy Pliskin
I’m Sanford (Sandy) Pliskin, recently retired from a career of working with young children, their families, and their teachers. My wife, two cats, and I moved to Cranston (love my quiet yet lively neighborhood right across the street from Budlong Manor) just in time to witness the arrogance, corruption and incompetence that marked the whole Budlong pool fiasco, and continues unabated as we face our current budget crisis. I’ve met a lot of great people in our city who feel that they currently have no say about how our city is run, but I’ve lived in other communities where government has been more responsive to their residents, so I know it can be done, and want to see it happen here as well!
Connor Mathis
Ward 3
Tamica Jefferson
Tamica Jefferson is a mother; who like many of the families and neighbors in her community, cares about the well-being and that of an affordable,stable and durable living in Cranston. Tamica’s experience in serving her community expands from her time as a faith leader and building on relationships that intend to import social issues, resulting in accountability and change. Tamica is running for Democratic Ward Committee to help support the link between the needs of the neighbors and the local elected officials.
Ward 4
Dante Diwan
Hi. My name is Dante Diwan and I am a lifelong Cranstonian living in ward 4. Even though I am a science major by training, and wanted to make a difference in society through that, I was always interested in politics and changing policies to help people's lives. The urgent need to change Cranston's governance, made clear by the current budget crisis, is what finally made me decide to run for office in the Cranston Democratic City Committee, as well as for City Council.
Ward 5
Nick Tasca
Nick Tasca is a water processing chemist. He cares about sustainable, clean, accessible drinking water. He is running with New Cranston Democrats to get more directly involved in democracy in Cranston, and advocate for public health-conscious policies.
David Sternik
I spent years puzzled by the lack of career diversity in politics, the world is not just bankers and lawyers but Congress is. By starting NCD I'm hoping to bring the community together and leverage it's diverse experiences/careers. Being a Navy Scientist and a new Cranstonian I'm going to do everything in my power to improve my new hometown.
Rose Sternik
Rose moved to Cranston 2 years ago with her husband to settle down and raise a family. As a teenager, she developed a passion for affordable housing and community as her family struggled to access food, housing and education. Today, she has returned to college to pursue a degree in computer science and spends her free time community organizing.
Alfred Bailey
Alfred Bailey is a biotechnology professional dedicated to bringing transparency, rigorous problem-solving, and accountability to Cranston. His career in developing life-saving medical treatments and ensuring strict quality compliance is built on data-driven optimization and systems that perform under pressure.
As a Cranston native and new father, Alfred has a deep personal stake in our city's future. He is running for the Ward 5 Democratic Committee to open party doors, modernize operations, and advocate for fully funded schools and responsible budgeting. He applies a simple standard to public service: clear data, transparent processes, and accountability to the people.
As a Cranston native and new father, Alfred has a deep personal stake in our city's future. He is running for the Ward 5 Democratic Committee to open party doors, modernize operations, and advocate for fully funded schools and responsible budgeting. He applies a simple standard to public service: clear data, transparent processes, and accountability to the people.
Ward 5
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