Mayor's Race is Over in Cranston

The deadline came and went.

And Cranston Democratic City Committee Chairman Michael Sepe didn't get up from his chair in the Board of Canvassers office in City Hall. He didn't pull a rabbit out of his hat. Nobody walked in the door.

And so ends the 2012 mayoral race in Cranston.

Not one person filed a declaration of candidacy for mayor with the canvassers today, leaving Fung, who was reelected to the mayoral post in a landslide in 2010, unopposed in the upcoming election.

"We looked at the budget. We looked at his popularity. We looked at the money and we decided we wouldn't run against him," Sepe said. 

Fung has a war chest of more than $130,000, presented a budget with no tax increases this year and has popular support from the masses.

At one point this spring, Sepe mulled running himself. But he had a change of heart when he took a closer look. He said he looked for another candidate but knew by last week that it wasn't going to happen.

Since the filing period began on Monday, many curious political watchers in Cranston have been keeping an eye out for an Independent or outsider to throw their hat into the ring. But by 4 p.m. Wednesday, there was no other name on the list other than Fung's.

Fung kicked off his campaign last week at Cadence Science on Plainfield Pike.

"I am eager to gather with the people who have supported me in my efforts over these past several years and excited to share my plans for the upcoming election season," Fung said in a release.

Fung is in his second term as mayor. This upcoming election is notable since the winner of the mayoral race will serve a four year term instead of a two year term. Voters approved increasing the length of the mayor's term last election.

Note, the headline of this story is technically incorrect. Someone could wage a write-in campaign, though the chances are slim.