Cranston Council Clashes with Solicitor Over Shriners Sign Enforcement

Cranston council members pressed a city solicitor Wednesday over why an LED sign that the city says was permitted improperly is allowed to keep operating until 9 p.m. each night while the case moves through municipal court.

The exchange came during the Public Works Committee's council communications, according to the Cranston Public Works Committee and Ordinance Committee's published meeting recording for August 5, 2026. The item was docketed by Ward One Councilwoman Graziano, who asked for an update on the Shriners LED sign and the results of a municipal court hearing.

A solicitor told the committee the matter is playing out in municipal court and that an agreement had been reached between the Shriners and the city under which the sign will be turned off by 9 p.m. while the case proceeds. He said he was not privy to the details of the original permit, that he was not part of the court proceeding, and that a judge will decide whether the sign is being legally operated.

Graziano said that arrangement does not help residents. She said there are two separate problems: no waiver from the Zoning Board for the sign, and no electrical permit, which she described as a safety concern. She compared the situation to construction without a permit, asking whether the city would tell someone building a house that they could put up half of it while they waited. "I guess I'm a little bit confused why we're negotiating with a violator in the city of Cranston," she said.

The solicitor responded that whether a violation exists is precisely the question before the court, and that due process gives the sign's owner an opportunity to be heard. He drew a distinction that is easy to miss: one issue is the merits, and a separate issue is whether the "status quo" — the sign continuing to operate — is restrained while the case is pending. That second question, he said, is also for a judge.

Asked whether the city had issued a cease-and-desist order, a written demand that an activity stop, the solicitor said that to his knowledge none had been issued and that he had not been instructed to send one. He said cease-and-desist letters are often ignored and that enforcement ultimately requires a court willing to threaten contempt. A second attorney told the committee that if a cease-and-desist has been issued, the recipient must comply until the matter is adjudicated, and can ask a court for a stay. He said he did not know where this case stands in the process and could not check the city's permitting portal from the meeting.

Council President Wall asked whether fines apply. He was told fines accrue from the date of the citation forward and are imposed by a court after adjudication, rather than collected daily. Wall said the city should pursue them, arguing the current posture sets a precedent that violators can act first and wait for a judge.

Councilman Traficante objected to the approach in blunter terms. "What's bothering me is that we're making side deals," he said, adding that the violation has been cited and questioning why the city is negotiating.

Earlier in the meeting, a resident used public comment to call the sign unlawful, saying the building official lacked authority to issue the permit and that the owner had been asked more than once to seek zoning relief without applying. He said neighbors want the sign taken down unless and until the Zoning Board grants approval.

Graziano asked the administration to consider issuing a cease-and-desist even if compliance is uncertain, saying it would at least document the city's position for the judge. The solicitor said the decision is not his and that he would relay the request. Requesting a cease-and-desist is an executive-branch enforcement action, he said, and not something the council can order.

No vote was taken on the sign. Graziano said she expects an update at the committee's next meeting, and that a separate complaint involving the same nonprofit will appear on a future agenda. Meeting agendas are posted on the city's calendar page.