Get to know Larry
Larry Warner is a Democratic candidate for Cranston City Council in Ward 5. Larry is running for City Council because we need better accountability and smarter use of taxpayer dollars. As a member of the Cranston City Council, Larry will use his experiences experiences, expertise, and resident input to prioritize policies that build a healthy, safe, and affordable Cranston.
Larry is committed to bringing members of the community and other stakeholders together to find solutions for challenges facing our city such as affordable housing, economic development, and opportunities for our youth.
Larry grew up in Brooklyn, NY, and is the older of two sons of Gloria and the late Caleb Warner. Larry moved to Rhode Island to attend Brown University and fell in love with the state, and eventually Cranston. Larry's first job after college was with the American Red Cross, supporting disaster preparedness and response activities in Rhode Island, and then leading that work in Southeastern Massachusetts. While a student at Brown, and in his spare time afterwards, Larry volunteered as an emergency medical technician as one way to give back to the community.
In 2001 he applied for and completed the process to become a firefighter/EMT with the Providence Fire Department.
Larry worked across Providence in emergency medical services, fire suppression, emergency communications, and training and professional development. Driven by his interest in improving the health and well-being of the community at a broader level, Larry pursued a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree at Brown University. After completing his MPH and working on various initiatives in Providence, Larry left the fire service to become a grant officer with the Rhode Island Foundation, where he led the organization’s health care grant making and initiatives.
Larry and his wife of 16 years, Dr. Tammy Vargas Warner, have lived in Ward 5 in Cranston for the past 14 years. They have three sons. One son is a graduate of Cranston High School West, and the other two currently attend Cranston public schools. Tammy
is the assistant commissioner of Postsecondary Academic and Student Affairs for the Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner.
Larry is currently the Chief Impact and Equity Officer with United Way of Rhode Island. He leads the organization’s work in the areas of housing, economic mobility, education and youth development, research and data analytics, policy and advocacy, senior and disability services, and a statewide 211 call center which operates all day every day. Larry earned a doctorate in public health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.