Paul F. Caranci is a third generation resident of Village of Centredale in the Town of North Providence and has been a student of history for many years. Paul served as Rhode Island’s Deputy Secretary of State from 2007 to 2015 and was elected to the North Providence Town Council where he served from 1994 to 2010. He has a BA in political science from Providence College and is has taken many Masters-level courses at Roger Williams University.
Together with his wife Margie he founded the Municipal Heritage Group in 2009. He also served on the Board of Directors of the RI Heritage Harbor Museum and the RI Heritage Hall of Fame. He is past Chairman of the Diabetes Foundation of Rhode Island (formerly the American Diabetes Association, Rhode Island Affiliate) where he served on the Board of Directors for over 15 years, two of them as the Chairman. Paul currently serves on the Board of Directors of the RI Publication Society and the Association of Rhode Island Authors (ARIA).
During his tenure on the North Providence Town Council Paul’s efforts earned him several awards. For his legislative work in the prevention of youth addiction to tobacco Paul was recognized with the James Carney Public Health Award from the RI Department of Health and an Advocacy Award from the American Cancer Society. Paul’s legislation to expand health care coverage to include the equipment, supplies and education necessary for the home management of diabetes and his successful work toward the elimination of the pre-existing condition clause from health insurance policies written in Rhode Island were recognized with an Advocate of the Year Award from the Diabetes Foundation of RI and an Advocacy Award from the American Diabetes Association. Those new laws also made Rhode Island the first state in the nation to eliminate the pre-existing condition clause and expand coverage for diabetes. His efforts in exposing political corruption in his hometown earned him the Margaret Chase Smith American Democracy Award for Political Courage from the National Association of Secretaries of State, the organization’s highest honor.
Paul is an author with fourteen published books to his credit including four award winning books. The Hanging & Redemption of John Gordon: The True Story of Rhode Island’s Last Execution (The History Press, 2013) was voted one of the top five non-fiction books of 2013 by the Providence Journal. Scoundrels: Defining Corruption Through Tales of Political Intrigue in Rhode Island (Stillwater River Publications, 2016) was the winner of the 2016 Dorry Award as the non-fiction book of the year. The Promise of Fatima: One Hundred Years of History, Mystery & Faith (Stillwater River Publications, 2017) and I Am The Immaculate Conception: The Story of Bernadette of Lourdes (Stillwater River Publications, 2019) were each names finalists in the International Book Awards in Los Angeles, California.
Paul’s seventh book, Wired: A Shocking True Story of Political Corruption and the FBI Informant Who Risked Everything to Expose It (Stillwater River Publications, 2017) tells his own story of courage in the face of the political corruption that surrounded him.
Paul and his wife Margie have two adult children, Heather and Matthew; and four grandchildren, Matthew Jr., Jacob, Vincent and Casey. They continue to make residence in the Town of North Providence.
Together with his wife Margie he founded the Municipal Heritage Group in 2009. He also served on the Board of Directors of the RI Heritage Harbor Museum and the RI Heritage Hall of Fame. He is past Chairman of the Diabetes Foundation of Rhode Island (formerly the American Diabetes Association, Rhode Island Affiliate) where he served on the Board of Directors for over 15 years, two of them as the Chairman. Paul currently serves on the Board of Directors of the RI Publication Society and the Association of Rhode Island Authors (ARIA).
During his tenure on the North Providence Town Council Paul’s efforts earned him several awards. For his legislative work in the prevention of youth addiction to tobacco Paul was recognized with the James Carney Public Health Award from the RI Department of Health and an Advocacy Award from the American Cancer Society. Paul’s legislation to expand health care coverage to include the equipment, supplies and education necessary for the home management of diabetes and his successful work toward the elimination of the pre-existing condition clause from health insurance policies written in Rhode Island were recognized with an Advocate of the Year Award from the Diabetes Foundation of RI and an Advocacy Award from the American Diabetes Association. Those new laws also made Rhode Island the first state in the nation to eliminate the pre-existing condition clause and expand coverage for diabetes. His efforts in exposing political corruption in his hometown earned him the Margaret Chase Smith American Democracy Award for Political Courage from the National Association of Secretaries of State, the organization’s highest honor.
Paul is an author with fourteen published books to his credit including four award winning books. The Hanging & Redemption of John Gordon: The True Story of Rhode Island’s Last Execution (The History Press, 2013) was voted one of the top five non-fiction books of 2013 by the Providence Journal. Scoundrels: Defining Corruption Through Tales of Political Intrigue in Rhode Island (Stillwater River Publications, 2016) was the winner of the 2016 Dorry Award as the non-fiction book of the year. The Promise of Fatima: One Hundred Years of History, Mystery & Faith (Stillwater River Publications, 2017) and I Am The Immaculate Conception: The Story of Bernadette of Lourdes (Stillwater River Publications, 2019) were each names finalists in the International Book Awards in Los Angeles, California.
Paul’s seventh book, Wired: A Shocking True Story of Political Corruption and the FBI Informant Who Risked Everything to Expose It (Stillwater River Publications, 2017) tells his own story of courage in the face of the political corruption that surrounded him.
Paul and his wife Margie have two adult children, Heather and Matthew; and four grandchildren, Matthew Jr., Jacob, Vincent and Casey. They continue to make residence in the Town of North Providence.
WPRO radio - Talk show host, Buddy Cianci interviews author Paul Caranci.
New York Times best selling author, John Barry, who wrote "Roger Williams: The Creation of the American Soul" poses with author Paul Caranci at the RI state house for the 350th Anniversary of the Royal Charter event.
Paul had an opportunity to discuss The Hanging & Redemption of John Gordon with NY Times best selling author David McCullough and present him with a copy of the book.
Paul and his grandson Matthew were able to discuss details of NY Times best selling author Nathaniel Philbrick's book Bunker Hill following a talk.