James Diossa

James A. Diossa (born 1985) is an American politician from Rhode Island. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the Rhode Island General Treasurer. He served as a member of the city council and as mayor of Central Falls, Rhode Island, guiding the city after it declared bankruptcy.

Early life and education Diossa's parents were from Medellín, Colombia.

Diossa attended Central Falls High School, where he played for the school's soccer team and won a state championship. earned his undergraduate degree in criminal justice from Becker College becoming the first member of his family to graduate from college. becoming the youngest city councilor in Central Falls' history. The city's only public library closed, and Diossa organized members of the community to raise enough funds to have it reopened. Also in September 2012, Charles Moreau, Central Falls' mayor, resigned and pled guilty to federal charges of fraud. Diossa ran in a special election for mayor in December 2012, and won. He took office on January 1, 2013, at the age of 27. Diossa hired an administrative and a financial officer for the city in April 2013. Under Diossa's leadership, Moody's Investors Service upgraded their rating of Central Falls city bonds. When Lieutenant Governor Dan McKee was elevated to governor in 2021, Diossa was a candidate to succeed McKee as lieutenant governor. However, McKee instead selected Providence city councilor Sabina Matos. In January 2021, Diossa became a senior advisor at the Rhode Island Innovative Policy Lab at Brown University. President Joe Biden nominated Diossa to the board of trustees for the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation in July 2021.

In December 2021, Diossa announced his candidacy for general treasurer of Rhode Island in the 2022 elections, as the incumbent, Seth Magaziner could not run for a third term due to term limits. Diossa defeated Stefan Pryor, the former state secretary of commerce, to win the Democratic Party nomination. He defeated James Lathrop, North Kingstown's finance director, in the general election on November 8.

Personal life Diossa's fiance, Sandra Cano, served in the Rhode Island State Senate. They have two children together.