CRANSTON –– There will be only two primary fights in city elections this fall.

But if the early rhetoric is any indication, they should both be spirited affairs.

The Board of Canvassers certified candidates yesterday for mayor, City Council, School Committee and General Assembly –– verifying that they had submitted enough valid signatures by registered voters to get on the ballot.

And while there are no intraparty fights brewing on the Republican side, Democrats will be sparring for their party’s nomination in two races –– City Council in Ward 4 and state representative in District 16.

Rep. Peter G. Palumbo, first elected to the House in 1994, is being challenged for the District 16 seat by John C. DeGenova, a former Cranston deputy fire chief.

Palumbo, regarded as a principled independent by supporters, has drawn the scorn of local Democratic power brokers.

“I just don’t think Peter’s been loyal to the Democratic Party,” said Michael J. Sepe, chairman of the Democratic City Committee.

Sepe blasted Palumbo for serving on the transition team of former Cranston Mayor Stephen P. Laffey, a Republican.

And he chided the incumbent for publicly labeling Republican Allan W. Fung, a former City Councilman, a strong candidate for mayor this fall.

But Palumbo brushed off the opposition of “political hacks” and said he does not let party allegiances guide his votes.

“If I see an issue that a Republican has that’s good for the people, I’ll vote for that issue,” he said.

Palumbo also pointed to his efforts to improve education for autistic students and get tougher on child molesters.

But DeGenova said the incumbent does not represent the core values of the party.

He was particularly critical of Palumbo’s high-profile push to crack down on illegal immigration, arguing that his opponent’s rhetoric has fanned the flames of intolerance.

“Peter and people like him have fed into the lowest common denominator of talk radio and Bill O’Reilly,” he said.

DeGenova, whose father once served on the Cranston City Council, said he would focus on big, bread-and-butter issues –– pushing for universal health care and trying to boost economic development in the state.

In Ward 4, Democratic Councilwoman Maria Bucci is stepping down at the end of the year.

And two newcomers on the Democratic side –– Robert J. Pelletier and Michael J. Farina –– are vying for the chance to take on Republican Donald McCutcheon.

Pelletier, an information technology consultant for the state Department of Corrections, is building his campaign around opposition to a 198-unit rental and townhouse development proposed for Phenix Avenue.

The project, known as Phenix Terrace, has drawn sharp opposition from residents concerned about traffic and neighborhood character.

Pelletier said an endorsement by local Democrats, combined with a high-energy campaign, will spell a victory over Farina in September.

But Farina, a financial analyst in the private sector, dismissed the party endorsement as the badge of an old-style politician.

Eschewing fundraisers, Farina said he will run an inexpensive, grassroots campaign focused on his financial acumen.

“If he thinks he’s going to have a cakewalk in Cranston, he’s sadly mistaken,” Farina said, referring to Pelletier. “I’m going to go at him with everything I have.”

If tough primary fights are shaping up in two city races, other would-be primaries never got off the ground.

The City Council consists of three citywide seats and six ward seats.

On the Republican side, Carmine DePetrillo declared his candidacy for a citywide seat last month, setting the wheels in motion for a primary fight with the party’s three endorsed candidates: Marshall D’Ambrosio, James W. Quinlan and Leslie Luciano.

But DePetrillo did not return enough valid signatures.

Likewise, talk of a Democratic primary in Ward 1, with lawyer Raymond J. Tomasso taking on incumbent Terence Livingston, fizzled in recent weeks.

Tomasso did not file any signatures by a deadline last week. Livingston did qualify for the ballot and will face Steven C. Bloom, a businessman running as an independent, in November.

In Ward 2, Democratic incumbent Emilio L. Navarro will take on Republican challenger Manuel Miguel Jr., director of purchasing and facilities for the Rhode Island Blood Center.

In Ward 3, School Committee member-turned-Democratic council candidate Paul H. Archetto will attempt to grab the open seat.

He faces Republican John Bina, a radio disk jockey, and independent Brian J. McFarland, a pipefitter who is married to departing Councilwoman Paula B. McFarland.

In Ward 5, Democratic incumbent Richard D. Santamaria Jr. will do battle with Republican Arthur Jochmann II, former superintendent of public buildings and highway manager for the city.

In Ward 6, Democratic lawyer Michelle Bergin-Andrews takes on three independents –– Albert O. Melikian Jr., Rachel M. McNally and James E. Carr –– in a fight for the open seat.

And in the citywide race, the three endorsed Republicans –– D’Ambrosio, Quinlan and Luciano –– will face off against the three endorsed Democrats: former City Councilman Mario Aceto and incumbents John E. Lanni Jr. and Anthony J. Lupino.

For mayor –– no surprises here –– Fung, the former Republican City Councilman, will vie with former Democratic City Councilwoman Cynthia M. Fogarty.

On the School Committee, a nonpartisan panel, citywide member Frank S. Lombardi faces no opposition.

In Ward 1, incumbent Steve. Stycos faces no opposition either, after challenger Jessica D. Rosner dropped out of the race.

In Ward 2, newcomer Stephanie A. Culhane will take on incumbent Deborah C. Griefer.

In Ward 3, departing Councilwoman Paula B. McFarland faces no opposition for the School Committee seat after would-be challenger Cathryn Nota dropped out and another rival, Moses P. Saygbe, did not file enough valid signatures.

In Ward 4, also an open seat, Janice Ruggieri and Bruce P. Saccoccio will go head-to-head. And in Ward 5, School Committee Chairman Michael A. Traficante is running unopposed.

In Ward 6, Julie M. Colangelo is challenging incumbent Andrea M. Iannazzi.

Democratic state Senators Beatrice A. Lanzi, Hanna M. Gallo and Joshua Miller all qualified for the ballot.

Democratic state Representatives with large Cranston constituencies –– including Charlene Lima, Nicholas A. Mattiello, Palumbo, Robert B. Jacquard and Arthur Handy –– also qualified.

Gallo will run unopposed. But the rest of the city’s legislative delegation faces Republican and, in some cases, independent opposition.

dscharfe@projo.com