In May, the Council received the report from the Charter Review Commission with several recommended changes to Newport’s governing Charter. During this Wednesday’s Council meeting, we will vote on which of these proposed Charter amendments will be presented to the voters of Newport on the ballot in November. Most recommendations are to clarify language and generally make the Charter easier for the average person to read. Three proposed changes have the potential to change Newport and the City Council significantly.
The Commission was given only four months by the Council to study the Charter, garner public feedback from across the City, and draft their report. This has led to some of the proposed amendments lacking a clear rationale for why they are needed and the intended impact. The government must present voters with valid choices and well-defined reasoning when asking them to vote.
The proposal to remove Ward Councilors and have seven At-Large Councilors has the potential to isolate our neighborhoods and could allow for all seven Councilors to live in one area of the City. Ward Councilors have the difficult task of simultaneously serving all of Newport and their individual wards. In their capacity as Ward Councilors, they take on more neighborhood-specific issues. Ward seats allow Councilors to act as a voice for often underrepresented communities and give neighborhood perspectives on broader City-wide issues. The great work Councilor McCalla has done for the North End while serving as the Ward 1 Councilor comes to mind. Moving to all At-Large Councilors could lead to an imbalance of power, and I do not support putting the possible disenfranchisement of Newport voters on the ballot.
A proposed Charter change would make the At-Large Councilor who receives the highest number of votes the Council Chair with the ceremonial title of Mayor. The role of the Mayor in Newport tends to be misunderstood. Currently, any of the four At-Large Councilors can be chosen by the entire City Council to serve as Council Chair and Mayor. It is not a separately elected position, and there is no additional power or weight to their vote. I have long believed that using the title of Mayor when Newport has a City Council – City Manager form of government is confusing to residents and visitors alike. We do not have a strong Mayor; we have a Council Chair that acts as Mayor in a ceremonial capacity.
There has been a debate surrounding how the Council Chair is chosen for decades and I do not think this proposal offers a true solution. Having the candidate with the most votes become Chair doesn’t allow the residents to actually choose the Chair and Mayor in a pick-four election. A candidate receiving the highest number of votes does not mean they have the skills to be Council Chair. What matters when choosing a Council Chair is leadership ability, communication skills, and the ability to run a Council meeting clearly and effectively. How a Council meeting is managed has a significant impact on the transparency and effectiveness of a Council. I do not believe this proposed change truly addresses the concerns voiced in the community, and it will lead to further confusion regarding what the title of Mayor means in Newport.
Another recommended Charter amendment is to limit Councilors to four consecutive terms. This would open the door for new talent and allow experienced representatives to return after a break from the Council. Running for the first time and going up against incumbent Councilors is very difficult. Additionally, when serving for an extended time, Councilors can lose the urgency in their positions and be less inclined to fight for change in the system. The Charter Commission provided a clear rationale for this amendment, stating “Term limits provide more people in the community the opportunity to serve in elected office”.
Currently, the language that will be presented on the ballot would have all the proposed Charter amendments grouped together as one ballot question. Doing so presents the voters with a difficult choice if they do not agree with all the amendments. I believe they should be separated so that residents can vote on them individually, and I will be proposing that we split them up for the ballot.
Also on the docket is approval of a referendum ballot question on the sale of cannabis in Newport. The recent legalization of cannabis in Rhode Island allows each municipality to determine if it wishes to allow the “cultivation, manufacture, laboratory testing, and for the retail sale” of recreational cannabis. This can only be determined by voters via a ballot referendum. If voters decide recreational cannabis cam be sold in Newport, the City would be able to levy a 3% tax while the State levies a 10% tax.