I am honored that the people of Newport have asked me back to serve on the City Council. I am proud to have made local government more accessible to everyone over the past two terms, and I will continue that work in the upcoming term. As the last remaining votes are tallied, I want to congratulate all the candidates, especially the newcomers, for campaigning in an exceptionally difficult year.
There will be a lot to tackle over the next two years on the City Council, starting with the education of Newport’s youth. The next Council needs to work with the School Committee and RIDE to get shovels in the ground on a new high school. A successful community requires strong neighborhoods with accessible housing alongside a strong school system. The next Council needs to continue to work to make Newport an attractive place for year-round living. Next month the City Administration will bring options to implement a Homestead Exemption to the Council. Properly implemented, a Homestead Exemption will make living in Newport more accessible by decreasing the tax burden on our year-round residents. We must consider these options with ample public input.
The next Council must represent the interests of the residents and their livelihoods as major planning and development projects progress in the North End and around Newport. The next Council will have a role in negotiating Community Benefits Agreements that ensure development brings value to our community. Well thought out plans and enforceable zoning are necessary to ensure that the vision of our community is realized. We need to continue the work begun last year to make the vision of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan a reality by approving enforceable zoning ordinances.
COVID-19 will remain a challenge, and the next Council must continue to guide the City’s response to the pandemic by working closely with the City Manager and providing clear policy direction to respond to the needs of the residents and our local business community. There will be ongoing work with the State to ensure that our community receives adequate State Aid to keep fighting the pandemic and begin the recovery once it has passed.
The effectiveness of a council is measured by the trust of the people. In my time as Council Chair I have worked to build that trust by fostering in-depth discussion on the dais and engaging the public in the conversation as decisions are weighed. As a councilor-elect, I will begin the upcoming term by immediately calling a caucus of my colleagues to discuss, in public, the selection of the Council Chair and Mayor for the next two years. The most impactful and important role of the Chair is as the champion of discussion and openness on the Council. I will ask my peers to discuss and consider how each of the eligible councilors will use the role of Council Chair to uphold the public trust. I am looking forward to joining my colleagues, both old and new, to work together to strengthen our Newport community.