On August 13, 2025, at 6:30 p.m., the Newport City Council convened to address a broad agenda including a public hearing, consent calendar, licenses, multiple action items, and eight resolutions. The meeting featured extensive debate on police contract terms, parking and traffic safety measures, hospital liaisons, transit cuts, invasive plants, school zone speeds, and school regionalization. Several votes were taken, with amendments and continuances debated but ultimately resolved.
Mayor Holder read a proclamation declaring August 14, 2025 as “Joe Logue Day” in Newport, honoring the retiring director of the Newport Public Library for eight years of leadership, including navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and overseeing capital projects. Logue thanked the council and staff.
Council approved congratulating the Trust on its national recognition and 2024 “Best Plate of the Year” award for its charitable license plate, reaffirming support for the Trust’s mission, and recognizing August 7 (National Lighthouse Day) as “Rhode Island Rose Island Lighthouse and Fort Hamilton Trust Day” in Newport.
Mayor Holder explained Falcone moved overseas and missed more than 75% of meetings, triggering a bylaw provision. The Council unanimously approved removal, with Holder noting Falcone remains welcome to serve when he returns.
City Manager recommended a 30-year extension (through 2063) with CPI adjustments and 15% of non-member transient dockage fees. Councilor Carlin moved to continue, citing the need for a public workshop. The motion to continue passed (voice vote).
City Manager presented the contract (bridge year FY2025: 2.9% retroactive increase; FY2026-2028: 3% annual increases). Councilor Carlin offered an amendment to raise the retroactive increase to 4%, citing consistency with the firefighter contract and fairness. Solicitor Bean and Councilor Smythe opposed, warning it would politicize negotiations and set bad precedent with other unions. Amendment failed (hand vote). Carlin’s second amendment for a 4% increase in FY2026 lacked a second. The original contract was approved (hand vote).
Councilor Carlin moved to continue to gather constituent input. Councilor Pinnock disagreed, noting ITC notification and 34 accidents in 10 years. The continuance motion failed. The three-way stop sign was approved.
Councilor Carlin questioned what changed since planning board approval of the Waits Wharf development, where fire apparatus turning was said not to be an issue. Fire Marshal Justin Duell stated it has always been an issue; the fire truck’s tiller steering adjustments made it tighter. Video showed difficulty turning with a car parked in the spot. Carlin’s appeal to the chair’s ruling on relevance was sustained (hand vote). Councilors Khamsyvoravong and Segley supported removal as a safety necessity. Approved.
Councilor Smythe proposed appointing herself and Councilor Khamsyvoravong as liaisons. Councilor Segley moved to continue to allow hospital input; after debate, motion to continue failed. Councilor Carlin objected to self-appointment but the resolution passed (hand vote).
Councilor Khamsyvoravong noted cuts would eliminate the trolley route to northern Newport, Middletown, URI, and the train station. Council passed unanimously (voice vote).
Councilor Holder requested an ordinance to regulate invasive plant growth in residential zones. Passed.
Councilor Pinnock read resolves noting school zones are high-crash clusters and that speed is a factor in 45% of RI traffic fatalities. Approved.
Councilor Carlin recognized Ida Lewis posthumously and Jan Slee’s acceptance of a National Lighthouse Award. Passed.
Councilor Napolitano’s resolution set a path toward a voter referendum in April 2026 on administrative regionalization (shared superintendent and finance office), with incentives including 50% bus reimbursement and increased state construction aid. Councilor Khamsyvoravong amended the first resolve to set a September 30, 2025 deadline for appointing an Academic Integration Advisory Commission. Councilor Pinnock amended to direct the City Manager to coordinate a joint meeting with Middletown officials, RIDE, and superintendents. Councilor Smythe moved to continue pending a manager’s report on resource impacts; the motion failed. The resolution as amended passed (hand vote – “by two”).
*Note: Meeting began at 6:30 p.m. and adjourned without a recorded end time. All votes are based on transcript voice or hand counts as audible.
All right. Good evening, everyone. Gonna bring this meeting to order. Uh, Madam Clerk, will you please take a roll? David Carlin. Lynn Underwood Segley? Here. Charlie Holder. Here. Cycam Savoravan. Here. Jean Marina Napolitano. Here. Ellen Pinnack? Here. Stephanie Smite. There is a quorum present, Mr. Chairman. Please stand for the pledge pleadings. Right. Do I do the citizens for him first? Yeah, I didn't do that. And then but I'll move the thing. Um, Mr. Chair, I'd like to uh make a motion to move number 22. Uh it's a resolution concerning the Rose Island Lighthouse to after the proclamation and before the public hearing. Second. Motion and second, any discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. All right. We'll move that up. Uh Madam Clerk, anyone from the Citizens Forum. Yes. Uh Kyle Hence is here. State your name and address, please. Uh 73 Washington Street. Uh, thank you for this opportunity. Uh I'm grateful that I live in a country where I can speak freely uh to my elected representatives. I'm here to talk about fluoridation. It's something I've done before the city council uh in years past. Uh the reason being last year in September, uh a federal judge who was appointed by Obama uh ruled that fluoridation posed an unreasonable risk, particularly to infants and children. Um this uh report I got coming in. This is about water quality in Newport, and it states that fluoride is a glasses water additive which promotes strong teeth. In fact, it's a neurotoxin. And so after a lawsuit brought by women, mothers, and and others, uh several organizations filed a lawsuit against the EPA. Um he determined that there was unreasonable risk posed to all Americans, excepting the point seven millimiligrams per per liter is the standard, this recommendation coming down from the EPA, which is what they put in our water every day on this island. They have for many years. Now uh several states have since banned fluoridation, Utah and Florida since this ruling. Again, this is before the election of Trump by an Obama-appointed judge.