The Newport City Council convened for its regular meeting on October 22, 2025, beginning with a moment of silence for the late Tom and Aggie Perkins and a proclamation recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness Week and the 67th anniversary of the sister city affiliation with Shimoda, Japan. The council addressed multiple agenda items including public safety concerns, traffic studies, utility infrastructure maintenance, and the establishment of new commissions, while also reviewing licensing applications and administrative resolutions.
All right, good evening, everybody. Uh Madam Clerk, you take the roll call, please. David Carlin. Here. Lynn Underwood Segley. Here. Harley Holder. Here. Sycam Savoravan. Jean Marie Napolitano. Here. Ellen Pinoch. Here. Stephanie Smythe. Here. There is a quorum present, Mr. Chair. Thank you. We please stand for the pleasure of the allegiance and remain standing, please. I pledge the flood of the United States. If we can just please remain standing for a moment of silence. This is before uh Tom and Aggie Perkins, who uh tragically passed away last week and were put to rest today. Uh they will be remembered as very generous and philothrampic people, very thoughtful people to our community, and uh they will be missed, and our thoughts go out to their family and friends, and uh eternal may be their memory. Thank you. And uh before we get going today. Um first off, you will notice that there are some of us in the room wearing pink. Uh today was our pink out here at City Hall and recognition of uh breast cancer awareness week. Uh we had a little ceremony on the uh front uh front steps of City Hall this afternoon. We read a proclamation for the Susan G. Coman Foundation. So in case you're wondering why Mr. Carl looks so snazzy in this pink tie looking sharp. Uh next up, uh we do have uh our friends from our sister city of Shimoda, Japan coming in uh beginning tomorrow. Uh so I have a proclamation that I'm gonna read here uh in honor of our Shimoda days. So whereas on May 17th, 1958, the town of Shimoda in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan in the city of Newport in the state of Rhode Island, United States, were formally joined in a sister city affiliation by their then mayors, the honorable Sedeo Suzuki and the Honorable Henry C. Wilkinson. And whereas the year, our two communities will celebrate the 67th anniversary of the affiliation that has been carried on by succeeding mayors because of the close ties that bind us in an everlasting goodwill and fellowship. And whereas one of the principal reasons for the formation of our sister city affiliation with Shimoda was due to our illustr illustrious native son, United States Navy Commodore Matthew C. Perry, having been born in Newport on April 10th, 1794, a sailor statesman who was instrumental in opening the way for Japan's entry into the society of nations of the world. And whereas Commodore Perry's two visits to Japan were to leave indelible marks upon the history of our two great countries. First, because of his landing in Kurahama on July 14, 1853, which resulted in the opening of Japan to the outer world, and secondly, his negotiations with the Emperor and the Japanese commissioners, which resulted in the Treaty of Kanaga and the opening of the ports of Shimoda and Hakadode to American ships, and whereas authorized by this treaty was the first American consular representation in Japan to which Townsend Harris was appointed in 1856, with offices located in Gaya Kunsenji Temple in Shimoda and through uh through patient deliberations concluded in the commercial treaty of 1858. And whereas in celebration of enduring friendships between our communities, the town of Shimoda visits the city of Newport biannually to honor the unique and lasting bond shared by our two sister cities. Now, therefore be it that I, Charles Holder, mayor of the city of Newport and the state of Rhode Island, to hereby proclaim October 23 through 26, 2025 as Shimoda Days, in honor of this occasion, call upon all of our citizens to join me in conveying to our friends across the seas our abiding friendship and warmest good wishes on the celebration of the 67th anniversary of the formation of our sister city affiliation. The city shall display the Japanese flag from the mayor's balcony at City Hall for the duration of our visitors' stay from October 23rd to the 26th, 2025. If everybody set my hand on the cause of seal of the city of Newport to be to be a fixed on the 22nd day of October in the year 2024. Thank you very much. And uh at this time I'm gonna at the last second call up this Bachmann, Brendan. If you want to come up for a I know, I know you don't like to speak in front of crowds, so just take a minute and uh give us a little rundown of what we can expect this weekend. Thank you. Gotta make sure they don't fall too.