Newport resident Stephanie Smyth this week filed her declaration of candidacy for an At-Large seat on Newport City Council.
Smyth provided What’sUpNewp with the following statement regarding her candidacy;
“I’d like to officially announce my candidacy for one of the four At-Large seats on the Newport City Council in the upcoming November election. I’ve lived in Newport for 48 years and it’s been exciting to see how it’s grown and developed over those years. As a citizen, there are various areas of the development of Newport that I am both excited and concerned for, such as, the needs of the community in regards to affordable housing and employment opportunities that will enable all who currently reside in Newport to continue to do so, the development and growth of our schools both from a facility to an educational standpoint, and the public concerns that face our city regarding the development of the North End Urban Plan and its impact to the citizens that reside there.
I bring to the table with me my professional background in areas of education (as a paraprofessional education in grades K-12), investment financing, hospitality (through working for various local restaurants and hotels), and federal service in Government Contracting. I also bring to the table my educational background in psychology and business and my experience in municipal Government through my appointments to the Charter Review Committee and Tree and Open Space Commission.
All of this experience has taught me patience, cooperation, the importance of community, and the benefit of compromise. My commitment is to serve the citizens of our great city and contribute to its growth and prosperity. I will support public safety, encourage continued improvements of city infrastructure, support education, encourage affordable housing, and encourage new economic development while supporting locale businesses.
I look forward to representing everyone in Newport fairly and will do so by listening openly to the concerns of our community members with the goal of building a better Newport, one that thrives economically but maintains that small town uniqueness of a close-knit community that I grew up in. I will run a positive campaign, one in which I will display integrity and honestly in all of my interactions and treat all that I encounter with the utmost respect.
We live in a great city so let’s work together to make it an even better place to live, work, and play!!”
Candidates had up until 4 pm to file their declaration of candidacy for local and statewide offices.