The Newport City Council bid farewell to two of its members Wednesday night, recognizing Councilors Angela Lima and Mark Aramli for their service as the current council term comes to a close.
In their final meeting, the council passed resolutions honoring Lima and Aramli for their contributions to the city. Lima served three terms representing the First Ward since 2018, while Aramli was elected as an at-large councilor in 2022.
The resolution for Lima highlighted her “thoughtful and inclusive approach” to city projects and initiatives. It noted her service as council liaison to organizations like the Newport County Chamber of Commerce and Newport Public Education Foundation, as well as city boards including the Energy and Environment Commission.
“I am incredibly honored to serve as a representative for the First Ward,” Lima said in remarks after the resolution passed. “In my time, I’ve been so grateful to see, to do some good work, but also work with some incredibly talented policymakers.”
Lima reflected on milestones during her tenure, including serving on an all-female council and with the city’s first female mayor and first Laotian-American mayor. She called her fellow councilors and city staff “family” after six years of service.
“Be good to each other, or maybe not, I don’t know. I like it when we fight,” Lima joked, before turning serious. “Newport really is an international city and we have some of the best and the brightest individuals sitting right here.”
Former Mayor Jamie Bova spoke during the public comment portion of the resolution and expressed gratitude for Lima’s service and advocacy for the city, particularly the North End, saying “Councilor Lima, you have been a tireless advocate for the city as a whole and for the North End and for all of us living here. We are forever in your debt and forever grateful that you were here to support us and represent us as well as you have. It was an honour to serve with you and it’s been an honour to watch you continue to serve. And I’m really excited to see whatever it is that you do next.”
The resolution honoring Lima is below and here.
The resolution for Aramli recognized his efforts to manage Newport’s “unique economic landscape,” including advocacy for sustainable tourism and infrastructure management. It noted his support for initiatives like sound cameras to address noise pollution and parking reforms to benefit neighborhoods.
“It has been an absolute honor volunteering for the City of Newport these past two years,” Aramli said. “I really want to say to anybody out there, any citizens who care about the city like getting involved in the city. Choosing to run for City Council and getting involved is incredibly rewarding.”
Aramli highlighted the council’s selection of a new city manager as a key accomplishment. “Mr. Kennedy is an incredibly well qualified person and I believe his choice and his leadership in the city is going to make a big difference in the city of Newport in the coming years,” he said.
The resolution honoring Aramli is below and here.
Mayor Xay Khamsyvoravong, who chaired his final meeting before handing over leadership to Mayor-elect Charlie Holder, took a moment to reflect on the council’s work over the past two years.
“We have worked exceptionally hard over the past two years. An enormous amount has been accomplished during a period of time when change was particularly important, given everything that we are facing as a community,” Khamsyvoravong said.
He cited achievements including the Transportation Master Plan, strategic plan, government restructuring, tax breaks for residents, nearly 300 housing units in the pipeline, and over $40 million in state and federal funding secured.
“That is a result of over 120 meetings that this council has had in the past two years, some of which are quite long, as we’ve all seen recently,” the mayor noted. “It’s an enormous amount of dedication from this council. It has set a very high bar for the incoming council that I know they are charged up and ready to meet.”
The meeting also included approval of several contracts and ordinance amendments. The council committed $2.9 million in funding to complete construction of Rogers High School, though the exact source of those funds will be determined later.
The new Newport City Council will be sworn in on Dec. 1, beginning the 2024-2026 term.
