Newport Harbor

Newport City Council is gearing up to interview six candidates for open spots on the Waterfront Commissio.

The first round of interviews will take place on January 7, 2025. The interviews will take place in the second-floor conference room at 43 Broadway, starting at 5:30 pm.

5:30 p.m. Dennis Rotunno
6:00 p.m. Captain Zane Randall 
6:30 p.m. Timothy Parker Ives

The second round of interviews will take place on January 9 at 5:30 pm.

5:30 p.m. Scott Mason
6:00 p.m. Bill Bagwill 
6:30 p.m. Patrick O’Connor

After the interviews, council members might discuss their voting plans for these appointments at an upcoming regular meeting.

The Waterfront Commission, a nine-member body appointed by the City Council, has a hand in Newport’s maritime matters. Members serve three-year terms, with the Harbormaster acting as a technical advisor.

David Kane currently leads the commission, which most recently included Fred Roy, Henry DiPietro, Peter Baum, Robert Anton, Gary Lash, John Greichen, Mark Marosits, and John Kokulis as members, according to the City of Newport’s website.

Newport City Council’s docket for January 8, 2025, includes resignations from the Waterfront Commission from Peter Baum and Fred Roy and reappointments of the following members;

David Kane – three year term, ending 1/11/2028

Gary Lash – three year term, ending 10/28/2026

John Kokulis – three year term, ending 1/11/2028

The commission meets once a month, switching between the Newport Maritime Center from May to October and the Newport Public Library from November to April. You can catch these meetings on the second Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m.

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...