Newport City Hall.

The Newport City Council will interview six candidates for vacancies on the Planning Board on Tuesday, Jan. 6.

The interviews will begin at 5 p.m. in the ground floor conference room at City Hall, 43 Broadway.

Candidates scheduled for interviews include Don Winters at 5 p.m., John Greichen at 5:30 p.m., Benjamin Willet at 6 p.m., John DiBari at 6:30 p.m., Margaret Polski at 7 p.m. and Peter Clark at 7:30 p.m. Polski, who currently serves as chair of the Planning Board, is seeking reappointment.

The Planning Board serves as the steward of the city’s Comprehensive Plan, which sets the long-term goals for Newport and is a key measure by which large development projects and zoning relief are evaluated. The board issues approvals for subdivision and land development applications, approves development plan review applications for large developments not permitted by right, and provides recommendations to the City Council on all zoning amendments.

The board consists of nine members appointed to three-year terms by the City Council. It receives staff support from the Department of Planning and Development.

The council may discuss how members plan to vote on applicants at the conclusion of the interviews. A formal vote to appoint candidates is expected to take place at a future regularly scheduled council meeting.

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...