As someone who regularly attends City Council meetings in-person, I noticed while shaving the other morning, a rough and irritated, sorta reddish linear mark beginning above my right temple, extending below my ear. Turns out, its from having to scratch my head so often while at the meetings. This past year especially, when compared to some past years, Newport residents have been treated to many Wednesdsy evening performances that tend to mirror a cross between the plots of the old tv soap, Dark Shaddows and a steady mix of interspersed SEINFELD episodes. I had difficulty just now deciding between Seinfeld and Gilligan’s Island, but I digress.
The oft dysfunctional browbeating discourse, the meanspiritedness, vitriolic condemnation of peers and recalicitrant behavior, both on and off the dias, has been astoundingly unprofessional and wastes valuable City resources and time from actually codifying initiatives that benefit all residents. Tell us what you are doing to build up and lift our city to greater and more prosperous and compassionate levels, and cease sharing the rankel. While each council representative deserves our thanks for their largely, uncomensated service, to make your point and express constituents’ concerns, one does not need to embarass themselves in the process. One change I believe would be an improvement is the reversal of the “Citizen’s Forum” and the Councilors duties. If we limit each council member to speaking for only 3 minutes, and allowed the citizens unlimited time, many of our problems would be corrected.
Amidst this confusing and often unproductive cacophony, has been, in my observations, two first term councilors that have seperated from this practice and have consistently made strides to use an approach of civility, transparency, meaningful and thoughtful dialog to represent the people who placed them in this chamber. I speak of councilors Pinnock & Smyth. Both have carried themselves with the utmost refinement and given me a sense of hope that the issues and obstacles we face as a community can be mediated in an intelligent and respectful way that seems to have evaded some others. Their often close to poetic dialog, has been the sanity during otherwise disruptive and chaotic council sessions.
I have often been struck by councilor Smyth’s analytical and process laiden solutions that clearly define clearly the more complex issues. She and Ms. Pinnock’s numerous, co-sponsored resolutions to establish open workshops to tap into the community’s voices, has not only been different, but a respectful gamechanger in the transparency we all deserve. Mses Smyth & Pinnock have consistently demonstrated what can be accomplished when elected representatives spend time doing research analysis and deliver it in a thoughtful and informative style to build and lift our city up and not become an immovable force for partisan gain. As JFK stated, “Civilty is not a sign of weakness” Also, a special ‘thank you’ to Mr. Khamsyvoravong for his dedicated and valuable service to our city council as he departs for a new path in contiued service.
In closing, these two councilors have been and will be an essential component to Newport’s future success, and should be reelected and become 2nd year council representatives on November 3rd, lest we all enjoy those linear, reddish marks on our heads.
Sincerely,
Gerry DeCotis, Newport RI
