Opinion

If you have an opinion on a candidate or issue, or if you want to endorse a candidate or side of an issue, you have until the end of the week to share your opinion with our readers. To ensure your letter/opinion is published, please send it to What’s Up Newp no later than 11:59 […]

 I write to endorse Susan Taylor as Councilor “at large” for the Newport City council.  For the past two years she has been the first ward councilor.  Susan was born in England and educated in the states and now has a law practice, specializing in immigration issues. She envisions Newport as an “ideal” community (“Newport […]

It is a time-honored adage in the fire service that firefighters are resistant to two things: change and the way things are. Watching change creep into an institution is a tough pill to swallow. This holds as true for our City as it does for the fire service. The values and ideals we hold to […]

If you live in the third ward and are still undecided as to who to vote for, we strongly encourage you to consider casting your vote for Kate Leonard.  We have lived and run our business here for over 20 years.  Our neighborhood has changed a lot over the years.  Any time we have had […]

I am writing in support of the Newport School Bond (Question No. 2).  On November 3rd we have the opportunity to vote Yes on the bond, Yes, to improving and expanding Pell School and Yes to a new Rogers High School.   As a graduate of Rogers, I share, as many of you do, fond memories […]

We want to take this opportunity to commend the leadership of Joe Nicholson and Susan Taylor for creating and implementing the volunteer “Zorro Brigade” which handed out free masks in Newport over the summer and fall. The initiative involved organizing dozens of volunteers for every weekend at multiple locations–to help make the community a safer […]

Susan Taylor is a strong voice for the people of Newport’s North Side.  Residents of our corner of town have large projects looming over us as we go into this election and the next Newport City Council must be composed of individuals that hear and respect the voices coming from our community.  As the city has […]

After being a member of the Newport City Council for almost 20 years, I am appalled at the ugliness of this campaign–nationally, statewide, and locally. As most people know, I am assertive in my role as City Councilor.  It is part of my role in representing my constituents.  This week I have been hearing of […]

Dear Editor, Just a quick shout out to my fellow Middletowners.  If you haven’t voted yet, the early-in-person- voting at Middletown Town Hall couldn’t be easier!  I literally had NO wait in line at 3 pm on a Thursday afternoon. So please, stop by Middletown Town Hall on East Main Road this week (8 am […]

To the Editor: I’ve lived in Newport for over 13 years.  I love the dense, urban feel of the City as well as the access to the quiet and beautiful parks and the ocean.  Through the work I do with the North End community, I’m well aware of the many potential changes coming to Newport […]

I have been reading the comments advocating approval or rejection of the Newport Public School bond referendum.  My wife and I are grandparents of a child at Pell Elementary and another at Rogers High and have a vested interest in the issue.  We have studied the arguments and conclude without a doubt that Rogers needs […]

I find it curious that some people running for election celebrate parts of their lives about which they had no choice. Like whether they were born in Newport, how many generations their family has lived here, or whether they went to the local schools. I’m much more curious about what people choose, like moving to […]

Editor, Would we parachute out of a plane without understanding what’s waiting for us on the ground? Of course not, but that’s what the Newport “VOTE YES” school bond proponents want.  For example, do you know that Alliance for Livable Newport says that there’s a 10.76% property tax hike waiting for us, part of which […]

Our High School must be replaced, and this is the opportune time to initiate bonding and complete the process that began more than two years ago.  The building committee has followed the guidelines of the RI School Building Authority to the letter of the law in order to qualify for the maximum reimbursement to Newport, […]

I have no doubt that Paul Marshall is a decent human being, a loving father to a toddler, a man genuinely wanting to be involvement in the future of Newport. Were he running for an At-Large seat, I might seriously consider his candidacy. Bur he threw his hat into the wrong ring, Kate Leonard has […]

To the Editor, What’s Up Newport The Middletown organization Citizens Exploring School Unification (CESU) recommends ten outstanding candidates for the Middletown Town Council, all of whom favor discussions as to the possibility of Middletown-Newport high school unification.  These candidates understand the vital importance of exploring a school system that will provide the students of our two communities with […]

In January 2019,  I, along with 30 other residents,  was appointed to the Charter Review Committee (CRC) by the Portsmouth Town Council. Our task for the next eighteen months was to review what was described as the people’s  Charter of the Town of Portsmouth.   We were to make suggestions to update this document for […]

To the Editor:  I don’t know anyone who works harder or smarter for the good of Newport than Beth Cullen. She has a depth of understanding and tradition from being a multi-generational Newporter and a tenacious, intelligent, forward thinking approach to problem solving. The times we are living in are probably the most challenging most […]

A Vote for Lauren Carson, who represents District 75 in the Rhode Island House of Representatives, will help assure us a quick and substantial economic recovery in Newport. During my tenure on Newport’s Energy and Environment Commission, I saw Lauren be proactive, stepping up with new ideas and providing leadership on emerging issues. She is […]

I urge you to support Paul Marshall as the best choice for Third Ward City Councilor. Rather than respond to the baseless attacks spread by the incumbent’s campaign, let me state what Newporters already know: Paul is a well-educated young man who grew up here and whose family, from wife and baby to grandparents, reside […]

Dear Editor, a letter of support –  Those who have written endorsements for Kim Salerno to represent Second Ward on the city council have done such a wonderful job that my humble endorsement may not sway many voters, but please consider this short letter.   It is true that Kim was not born here nor […]

To the Editor,  I would like to voice my support for the reelection of Jamie Bova. I’ve been a “Newporter by choice” since 2014, when I moved here to dance professionally with Island Moving Company, and Jamie is one of the best representatives I could ask for. Like me, Jamie is among the young workforce […]

To the Editor: As we move towards November, it may be important to provide a little more information to the voters so they understand the process that, hopefully, will lead to school district regionalization. Both sides of the issue have referred to potential collaboration as a “study”.  This is a misnomer. A study is generally […]

As a resident of the “Fifth Ward” for nearly 40 years, I am writing in support of Paul Marshall’s  candidacy for 3rd ward council seat.   After meeting Paul, it is clear to me that he has an all-inclusive view of government. His pledge  to examine all proposals before the Council through the lens of equity […]