To the Editor:
If you read last week’s Newport This Week, you may have the impression that City Councilors—including myself—have been jetting off to far-off lands, compromising our ethics and personal reputations for a chance to visit our various Sister Cities. Nothing could be further from the truth.
For over 20 years, Newport’s Sister City trips and activities were funded through a lease agreement with Discover Newport for their space in the city-owned Gateway Center. Those funds, totaling about $30,000 annually, were held in a separate account. The Sister City Program continues with limited city funding and was unanimously voted on by the council, of which Councilor Khamsyvoravong is a member.
Every councilor who has visited a Sister City, and anyone who has attended a dinner or function in Newport, including the annual “Mayor’s Breakfast” prior to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, has partaken in this policy. If Councilor Khamsyvoravong paid out of pocket for his official trips to Brazil, Japan, Italy, and Ireland or used his campaign funds, that’s his prerogative. I am disappointed that the program and the goodwill it represents have become political fodder.
I consider the Sister City Program a duty to honor the work of those who came before us. Along with Councilor Napolitano, I helped spearhead the passage of a new Sister City Commission charged with making this program more meaningful both economically and culturally. Our Japanese Sister City, Shimoda, was the first “twinning” of two cities under the Eisenhower Administration. We should be very proud of the historical ties between Shimoda and Newport. Newport native Commodore Matthew Perry sailed to Shimoda to sign a treaty that opened trade with Japan and the world.
I also believe we should engage with partners like Discover Newport to support local businesses. As a council-appointed board member of the Tourism Improvement District (TID), I agreed, along with other board members, to represent Newport for a marketing event in NYC to boost business in the off-season. The TID fees, paid by hotel visitors, funded the overnight trip for all board members.
Unfortunately, Councilor Khamsyvoravong chose to take time out of a public meeting to question the appropriateness of that trip, which, ironically, he also attended.
I confirmed with the City Solicitor that no ethics were violated. But Newport is changing. For decades, Newport politics have been collegial, focused on issues rather than influence. Personal attacks were rare and discouraged. The ugliness that we witness on statewide and national stages has made its way here and into council meetings. Last night’s 4.5-hour meeting was unnecessarily contentious and utterly disappointing.
I am worried about Newport’s future. We need councilors who think and act independently, who respect our City Charter and our Council-City Manager form of government. Serving on the council doesn’t come with a salary, and the mayor does not run the city; nor should he pretend to. We cannot be gaslit into the type of partisan politics that we have been immune from for so long.
Lynn Underwood Ceglie
Newport City Councilor At-Large
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