I’d like to ask for your vote for re-election on the Newport City Council. Listed below are only initiatives and resolutions that I’ve personally spearheaded. While I’m a strong supporter of the Innovation Hub and the need to diversify our local economy, this is not a project that was initiated by myself or any other of my colleagues on the Council. I firmly believe that as Council members it’s our obligation to go beyond the baseline expectations of our role and strive to raise the proverbial bar. Below I have also included an agenda of what I will be proposing in my next term on the City Council
1. Police body cameras: in the coming months Newport will be one of the first cities in Rhode Island to implement a police body camera program.
2. Ban on single use plastic bags: Newport will become one of the first cities in Rhode Island to ban single use plastic bags thanks to a resolution initiated by myself and co-sponsored by Councilors Ceglie and Neville.
3. Chief Information Officer: I drafted a resolution that instructed the City Administration to hire a C.I.O. Newport will be one of the first cities in Rhode Island to make such a hire. A Chief Information Officer will help streamline City Administration processes and lead to greater efficiencies and cost savings.
4. Attract Technical Contractors for Innovation Hub: Drafted a Resolution which directed the City Administration to include a program for attracting technical contractors to Newport as part of the Innovation Hub initiative.
5. Local Video Surveillance: Drafted a Resolution that will lead to the implementation of a comprehensive video surveillance program throughout Newport’s main business districts. This will ensure greater safety for thousands of Newporter’s that work for our local businesses.
SOME INITIATIVES FOR THE NEXT COUNCIL TERM:
1) Creation of a PILOT program. Newport losses millions each year to tax exempt properties. These tax dollars could be used to pay for improving our schools and roads.
2) I’ve been working with the City Manager on a plan to create a state of the art web site that will allow Newporter’s to easily find the status of grants, resolutions, road repairs and any other city related information. This will help ensure greater
3) Newport needs a vibrant street art initiative. I will be working with local artist to ensure that Newport becomes a city that embraces art in our streets. Numerous studies have demonstrated a strong link between a cities vibrant art seen and economic development.
4) I will also continue to live stream constituent meetings and continue to engage the public using technology and social media.
5) I will also continue to be responsive and follow up with EACH citizen request or call. Something I’m very proud of is a 100% response rate according to my Facebook City Council page with an average response time of five minutes.
Sincerely,
John Florez
