Ten Solid Reasons to Run for Newport City Council

Serving on the City Council for the last 16 months has been interesting.  At times it's been fun.  At others, agonizingly boring.  On a few memorable occasions, it has been excruciatingly painful.    But overall, it has been fulfilling and even humbling.  It is an experience for which I will be forever grateful - and a little proud.  And while I intend to run again, I hope that others will consider running as well.   These are some thoughts on why you should consider running, or at least consider encouraging someone else to run.

10.         To Make Newport a Better City

               Every candidate should have a vision to make Newport better – whether by applying better processes, new initiatives for revenue, new ideas for costs savings, etc. 

               Change is Hard.  A 4-3 majority of our current council typically votes to keep things exactly the same.  So an election year change of just one councilor could mean the difference between “meaningful changes” or “more of the same.”

9.            Set Actual City Policy

               The council’s primary responsibility is to set city policy, and the administration is responsible for executing that policy.  But too often, the council has deferred that responsibility to a volunteer-staffed “blue-ribbon” panel, whose recommendations are often deferred, delayed, watered down, or ignored altogether.   If you’ve served voluntarily on an advisory board, you might be familiar with this slightly insulting pattern.  If you want to see policy changes, the council is where the buck should stop.

8.            Set the Annual Budget

               One of the council’s most important jobs is setting the annual budget between March and June of every year.  If you disagree (or agree) with the council’s budget priorities on funding public education, public safety, road repair, or any of a hundred issues, then the city council is the best place for you to meaningfully implement positive change.

7.            Change (or Preserve) the Sister City Program

               One of the most unique benefits to serving on the Newport City Council is the ability to have the city pay for international travel to Japan, Italy or Ireland.  If you have a good relationship with the council leadership, they will invite you on a sister city trip, and the city will pay for your airfare, your hotel bill, your meals, and your bar bill while you are abroad.

               This program has for many years been funded by diverting $30,000 in rental income into the Sister City fund (an off-the-books account).  Instead of depositing the monthly rent payments for the Donnelly Visitor Center into the General Fund, the city deposits them into the Sister City slush fund to cover travel expenses for politicians.

               I think everyone knows where I stand on the Sister City slush fund. If you want to change this arrangement, please consider running for city council.  

               However, if you want to travel and drink for free, then you’ll have a better chance of being invited if you don’t run against the chair, the vice chair, or the councilor from ward 2.

6.            Free Family Health Insurance

               Well, it’s not technically free.  You have to pay a portion of the premium, and for me that works out to about $110 per month (after payroll deductions) or about $25 per week. Still, it’s nearly a $15,000 per year benefit.  It’s not surprising that it isn't publicized, because it might encourage an awful lot of small business owners to run for office.  Regardless, it's worth noting that the time commitment away from your family or your business might make sense if you can reduce health care costs for your family or your business.

5.            $2000 per Year in Salary, Plus Benefits

               Well, not quite.  It should work out to about $167 per month, but after paying my health insurance premium, income taxes and other small benefits, it works out to about $8 per month.  Benefits include two years toward MERS retirement benefits, life insurance, and disability insurance.

4.            Reduce the Water and Sewer Rate Hikes

               Water and sewer rate hikes became almost necessary when the city was sued for violations of the Clean Water Act.  However, each rate hike must be approved by the city council before it is submitted to the Public Utility Commission.  The city council has rubber-stamped too many rate hikes in too short a period of time.  If you feel that the council-approved water and sewer rate hikes should have been stretched out over a longer time period, then please consider running for council.

3.            Free Parking

               If you win election, you get a parking pass which allows you to park in almost any non-handicapped parking space in Newport (as long as you are on council or constituent business).

               It’s true that the City Council has done absolutely nothing to address parking problems for residents or business owners in the City, but if you’re elected, you can pretty much park wherever you want!

2.            Help Select a New City Manager.

               Our City Manager’s contract expires this coming January (unless renewed this fall), and she is actively applying for similar positions in Ohio.  Hiring a new city manager may become the first priority of a new city council.

1.            To Remove Councilor X.

               For a long time, the city council’s votes were 7-0 on everything.  By tradition or agreement, there were very few split decisions on any issue.  As a consequence, it was very hard to figure out where your council members stood on any issue.

               A few of us on the council broke with that agreement this year.  We voted our conscience, using only (our estimation of) the city’s best interests.  Certainly, this made for more rancorous, and less cordial meetings.  (A thick skin should be mandatory).

               Regardless, now we have a road map of where each council member voted – whether it’s on property tax hikes, yacht club perks, sewer and water rate hikes, 9 years of unchanged mooring fees, subsidized housing expansion, pursuing PILOT funds and dozens of other important issues.  This should drive better decision-making in the future.

               The best way to choose an elected official is by examining their voting record.  We didn’t have that option when every vote was 7-0.  Now we do. 

               If you feel that your values are not being implemented by your four (4) At-Large councilors, or your one (1) ward councilor, then please think about running for office.

               And as you can see from the above, the job is NOT voluntary.  The salary and benefits are very real.  The time commitment is reasonable for campaigning, and is also modest for serving.  I have a very busy solo law practice, but I read city materials on weekends, and I've never missed a council meeting.  Most constituent issues are emailed, and handled with an email response.  Most meetings are in the evening, rarely more than once per week for an hour or so.  But even with such a small time commitment, your chance to make an impact on the city is immense. 

               The candidacy declaration period is near the end of June, but most campaigning won’t begin until the end of summer.  For more information, feel free to reach out to me or any council member.  Or just call City Hall and ask the Canvasser’s Office for assistance.  There are several free publications available (including the pdf attached).