One of Northern Kentucky’s longest-serving elected officials, Newport Vice Mayor Beth Fennell, is serving her last year on the Newport Commission.
First appointed in 1992, Fennell has spent the last 32 years dedicated to serving Newport’s residents. With a 2024 election on the horizon, Fennell said it seemed like time not to seek reelection.
“The years just keep rolling along,” she said. “I think it started to hit me that I’ve been doing this a pretty long time. My health is great; I don’t have health concerns or anything like that. It just started feeling like time.”
Fennell’s long-standing run on the commission isn’t the only thing that has deep roots in Newport. Her family history with the city ties back to the 1840s.
Fennell’s great-great-grandfather left Liverpool, England, and came to Newport in the 1840s. Her great-grandfather would then start a heating and stove business on York Street in the 1890s, which transformed over the years to specialized pipe construction and has been located at 7 E 4th St. since the early 1900s.
Fennell purchased her home in the city in 1986 and is a “proud Purdue University graduate.” After moving into her home in 1987, it didn’t take long for her to get involved in city politics. She said around 1991, Newport City Manager Tom Fromme’s mother, Mary Fromme, and her friend Irene Deaton (former mayor), who were advocates for Newport at the time, put a notice on her door regarding a controversial development.
Fennell said it was a condo development that was ill-conceived for various reasons, causing people to gather at a Newport Planning and Zoning meeting and get it voted down.
“When we were working against this development, I got to know a lot of my neighbors,” Fennell said. “I became a neighborhood representative. I had no ambitions to be a city commissioner, although I’ve been involved in politics since like seventh grade.”
The following year, there was an opening on the commission. The mayor resigned at the time, and Tom Guidugli Sr., a commissioner, became the mayor, leaving a vacant seat. Fennell was then appointed to the role.
“I was pretty shocked when I was contacted,” she said. “I mean, this just wasn’t on my radar at all, but I thought it was a good idea. I love the city. I wanted to be involved and to help it move forward. So, I was appointed in August of 1992.”
Fennell contributed her interest in Newport Politics to Mary Fromme and Deaton.
Newport Commissioner Julie Smith-Morrow said she first met Fennell at Italian Fest when she moved to Newport a little over 20 years ago and was very impressed with her.
“Until I came on the commission, she was one of the only women ever to have served at least in recent history,” Smith-Morrow said. “She’s been really steadfast and committed, and one of the things that’s always impressed me from the time I met her is how focused she stays on moving things forward.
“I just think she’s very experienced, very wise. Really a humble person and cares about the citizens of Newport. I know I’m going to miss her terribly, and I learned a lot from her, and I’m going to keep really trying to observe and listen and learn from her during this last year of our service together.”
Smith-Morrow said that Fennell has always been strong in the polls—in the most recent election, Fennell was the highest vote-getter, earning her the title of Vice Mayor. She also received the title from 1996 to 1998.
What else happened in Newport in the early 90s that made Fennell want to help the city move forward?
“It’s easy to forget; I think people it’s natural for human beings to kind of remember the good and maybe not the not-so-good,” Fennell said. “The biggest thing that has struck me in change is how people were usually trying to get out of Newport, and that’s changed dramatically.”
She contributed to the work the commission has done to improve housing. She said the East Row Historic District was created in the early 90s—cracking down on the single-family homes that were cut up into substandard apartments. Fennell said they also worked on getting their code department more tools, like the regulatory license ordinance that allows them to pull a rental license if there are too many police runs or code violations.
Fennell also said many developments in the city have made it more desirable to move to Newport. She said the city is positioned well for walkability to the riverfront, the Levee, and Cincinnati.
In her tenure, Fennell said the city also upped its public safety game by upgrading its fire department to include emergency services and being one of the first police departments to be accredited in Kentucky.
“It’s been a joy to work with Beth on many significant projects over the years,” Tom Fromme said. “Her desire to make the city a better place has always been evident. She has been a steady influence as a member of the board, and her support has been instrumental in our success. Beth will be missed, but her legacy will remain.”
Fennell said she couldn’t say enough about Newport staff and working with them, notably Tom Fromme, in her 32 years on the commission.
“Tom Fromme’s leadership has been probably the single most driving factor on a number of fronts,” she said. “To get our finances aligned, our credit rating was down at one time. We didn’t have much of a reserve. We weathered the great recession, but it really killed a lot of cities. But by the finance department and Tom and the staff being conservative, we’re doing more with less.”
Having a stable board, Fennell said, also helps keep the city moving forward.
“I’ve really enjoyed working with Beth on the city commission,” Newport Commissioner Mike Radwanski said. “Her advice was always spot on, and we got along well. I wish her nothing but the best in her retirement and thank her for her many years of service to our great city.”
Newport Commissioner Ken Rechtin said years ago, the board used to go away on retreats down in Lexington, Ky. Rechtin recalled roughly 30 years ago, going on a board retreat and doing an activity to create a mission statement for the city, which he said Fennell was very instrumental in.
Rechtin said the mission statement spoke to walkable streets, treelined streets, diverse communities, etc.
“I used to carry it for years,” Rechtin said. “I carried that mission statement, that goal, that vision in my wallet. It was a good memory—a good activity that all of us put together a vision for the city, and I think we hung to it pretty closely a few years afterward, and it still influences the way I think of the city today.”
Fennell has been a member of the Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky Board of Directors since 1992 and the Executive Committee since 1998. Fennell said Newport wasn’t very involved in transportation planning at the time.
“That gave us the ability to get more federal and state funds for transportation improvements,” Fennell said. “We’ve gotten quite a bit of money over the years. We’re currently working on redesigning the Riverfront Park and south Monmouth Street in the underpass area. So, I found that interesting, and by having some representation and being able to advocate for the city, we were able to get funding.”
A Newport streetcar is one of Fennell’s transportation passion projects that she said she will most likely continue to advocate for after leaving the commission. Fennell said she hopes the commission continues to have transportation representation after she leaves.
Fennell still has the rest of 2024 to serve, and then she said she will look at what she might want to get involved in around town.
“I’ll have to say I was much sadder about it (not seeking reelection) than I anticipated when it actually came down to happen,” Fennell said. “Just the fact that I’ve been doing it so long and how close I feel to the citizens and staff. It was a big chunk of my life. But I’m sure I’ll find other ways to be involved. I’m not going anywhere.”
