The following op-ed is written by Mike Radwanski, a candidate for Newport city commission. Contact him at Radwanskiforcommissioner@gmail.com or 248-736-0160.
I’ve been all in for Newport from day one. Since buying my first home a decade ago, I’ve served as Gateway’s neighborhood rep, co-founded the Restoration Happy Hours, and, more recently, served on several citizen-driven steering committees, as well as the Code Enforcement Board.
During the pandemic I served as a steering-committee member on Newport’s instrumental Comprehensive Plan, a document required by the state every five years to define Newport’s strategy for the coming years; our blueprint to the future, so to speak. The committee put in countless hours of hard, thoughtful work. We also had superb engagement from the community through surveys taken both online and in-person at Italianfest. Our citizens are tuned in, and it shows.
We have excellent input. Now it’s time to get it done.
We’ll need experience and expertise. I’ve worked for such major American corporations as GE Aviation, Honeywell, and currently Johnson Controls. My role as a leader is creating results that enhance my employers’ productivity and bottom line. My professional assignments have provided the skills and experience I’ll use to meet–or exceed–the goalsof Newport’s Comprehensive Plan. Long-term thinking is essential.
We need transparency. Total openness about both our successes and where we need improvement is vital. When something isn’t working, fix it or drop it. If it’s a success, keep it, strengthen it, and apply its lessons to other programs. It just makes sense.
The Comprehensive Plan stresses strong, vibrant neighborhoods, economic prosperity and reliance, upgrading stormwater/wastewater utilities, creating a “smart” corridor on Monmouth Street, expanded transportation options, bringing the community together with events big and small, environmental stewardship, and safe, secure neighborhoods.
We must involve our taxpaying citizens. I now work full-time from home. In addition to paying property taxes, I also contribute to our payroll tax. I believe important decisions regarding taxpayer money should be made by the residents who pay their share. It’s only fair.
I have fought a lifelong battle against glaucoma, a condition permanently affecting my physical appearance and how people view me. From this experience–and life itself–my take-away is that character counts above all else. My decade in this city has shown me that people in Newport are of outstanding character. As such, every citizen is entitled an opportunity to be heard regardless of appearance, origin, economic status, or station in life. Character and integrity know no social boundaries.
That’s the Newport I believe in: ever more open, prosperous, future-focused, citizen-driven, and inviting to everyone. I believe most Newportians feel much the same.
Please use your vote on May 17th to join me in making it so. Thank you.