The Newport Commission recognized longtime former commissioner Jan Knepshield with the Newport Leadership Award during a meeting Monday.
The new award is intended to acknowledge retiring board members and staff who made an impact on the city. Knepshield served as a Newport commissioner for 23 years and has lived in the city since 1969. He has also served as the president of St. John’s United Church of Christ, chair and vice chair of Newport Citizens Advisory Council and as board members on the Newport Business Association, planning and zoning board, the board of adjustments, the Campbell County Task Force and the Kentucky League of Cities.
“I’ve known Jan since I was four years old, looking up at that mountain of a man with a booming voice and spending lots of time learning from him, watching these meetings as a little kid through my journey,” Newport Mayor Tom Guidugli Jr. said. “It’s been incredibly exciting. So, such an honor to present that to him, and again, we committed to do this for lots of people who have served in Newport while we have the time to spend with them, to thank them.”
Knepshield also founded and ran the following programs: The Newport Ambassadors, Nominated Neighbor, Newport in Bloom, lights and sights store for seniors, brunch and bingo for seniors and the citizen’s neighborhood watch.
“I just have to echo how pleased I am to see Jan Knepshield recognized this evening,” Newport Commissioner Julie Smith-Morrow said. “He was on the board when we first moved here, and I’ve always enjoyed his comments and the work he did for sure.”
During Knepshield’s tenure as a commissioner, the city said he was instrumental in approving many projects. This includes Riverfront Place, Hofbräuhaus, Newport on the Levee, Newport Aquarium, South Shore Condominiums, Wiedemann Hill, Newport Pavilion, Ovation and the East Row Historic District.
Knepshield gave shoutouts to Newport’s Fire Department and police department and said that was one of the main reasons he and his wife still chose to call the city home.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to be here,” Knepshield said. “It’s an honor and a privilege to live in this city. But most importantly, it was an honor and privilege to serve all of you in the city of Newport.”
Fromme said the city will be bringing in other retired city officials and staff to receive the award in the coming months. Knepshield was the first retired city official to accept the award.
“I really appreciate his leadership and the fact that we did this tonight,” Newport Commissioner Ken Rechtin said. “We’re going to do more because I know Tom Guidugli Sr., Jerry Peluso, and Tom Ferrara, and a lot of people out there have given huge contributions to the city, and we should acknowledge those folks”
