The following op-ed is written by David Capella, candidate for Newport city commission
My wife, Becky, and I moved to Newport in 2016. We took a chance on a house that needed some work, but was in decent shape. Since we have moved in, the block we are on and surrounding blocks, along with our house, have gone through considerable positive change. This is similar to changes I’ve seen around Newport the past 5-6 years. I want to see Newport continue to move in a positive direction.Â
The riverfront is seeing development at Ovation and Newport on the Levee is being transformed. The city recently received $200,000 for the Festival Park. All these I see as positive developments. What I don’t want to see change is the neighborhood feeling that we have in Newport or for us to lose our historic character.
I believe our commissioners have steered us in the right direction, but now we have an opportunity to elect some new commissioners to help guide the city administration into the future. As a citizen of Newport, I want to make sure our public services keep up with the growth along the river and across the city. In particular, the public safety services of police, fire and emergency services need to keep up with adequate staffing and current equipment. All of our neighborhoods must be safe so we can be neighbors to each other.
We need to maintain our small town feel by supporting our small businesses in the city and create an environment where we attract more small businesses on and around Monmouth.
My only interest in running is to serve the city. I don’t own a small business or any rental properties. I believe my experience in business, project management and my experience collaborating across many levels of organizations in a Fortune 100 company can help the city administration guide the city in the future.
Thank you for your interest in my candidacy and I would appreciate your vote.