Newport is hiring new city roles, including a municipal and community liaison who will work with city departments and engage with the public and an economic development coordinator to attract and retain businesses.
Both positions take on the same theme: more communication and engagement between the city, its residents and its businesses.
The municipal and community liaison will engage directly with residents and will work closely with department heads and the finance department.
“One of my goals is that our staff will be perhaps more accessible than any Newport staff we’ve had in the past,” Newport City Manager John Hayden said. “I’ve been talking to the employees, and the employee position that we have here will be instructed that being out in public, talking to residents, understanding the concerns, going to neighborhood meetings, going to other meetings, and being a voice for people.”
Part of the liaison’s job requirement will be to attend other community meetings happening in Newport that staff like Hayden can’t attend. Their job will be to listen to things going on in the community and understand the public’s concerns.
The liaison will also spend time going through the city’s budget line by line all year long. Hayden said this person will work with city departments to help make their budgets work so that in the future, instead of presenting a budget in June and saying they have two weeks to get it passed, they can bring it in, say, May, giving them more time to discuss and get into the weeds on things.
The new entry-level economic development coordinator position will focus on developing a comprehensive strategy to revitalize storefronts.
Hayden said Monmouth Street has a lot of vacancies that ebb and flow over time. Hayden said he is looking for this person to meet with entrepreneurs and other people who want to open businesses, learn what they’re looking for, and see how the city can fit those pieces together.
“We need this individual to do more than just say there are vacancies,” Hayden said. “I really anticipate that they get on the ground with the property owners and find out what the concerns are. How can we help them? How can we place them with other businesses that are looking for a spot?”
Hayden said the board of commissioners will also discuss its vision for Monmouth Street over time. He said a study was conducted last year regarding a two-way Monmouth Street, but they haven’t received the results yet.
He said there are also questions about the city’s entertainment district, such as when it should be activated and its hours of operation.
“Somebody is going to be out there engaging these businesses and the residents that live in these places, have those conversations about ‘how does this affect you?’ So again, the same theme, more communication back and forth on both sides.”
Newport Vice Mayor Julie Smith-Morrow said she was excited about what the new positions will bring to the city.
“The municipal and community liaison that’s a really huge thing for our community, and I think a lot of people are really, truly going to appreciate that,” Smith-Morrow said. “And economic development, I can’t wait. We’re going to have fun with that, and a lot of good stuff is going to happen with that.”
