Newport’s international reputation nearly got trashed last month when three city councilors — Steph Smyth, Xay Khamsyvoravong, and Ellen Pinnock — tried to kill the city’s Sister City program.
The trio’s tone-deaf move would have severed decades of cultural exchange, scrapped the student exchange program, and insulted Newport’s partners in Ireland, Japan, Italy, Greece, Canada, and the Azores. Critics slammed the scheme as petty, reckless, and embarrassing.
Mayor Charlie Holder, along with Councilors Lynn Ceglie, Jeanne-Marie Napolitano, and David Carlin, stood firm and voted to save the program from what many called a shameful act of cultural vandalism.
To make sure our friends abroad knew where Newport really stands, Newport Buzz recently traveled to Kinsale, Ireland — the heart of the Sister City program. There, Christian Winthrop met with Michael Frawley at his legendary White House Kinsale Hotel, Bar & Restaurant, which is absolutely decked out in Newport memorabilia. From floor to ceiling, the space celebrates the bond — proof that Kinsale takes this relationship seriously, even if a few councilors back home don’t.
We capped the visit with a toast at his bustling Fifth Ward bar, sending a clear message: Newport honors its global friendships, no matter what three short-sighted politicians tried to do.
The Newport–Kinsale connection, officially sealed on Oct. 19, 1999, under the leadership of the late Rep. Paul Crowley, Mayor Robert McKenna, Congressman Patrick Kennedy, and local leaders, has blossomed into a vibrant exchange of culture, cuisine, and collaboration between harbor masters, firefighters, police, and schools.
Today, Newport counts six Sister Cities: Kinsale, Shimoda (Japan), Imperia (Italy), Ponta Delgada (Azores), Skiathos (Greece), and St. John (New Brunswick, Canada).
Bottom line? Three councilors tried to torch Newport’s global reputation. They failed. Newport — and Newport Buzz — made sure of it.
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