Mayor Jamie Bova

Letter: Who I’m Not Going to Vote for Newport City Council

To the Editor:

We are at a crossroads with the Newport City Council now like never before. As long term former Mayor Richard Sardella put it recently, “It’s time for the child Mayor to go”.  Wow, pretty strong statement.

How did we get to this point? Well, in addition to spearheading an attempt to add a significant “conveyance” tax to our burdens while at the same time eyeing tearing down things like our statue of Christopher Columbus, she managed to get retailers on Americas Cup and Thames Street to feel they had to board up their shops. Why? Because she invited in demonstrators from out of town, all without the authority to do so and the required approval of the City Council.

As Mayor Sardella put it, Bova and her cronies (like Susan Taylor and Angela McCalla) “are not deserving to represent this fine City”. And as a 20 year resident of this beautiful place, I agree.

So please, for the sake of our City by the Sea, think about all this when you choose who to vote for. The City Council isn’t a 5th grade civics class experiment. It’s grown up stuff. And we need some adult supervision over there.  

CAPT Ben Riggs, USN (ret)
Newport