A look at 10 Newport County newsmakers to watch in 2023

The success of Newport County comes from those who strive to succeed.

Whether it's in personal business or supporting others, these people make connections that benefit residents and those that come to visit. Those people can often play the role year after year, but in some cases they are new to the scene, bringing fresh ideas and pushing the county into the future.

This list offers a mix of both old and new names that we expect to be hearing a lot about in 2023, recognizing that it takes a mix to make progress.

Sid Abruzzi

A household name both in Newport and the international extreme sports community, Sid Abbruzzi was forced to vacate the long-time storefront for his famous surf and skate shop Water Brothers in March. Not one for selling online, Abbruzzi and his wife Danielle have kept Water Brothers alive through pop-ups, word of mouth, and by vending at festivals throughout the region.

In addition to seeking another space for his business, Abbruzzi is also expected to be the center of a documentary from the locally based Kinnane Brothers independent film studio, which is tentatively expected to come out next year.

Hanging with Sid Abbruzzi:How Sid Abbruzzi, Water Brothers and his documentary are doing months after store closure

As the vice president of Friends of Newport Skatepark, Abbruzzi is also doing his part to bring a new skatepark to Newport’s North End. The project, which received City Council approval in late October, is now in the fundraising stage.

Rebecca Bolan/Louisa Boatwright

Although just recently taking on leadership roles within the Newport School Committee, this dynamic duo has been working together as co-chairs of the city’s School Building Committee for the past two years, tackling the two school building construction projects approved in the 2020 school bond.

Boatwright, who used to work in finance and operations, and Bolan, a retired school teacher, received the most and second-most votes in the 2022 School Committee election, respectively. Despite their new positions on the committee, the two are still currently tasked to lead the School Building Committee through the new Rogers High School building project’s recently discovered $20 million funding shortfall.

Newport School Committee:With questions on Rogers shortfall, Newport School Committee leadership vote split

Alex Finkleman

When State House District 74’s Representative Deborah Ruggiero announced her bid for Lieutenant Governor, the sole person to run for her open seat was 36-year-old political newcomer Alex Finkelman. Finkelman is President of The EGIS Group, an insurance, retirement and employee benefits company and also served as third alternate for the Jamestown Zoning Board of Review.

Finkelman said in previous conversations with the Newport Daily News that his main legislative priorities are protecting the environment, combating climate change, helping businesses, and improving education.

Rebekah Rosen-Gomez

Rebekah Rosen-Gomez, founding member and executive director of Conexión Latina Newport, is at the cutting edge of many initiatives focused on education, support, empowerment, and advocacy for Newport’s large and growing Hispanic communities.

She and Conexión Latina’s director of operations Yolanda Macías say Newport is home to between 4,000 and 5,000 Spanish speakers, and they partner with local agencies, government, and schools to better serve this population, and also frequently serve as volunteer translators as the city of Newport works to establish better language access policies. Keep an eye out in the first quarter of 2023 for a report on Conexión Latina Newport's community needs survey, the results of which are currently being aggregated by Roger William's University's Latino Policy Institute.

Newport's Hispanic community:Milagros, madres y mariachi: visiting the feast day of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Newport

Keith Hamilton

Keith Hamilton has served on the Portsmouth Town Council since 2008, and is consistently one of the council’s most popular members according to election results. Hamilton, who is joined by two fellow Republicans on the new council after being the lone Republican for two years, will bring his experience to bear on managing the school bond and finishing the expenditure of the ARPA monies effectively while looking to keep tax increases at a minimum.

He has also mentioned the Mayflower Wind project as a key issue and has publicly stated multiple times, including in direct connection to discussion about Mayflower Wind's proposed transmission cable, his belief that all of the Island communities should all be working to find a route for a second LNG pipeline onto the island.

Heather Hole Strout

Heather Hole Strout is the executive director of the MLK Center in Newport, which just celebrated 100 years in operation and provides an array of community services in addition to being the largest food pantry in Newport County. In a time of increased inflation, elevated living expenses, high utility prices and housing scarcity, Hole Strout and the MLK Center will have their hands full addressing the reality of increased food insecurity in Aquidneck Island.

Hole Strout, who is familiar with underserved populations and socioeconomic realities many people do not readily associate with the city of Newport, also serves as a personal advocate of the hungry and homeless, including giving guest lectures at Salve Regina to educate students about the city they live in.

Food insecurity:MLK Center sees rising demand for food assistance: How they're attacking the problem

Hole Strout will also oversee the recently started construction that will increase the center's size by 3,300 square feet which will increase the size of the food pantry, offer more space for food storage and enhance the pre-school space, among other features.

“Xay” Khamsyvoravong

As the top vote-getter in the 2022 Newport City Council at-large elections by an overwhelming majority, Xay Khamsyvoravong set himself apart and landed a position as Newport’s first Asian American mayor. Although this is his first time serving as an elected official, Khamsyvoravong has a long history in public affairs. Khamsyvoravong works as the Head of Operations for an infrastructure investment management firm and previously served as the Head of Government Lending for Webster Bank and as the Deputy Chief of Staff to the RI General Treasurer during Frank Caprio’s tenure from 2007 to 2010.

In conversations with the Newport Daily News and other news outlets, Khamsyvoravong said his main priorities as mayor is to unite his fellow council members in efforts to alleviate Newport’s housing and transportation issues.

Leading the way:Xay Khamsyvoravong chosen as Newport mayor. What is his priority?

Fern Lima

Fern Lima was just recently reappointed to her position on the Newport Affirmative Action Committee for another three-year term. As chair, she will help oversee the effort to review and update the city’s Affirmative Action Plan, which has not seen an update since 2006. The effort to revitalize the city’s Affirmative Action Plan and reinstate a permanent Affirmative Action Officer was spurred on partially by Lima, with help from Councilors Angela McCalla and Jamie Bova, who co-sponsored the resolution.

Diversity in Newport:Is Newport's municipal staff diverse enough? Why two City Council members want a review

Orlando Peace

Orlando Peace has helped introduce over 80 kids to golf since he started as the director of the FabGolf program at FabNewport in 2021, and he is just getting warmed up. Peace is devoted to sharing his passion with the young athletes of Aquidneck Island, knocking on doors in Newport Heights, Park Holm and other local neighborhoods to build relationships and impact kids’ lives by offering them access to the gentleman’s game and the multi-billion dollar industry that comes with it.

FabGolf engages its kids year-round, and entering the new year Peace is on a mission to get more kids and especially more girls swinging a club for the first time and gaining exposure to the many career paths offered by the sport and its attendant industries. Look out for Peace and his dynamic programming in 2023, and not just on the golf course. He also helps kids find tutors, he builds relationships with their parents and caretakers, and he sometimes even visits the principal’s office to advocate for students.

“Academics has to be a part of what we do," he told the Daily News earlier this year. "Academic success is going to give these kids the confidence they need to get to the next level in life.”

Emily Tessier

Emily Tessier might be the youngest new town councilperson on all of Aquidneck Island, but the lifelong Middletown resident has gotten more involved in municipal governance than most people her age. Having already served as a member of Middletown’s zoning board, the 29-year-old will now join the town council with a fresh perspective and a focus on housing, transportation and the economy.

During her campaign, Tessier specifically mentioned a goal of reforming town zoning ordinances to approve more “missing middle” housing and address the short-term rental challenge.

This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: A look at 10 Newport County newsmakers to watch in 2023