Opinion/Letters: Housing for working class must be part of North End development

Why I'm supporting Don Carlson for Congress

The special election to replace David Cicilline is a crowded one for a reason. Little Rhody is unique in yet another way; our 1st Congressional District has the lowest population of any in the nation. With such a crowded ballot, it is hard for folks to cut through the noise. Our next member of Congress could be decided by fewer than 10,000 votes. Your vote counts more than ever.

Deciding for whom to give the confidence of your high-value vote isn’t easy. I feel lucky; over the past four years, I’ve been blessed to become friends with Don Carlson. Beyond being a kind and compassionate person, his intelligence, thoughtfulness, drive and deep desire to help Rhode Islanders makes my choice a simple one.

Having worked in the renewable energy sector for 10 years, I can attest that while he is in Washington, D.C., Don will work hard to address climate change. Don and I have spent hours discussing the importance for America to lead in fighting climate change; he knows the renewable energy transition is our opportunity to regrow the middle class through job growth, strong education programs, reshoring of manufacturing, and domestic energy production. From his hands-on experience building sustainability companies, Don will get the massive funds from the Inflation Reduction Act flowing into Rhode Island, creating good jobs in the green and blue economies. Don's dream is to make our state the renewable energy hub of the Northeast and to leverage renewable energy deployment to reduce expenses for our citizens.

If I could use one story to help you see Don Carlson, it would be the night that he told me he was running for Congress. After one of his volunteer EMT shifts we had dinner at a local restaurant. Though he had never thought of running for political office, he saw this as a chance to make positive change for Rhode Island and our country. “Eric, this won’t be a stepping stone for me.” he said, “I will go to DC and fight for great policies without thinking about what I’ll be running for next.”

Don is not a career politician, so he is focused on making our state and nation more affordable, healthier, safer and more equitable, without ulterior motives. There is nothing more genuine than that.

I hope I’ve helped my fellow Newport Democrats decide how to cast their vote. Please join me in voting for Don Carlson on Sept. 5 – or vote early. Let’s elect a Congressman that will put his energy and skill into working for Little Rhody and our great nation.

Eric Martin, Newport

Housing for working class must be part of North End development

I was dismayed to learn of a current irrational and irresponsible proposal put forth, by of all people, a majority of our Newport City Council (Councilwoman Angela McCalla states she specifically wants to target welfare housing). It urges that utilization of Newport land owned by all its citizens be transferred to a Providence-based committee empowered to assign the end use of the land to chosen developers. Why would anyone risk the overall good of Newport by taking it out of our own hands unless there was some nefarious ulterior motive? Apart from any potentially questionable dealings involved, of primary importance is the optimum use of developable North End land for the general benefit of Newport.

Our community must provide an affordable housing supply for our essential middle-income workers in the $50,000 to $80,000 range, rather than adding more low-income housing. Newport has significantly more than the Rhode Island norm of welfare recipients. We also have a fairly large population of high-net-worth individuals. To ensure a thriving and well-balanced community, we need to ensure we are not closing out options for the critical workers needed to keep our town running. Providing housing to this vital demographic is of utmost importance to our long-range societal and fiscal well-being. This group would include plumbers, electricians, carpenters, roofers, medical personnel, teachers, hotel and restaurant employees, and more. Our focus should be to provide housing for this group, targeting rents within the $1500 to $2500 range. The current proposal does not allow this.

When North End land becomes available, it should be put out for honest, competitive bids to responsible developers who can afford to build attractive, affordable housing for the needed workforce. As proposed, this would likely be impossible, and needs to be changed. Above all the responsibility for North End development must not be abrogated and should remain in Newport hands and a City Council that works for the benefit ALL of its citizens.

Robert S. Walker, Newport

Bad decisions by adults leave kids out

For more than 50 years, I have believed that education was about kids, preparing the next generation to function independently and successfully as well as commit to ensuring a better future for the local community and even for wider societies. I regarded schools as the source of knowledge and those who influence their progressive development to be the committed gurus, who would go to the wall and fight for the children in the manner of earlier generations.

Now it seems that it is not about preparing kids to become intelligent and responsible citizens. It is about power and buildings and political wrangling that defeats the historical commitment to make things better. It is even willing to sacrifice one segment of its population to promote the rest – which, by the way, could have economic ramifications as the island workforce decreases.

I have always been an advocate of education for all learners. My training and then my own experience in the professional development of teachers in the area of student learning styles made me an advocate for multiple educational pathways from the college prep to the arts to career preparation. I know that while some students pursue further academic and technical education, others are more grounded in the trades.

Communities are built on the talents of all. The responsibility of community leaders is to ensure equal opportunity to learn. This concept leads me to protest the sacrifice of vocational education in my neighboring community.

I live in Middletown, but my roots are in Newport. I graduated from Rogers High School when it was at its peak as an island institution. I watched as the neighboring communities chose to develop their own identities. But Rogers was always vital to the broad categories of educational opportunity, even when it left the city center for a new structure. Community leaders ensured that the island students were still provided with the necessary tools to maintain the island’s vibrancy.

Social and economic developments over the years had reduced school enrollments and the facilities had deteriorated so that island communities finally committed to new construction - but at what price?

Yes, we all know that we must contain the costs to ensure the lowest impact on taxes. But there are options that can also ensure the protection of educational opportunity.

The recent action of the Newport Building Committee – including School Committee members who have been charged with advancing educational opportunity – to relegate access to Career & Technical Education to second-class status or even to eliminate it temporarily – is inexcusable.

At what point do all the citizens – especially parents – say: Enough is enough!

The schools are the economic future of Aquidneck Island. It’s time the focus returned to the kids.

Barbara A. VonVillas, Middletown town councilor

Support the Baby Steps program

“Some see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and ask why not.” Such was the way George Bernard Shaw put it many years ago.

Here in Newport, one of those who asked “why not” was Dr. Charles Shoemaker, Newport’s very own Renaissance Man, a champion racing sailor, a physician and surgeon, and a forthright advocate for public education who served on and led the Newport School Committee for many years.

Known affectionately as Dr. Shoes, Dr. Shoemaker founded Baby Steps in 2009 and his vision will be honored at a Baby Steps Benefit on Sunday, Aug. 27, from 5-7 p.m. at the Elks Lodge, 141 Pelham St., Newport. His “vision back then was to help young families and their children prepare to enter the school system via social, emotional and development supports prior to entering kindergarten.” Now run by the East Bay Community Action, “volunteers help the families of children from birth to age 3 through a monthly program which focuses on positive parenting, learning strategies and peer support. Free of charge, the program has expanded services to include four monthly groups, it has also implemented a program for Spanish speaking families and expanded the enrollment age from age 3 to age 5”.

To be sure, Dr. Shoemaker’s vision of helping many children to lifelong learning is worthy of much pride and celebration. We all celebrate his leadership and thank him for making Baby Steps a growing success story. Please come to the Baby Steps Benefit on Sunday, Aug. 27, from 5-7 p.m. at the Elks Lodge and prove that Newport clearly knows “why” and thank Dr. Shoes with gratitude and support for Baby Steps.

Dave Wixted, Newport

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Housing for working class must be part of North End development: Letters