Primary Day: What You Need to Know

Newport voters will head to the polls on Tuesday to narrow the list of candidates for City Council.

One candidate will be eliminated from the at-large race, taking the list from nine to eight, and another will be dropped from the Second Ward race. Voters will also be choosing categories of representative for Congress, secretary of state, governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.

Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in Newport. According to the Rhode Island Secretary of State's office, approximately 13,100 Newport residents are already eligible to vote.

Here's a rundown of the local candidates:

Newport City Council, At-Large

• Herbert B. Armstrong: A Newport native, Armstrong returned a few years ago to the City by the Sea, where he now serves as a Realtor with Prudential Prime Properties in Middletown. He is currently chair of the Newport Beach Commission. At a candidates forum last week, Armstrong criticized the City Council's cuts to the fire department's overtime budget, noting that the city should be studying staffing levels in the long-term rather than making cuts while they're still under contract.

• Rebecca A. Bringhurst: A Tiverton native, Bringhurst has worked for Head Start and in Newport Public Schools. She is currently studying special education at URI. Bringhurst has said one of her main reasons for running is to help improve relations between the school district and the City Council. "We really need to work more closely with the School Committee to come up with ways to better educate and better fund our children," she said. "We want to welcome new families to Newport, and certainly with that happening new families can bring new business into the city."

• Stephen R. Coyne: An incumbent, Coyne has served on the council since 2004. He owns two Newport stores, Active Sole and Terra Zapato, and is on the board of the Newport County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Coyne made the motion to cut the school district's budget by $578,568 in June. He, along with Mayor Napolitano, were both unable to attend the candidates forum last week since they were on a trip to Newport's sister city, Iberia, Italy.

• Jeanne-Marie Napolitano: Current Mayor Napolitano has served on the council since 1991, starting as a First Ward representative, before moving on to work as an at-large member in 1999. She previously served as chair of the board of New Visions and as chair of the Newport County Convention and Visitors Bureau. She opposed the cuts to the school district in June, saying it was unfair to the School Committee and to the students.

• Naomi Neville: Neville is currently chair of the Planning Board. An architect, she founded her Newport-based firm, Neville Architecture and Environmental Consulting, in 2003. At the candidates forum last week, Neville said she thinks the city should look into using some of its enterprise funds and look for ways to entice new businesses to the area. She named infrastructure as the biggest issue facing the city, but said she's excited about some of the upcoming projects, including improvements to Lower Thames Street, Broadway revitalization and the Navy Hospital land project, which she is working closely on.
• Susan T. Perkins: A lawyer, Perkins worked in the attorney general's office from 1999 to 2003 and now owns her own firm, with offices in Providence and Newport. This is her first run for council. At the candidates forum last week, Perkins voiced her support for looking toward alternative sources for infrastructure, including federal funds, and for seeking to bring more green business and energy to our area.

• David A. Quiroa: Quiroa works as the director of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) for the City of Cranston. He previously unsuccessfully ran for state representative in 2004. He has served as president of the Guatemalan-American Alliance of Rhode Island. In a Youtube video, Quiroa says he can't believe the city doesn't have a department of tourism. He said he thinks the city depends on tourism too much not to have an office to organize efforts. He also said he believes the city needs more transparency regarding city contracts. He also wants the city to build two parking towers to accommodate 1,000 cars.
• Stephen C. Waluk: An incumbent, Waluk was first elected to Council in 2001 at the age of 24. He was re-elected in 2006. On January 2, 2007, at the age of 29, Waluk was sworn in as the youngest person to serve as Newport's Mayor. He currently works as Research and Policy Analyst for the House Minority Office in the Rhode Island House of Representatives. At the candidates forum last week, Waluk admitted that voting to cut the school district's budget was a mistake, but that he stood by his choice to cut the fire department's overtime budget, noting that "Newport can't afford the way things have gone." He also voiced support for north end development and the Navy Hospital land project.
• Harry Winthrop: A native of Newport, Winthrop previously served on the Council from 1990 to 1996. He has long lived in the city's Fifth Ward. At the candidates forum last week, Winthrop called for a "realistic budgeting process" where decisions aren't made in the 11th hour. He criticized the city's cuts to the School Committee and Fire Department.

Newport City Council, Second Ward

• Michael T. Farley: Farley owns his own law office on Bellevue Avenue. He previously ran for a Second Ward seat in 2004. At a candidates forum last week, Farley named roads as one of the top issues of concern amongst Second Ward residents. He also voiced his support for the proposed Claiborne Pell Elementary School and said that he wants to create an "actionable plan" for regionalization.

• Justin S. McLaughlin: Mclaughlin was first elected to his seat in 2006. He has also served on the Aquidneck Island Regionalization Committee. At the candidates forum last week, Mclaughlin defended the City Council's cuts to the Fire Department's overtime budget and said that while he didn't think the Council's cuts to the School Committee in June were done in the proper fashion, he doesn't think it caused them pain. Mclaughlin noted that the city needs to be realistic about the cost of doing business and its tax increase rate.

• Kathleen Sanderson-Upham: A native of Portsmouth, Sanderson-Upham is making her first run for political office in Newport. At the candidates forum last week, she noted that schools are her main priority, but that she does not support the new elementary school. Sanderson-Upham said she thinks the Council needs to continue to make cuts to the School Committee and "learn to do more with less."

Voting Information

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The general election will be held on Nov. 2.