Hello Newport! As many of you know, I was honored to have been appointed by the Governor to the Vermont Commission on Women. The “Vermont Commission on Women (VCW) is an independent non-partisan state government commission working to advance rights and opportunities for women and girls in Vermont. VCW: acts as advisor and information source for legislative and executive branches and other policy makers on issues affecting women….”
The more engaged I am as your Mayor, the more of a voice our great City has, and we advance our abilities to tap into resources. As a Vermont Commissioner, I attended the NACW (National Association of Commissions for Women) in Boston this week. This proved to be a week-long national conference with speakers from across the United States.
As many of you know, I have been an expert witness and trainer in anti-human trafficking matters and was the lead co-sponsor of an anti-human-trafficking bill that became law in Vermont when I was a legislator. At the NACW conference this week, there was a presentation on awareness of human trafficking. This reinforced my priority to re-focus on this topic for Newport and engage our citizens in awareness on human trafficking in our City.
This is a crucial topic for everyone and in particular, I believe it needs to be brought to the attention of those living in Newport. Together with Senator Russ Ingalls, we are hoping to be able to begin at the Rotary Club and present on the elements of Human Trafficking identifying what our residents should know about this monster of an underground business, with tentacles that lead to other underground criminal activities. We want to keep our City safe.
It is important as your Mayor to engage with other Mayors and leaders and to share solutions and engage in discussions. Those communications and collaborations are what bring forth ideas and collaborative methods that will work to make Newport a richer and more economically stable City to live in. Newport is the hub of the Northeast Kingdom and it is important for us to be respectful of that title and lead the Kingdom to better resources: housing, equal pay, elimination of barriers to benefits cliffs, more restaurants, retail outlets, job opportunities and much more.
As you know, the City Council voted to work with professionals to bring forth a revitalization plan for the City. President of the Council, Chris Vachon and the Mayor are working hand in hand with those professionals and the other council members and our Zoning Administrator, Planning Commission, and other collaborators to get a viable plan together soon. The hope is that it will be ready in September. Once that plan is in hand, more in-depth discussions can take place to solidify development. Community engagement is a priority, and it is our intention to hold forums to hear from you and share our findings with you.
Many topics discussed at the NACW this week included the rising cost of food and housing, high prevalence of medical debt, high cost of childcare, increased need to pay for home internet and lack of living wage jobs. These were just a few of the topics. I plan on discussing these topics more in depth over the next few weeks.
Please save August 15, 2024 for a Community Forum. President Council and I will be hosting a forum to discuss the latest sludge issues and other water and environmental issues. The City Manager is currently working with us to put together our panel of experts for this forum. A huge shout out to our Council President for requesting this forum.
Your council is working together for our City: from putting together compliance policies to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse, to being liaisons to the departments within the city to gain full knowledge of the workings of the city operations and needs, to being there for our citizens and to dispelling myths and rumors that may be circulated. Please reach out to me personally if you have any questions or concerns.
The City Council truly appreciates your confidence. Again, thank you for coming to my Mayor’s hours and for watching NEKTV’s “From the Desk of the Mayor Show.” Your voice is important. We are listening!
Your Mayor, Linda Joy Sullivan
