Voters in the city of Newport have four choices for the city's four commission seats. Newport has a city manager form of government in which the commission appoints the city manager, who carries out the board's decisions and sees to the day-to-day operations of the city. The mayor presides over the commission and also votes on issues before it.
We asked each commission candidate a range of questions about issues facing Newport. Below are candidate Aaron Sutherland's answers, which have been lightly edited for clarity and style only.
You may also want to read:
- Candidate Mike Radwanski's answers
- Candidate Ken Rechtin's answers
- Candidate Julie Smith-Morrow's answers
- Or, return to the election guide
Please briefly describe your reasons for seeking this office.
My partner and I moved to Newport nearly 10 years ago and we immediately fell in love with the city. We got involved in the community pretty quickly, volunteering at events such as Beyond the Curb home tour, Newport Trash Bash, East Row Garden Club and ReNewport tree plantings, etc., where we met so many awesome neighbors who quickly became our friends and today many are like family to us. During COVID, a few neighbors encouraged me to run for Newport School Board, which I ultimately did and was elected in the fall of 2020. I have served on the Board of Education for the past three-plus years and have gotten to know our community even better and concluded that my skillset and interests are more aligned with city government. I believe it imperative that our schools and our city work collaboratively to address the needs of our community, including pedestrian safety (many of our children walk or ride bicycles to school), the environment (air pollution is a real problem in west Newport where two of our three schools are located), and kindergarten readiness (Newport kindergarteners are among the least prepared in our region when they enter our schools). As an attorney and person who believes real change can occur if we work together, I believe we can make a difference in our community, if we put our minds to it and work collaboratively.
What issues do you see as most important for Newport to address in the short and long terms?
There are many important issues facing Newport and our region, including better transportation infrastructure, better and more income-aligned housing, more greenspace, pedestrian safety, including better and safer bike lanes, crosswalks and traffic-slowing measures, to name a few. Currently there is a billion-dollar development known as Ovation being built on the northwest corner of Newport, where the Licking and Ohio rivers meet. General James Taylor Park is between Ovation and the Licking River, which received a large allocation of funding by the Kentucky General Assembly during the 2024 regular session. With the new funding, there is an excellent opportunity to make this park a destination for our region, especially with regard to kayaking, bicycling, and enjoying the wildlife and the river. I would also like to see an access point to General James Taylor Park added from the south side of the 4th Street Bridge, to make the park more accessible to residents who do not live in Ovation. Other important issues being discussed right now include the design of the new 4th Street bridge, the repair and upkeep for the Purple People Bridge, traffic-slowing measures and pedestrian safety along with a new bicycle corridor connecting the river cities. Finally, there has been much focus on the river front area with Newport on the Levee and Ovation, both of which are excellent developments. However, I believe it is time we bring our focus back to our main street, Monmouth Street, which is in the heart of our city and which provides an opportunity for services for people who live in Newport. I believe we need to implement a Main Street program, focusing on making Monmouth street a more attractive place for entrepreneurs to come start a business and provide our city with a true, thriving main street, like many of our neighbors have done over the past 20 years.
Northern Kentucky has significant need for more housing. What can commission do to help develop more housing for low, moderate and middle-income people in Newport?
Low- and middle-income housing deficits have been an issue facing our entire region for the past several years. In the past, Newport disproportionately had much of the low-income housing compared to other cities in our county. As Newport has grown and become a destination for new homeowners, we have seen many of the multi-family rentals converted back to single-family, owner-occupied homes. Also, with some of the larger developments such as Newport on the Levee and most recently Ovation, the values of the adjacent real estate have skyrocketed, resulting in the sale of some of the larger providers of affordable housing in Newport and the displacement of many neighbors.
I have seen a few different approaches to address this issue by other cities, including set-asides for new housing developments, which require a certain percentage of new units be set aside for income-aligned housing. Another approach has been to improve regional transportation infrastructure to make sure folks who do not own a vehicle can continue to make it to work.
Also, just this year, Newport created the Buena Vista Historic District, which will preserve the integrity of large swaths of the west Newport neighborhood, preventing demolition of homes for large-scale development, which will hopefully create an opportunity for first-time homeowners in the neighborhood area.
The city is also in the process of creating a residential facade program to help homeowners make essential improvements on their homes.
Finally, Newport’s Housing Authority has a number of income-aligned housing units that continue to grow and they have developed many single-family homes that are available for purchase with some level of subsidy. We should continue to look for ways to increase the number of income-aligned/affordable housing units in our city, to ensure our neighbors are not forced out of this wonderful community.
One of the gateways into Newport is the Purple People Bridge. This year, it closed due to maintenance issues. While repairs are underway, it’s clear it needs more resources to remain open to pedestrians and cyclists. How would you address this issue?
The Purple People Bridge is an important asset, not only for Newport, but for our entire region, including the city of Cincinnati. As a Newportian, I use the Purple People Bridge at least a few times per week to access parks, sporting events and for exercise. I see many Cincinnatians walking across the bridge to access Newport on the Levee, Newport Aquarium or to visit one of the many excellent restaurants in Newport. It is essential that this bridge remains open and accessible to all. We must work collaboratively with our neighboring cities and nonprofits to fund the repairs and upkeep for this bridge, so it can be viable, long term. These discussions are already taking place and I hope an organizational structure can be implemented to make sure the Purple People Bridge can be an asset for 100 more years.
What specific opportunities do you see for working with neighboring communities?
Ludlow, Covington, Newport, Bellevue, Dayton [Ky.] and Cincinnati comprise the majority of the basin in our urban area. We must collaborate, especially in areas such as transportation infrastructure. Whether it be bicycle lanes and routes that connect the cities or connecting public transportation to our cities, we all benefit from better regional infrastructure.
Call me a dreamer, but I would love to see a day when I can hop on the streetcar in Newport and ride to Bellevue, Covington or to CVG. Many cities in our country have a train or streetcar, which make the airport accessible from the city center. Other areas of collaboration include working directly with other cities to find out how innovative solutions they’ve come up with have worked.
For example, many of our neighbors have taken innovative approaches to entertainment and pedestrian safety, which I believe we should also consider. For example, Bellevue, Cincinnati and Dayton [Ky.] have created entertainment districts, including a Designated Open Refreshment Area (DORA), which encourages commerce in their central business districts by allowing folks to carry alcoholic beverages onto the sidewalk in designated areas. The city of Dayton, Kentucky, implemented bump-outs in an effort to slow traffic. The city of Cincinnati and Covington have permitted parklets, which allow restaurants to have outdoor dining in an area that was once a street or parking area. It is imperative that we work and collaborate with our neighbors to learn what works and what does not work, to make our city and region better.
Any closing observations?
Newport is an amazing city and it is only getting better. I will bring a fresh perspective to the city as an attorney and as the youngest commissioner to be seated on the commission. I believe we must be innovative in our approaches to our quality of life. Most importantly, safety for our citizens. Our police and fire departments already do an excellent job keeping us safe, but the city can help, by creating traffic-slowing measures such as bump outs, safer cross walks and bicycle lanes that are well marked and provide enough space.
I believe we need to support our historic districts and support our city’s rich heritage, including the residential façade program. We need to support outdoor dining and entertainment for the many small restaurants and bars in our city. As the next city commissioner, I will support financial transparency and will work to maximize our tax dollars. Finally, we must work to make Monmouth Street a better, safer, more attractive main street as we move into the future.