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Greater Newport Chamber outlines regional programs; Portsmouth councilors debate paying chamber dues
Summary
The Greater Newport Chamber outlined its regional business-support programs and a new soft‑landing attraction program; Portsmouth councilors debated whether the town’s roughly $12,000 annual membership should be funded from a business‑development line or disclosed in the civic‑support portion of the budget.
The Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce told Portsmouth officials about its regional economic-development work and programs intended to support businesses across Newport and Bristol counties; councilors debated whether Portsmouth should pay annual membership dues from a business-development line or fund them from civic‑support budgeting.
Erin Donovan Boyle, president and CEO of the Chamber, described four pillars: business services (training and networking), advocacy, innovation (including Innovate Newport) and Connect Greater Newport, the region’s public‑private economic development division. She said the Chamber operates business‑retention and expansion outreach, an annual business walk (the 2025 walk is scheduled for Oct. 24), seed funding and a soft‑landing program funded by a roughly $100,000 Network Innovation grant from the state Commerce Corporation to help businesses establish a local presence.
Several councilors questioned the town’s current membership and the line-item placement. Resident Tom Grieve and others opposed using taxpayer funds to subsidize the private Chamber, arguing the Chamber advocates for business interests and that benefits to residents are indirect. Grieve urged more transparency and recommended moving any municipal support into the civic‑support section of the budget so the public can weigh the town’s support alongside other civic requests.
Supporters, including Councilor Barry Morris and Portsmouth Economic Development Committee leaders, argued the Chamber’s regional work and its role in grant applications, partnerships with Naval Station Newport and business attraction deliver practical benefits to Portsmouth businesses and residents, and that municipal membership provides the town a voice in regional planning and access to partnership opportunities.
The council also discussed several procedural matters: whether the Naval Station pays dues (it does not) and that many Chamber partnerships have produced studies and grant work that the towns benefit from, including housing and broadband planning studies. Donovan Boyle said the chamber’s Connect Greater Newport partners include municipalities, academic institutions and regional stakeholders and that the chamber seeks to avoid taking positions that would adversely impact an individual member community when members disagree.
Why this matters: Portsmouth’s membership and dues are modest relative to overall town spending, but councilors framed the debate as one of accountability (how municipal support is presented in the budget) and the value of regional collaboration in attracting grants and coordinating economic development.
