Newport Historic Preservation Commission re-elects Chair Cole, outlines 2026 priorities

On March 25, 2026, the Newport Historic Preservation Commission convened at Newport City Hall, swore in new commissioner Don Spalding and re-elected Chair Cole and Vice Chair Mark Ramler before hearing a staff briefing on 2025 activity and 2026 priorities.

The meeting opened with roll call and the administration of an oath to Don Spalding by the assistant attorney, who instructed the new commissioner to "raise your right hand and say I do"; Spalding replied, "I do." The commission then corrected a typographical error in the draft minutes for a COA related to 825 Overton and approved the minutes by roll-call vote; the motion carried.

Commissioners then conducted officer elections. A nomination recorded in the transcript as "I nominate Mike Co as chair" (the record contains variant spellings for the nominee) was seconded and, after a roll-call vote, the commission confirmed the incumbent chair (referred to consistently elsewhere in the record as Chair Cole) to serve another year. Mark Ramler was nominated, seconded and…