Newport Council Taps Solicitor, Acting Manager, to Lead City Full Time

NEWPORT, RI—Acting Newport City Manager and longtime City Solicitor Joseph J. Nicholson Jr. could soon be scratching the “acting” off his job title.

The Newport City Council on Wednesday voted 6-1 to appoint Nicholson to lead the city full time.

City Councilor Justin McLaughlin was the lone vote in opposition.

The vote ends a lengthy search period that began more than a year ago, though Nicholson’s full-time status won’t be official until final contract details are worked out.

The City Council went through two formal search processes to finally settle on Nicholson. The first began in 2014 but the council was unimpressed by the final list of candidates produced by a search firm hired to find a replacement for former City Manager Jane Howington.

A second search began in Jan. 2015 after the City Council decided to conduct an in-house search.

Nicholson, a the city’s longtime City Solicitor and a lawyer, is considered to have been quite active and engaged as acting City Manager, moving ahead with council directives and carrying out long-term plans.

This is a developing story.