Former Newport mayor fined for campaign finance violations

Three-time former Newport mayor and current city council member Jeanne-Marie Napolitano faces a $1,000 fine for violating state campaign finance laws over the last year.

The Rhode Island Board of Elections voted to approve a consent agreement with Napolitano at its June 17 meeting, following results of a subpoena and audit of her campaign finance account. Napolitano, a Democrat who has served nearly 30 years as a Newport city official, misreported or failed to report roughly $6,000 in combined campaign donations and spending from Jan. 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, according to the state election board’s audit. That includes more than $1,000 in cash contributions from sources who were not identified, and more than $3,200 in donations that were misreported or not reported at all.

Napolitano also used $110 from her campaign for personal use, and accepted a separate, $3,000 contribution from one donor — exceeding the $2,000-per-person per-year donation cap in state law.

Under the June 6 agreement with the elections board, Napolitano will pay a $1,000 fine, due no later than Sept. 30. She also must forfeit $2,025 from her campaign account within the next 30 days, based on failure to disclose sources of cash contributions, and exceeding the annual donation cap on a separate, individual donation.

Napolitano admitted fault in an interview Tuesday. 

“I knew I screwed up,” she said. “I told them.”

She added, “I did not expect to collect that much money,” referring to the donations received during her 2024 reelection campaign.

Napolitano also noted that the $100 on campaign money she spent on personal expenses happened because she accidentally used the wrong credit card. She corrected the mistake immediately.

Napolitano’s campaign treasurer unexpectedly resigned in July 2024, and she said she was unable to find a replacement.

“I guess I could have hired an accountant, but I wasn’t even sure I could afford an accountant,” Napolitano said.

She ended up managing her campaign account herself, but quickly found it was “over her head,” according to the audit report. 

She turned in the required information to the state elections board to complete her incorrect and incomplete campaign finance statements in May, according to the audit report.

Napolitano is a long-time fixture in city politics. She served two years on the city council from 1991 to 1995, returning again after 1999. She has won re-election in every subsequent term, and, as the top vote-getter in council elections, served three terms as city mayor, most recently from 2020 to 2022.

In 2024, Napolitano was the fourth highest vote-getter in the non-partisan race for the council’s four at-large seats, securing 14.5% of the vote.

Updated to include a response from Jeanne-Marie Napolitano.