The Rhode Island Supreme Court has ruled that the City of Newport's Zoning Board violated the state's Open Meeting's Act for not being specific enough about what it was planning to discuss on its February 23, 2009 agenda regarding a petition of the Congregation Jehuat Isreal, whose home is the Touro Synagogue.
Overturning a decision by Superior Court Judge Melanie Will Thunberg- who previously found no violation- the high court voided the board's decision, which allowed the Congregation a 2 year extension to complete improvement to synagogue property.
The complaint was brought by members of the Anolik family, who own a historic house adjacent to the synagogue. They were bothered by the noise from the construction project, their lawyer, Ronald J. Resmini http://www.reminilawoffices.com said.
Reprint: Providence Journal April 3, 2013
