Newburgh board approves settlement adopting ranked‑choice voting, authorizes up to $1.6 million payment

The Town Board of the Town of Newburgh voted unanimously on Feb. 23 to settle the NYVRA lawsuit brought by the Abrams Firm by adopting a ranked‑choice voting system for council seats and authorizing a payment to the Abrams Firm not to exceed $1.6 million.

Supervisor Gilbert J. Piaquadio introduced the settlement and sought a motion to approve the terms. Councilman Anthony LoBiondo moved to approve the settlement; Councilman Scott M. Manley seconded. The motion passed on a 5–0 vote with Manley, LoBiondo, McLymore, Carolan and Supervisor Piaquadio recorded as voting yes.

The board did not provide additional implementation details during the meeting about when ranked‑choice voting will appear on ballots or the administrative steps required to transition election procedures. The motion recorded only the settlement terms and the authorized payment cap; no specific schedule or payment timeline was included in the meeting record.

Supervisor Piaquadio said the settlement would resolve the litigation and adopt the ranked‑choice system for council seats. The board voted to approve the settlement after returning from executive session; town officials stated no action was taken inside executive session other than to discuss the matter.

Next steps: the town will need to finalize the settlement paperwork and implement the procedural and administrative changes required to administer ranked‑choice voting; the transcript does not specify a timeline or budget line for the payment. The board’s vote authorizes the payment cap but does not itself execute payment, which will follow the settlement procedures and any required approvals.