Newburgh council debates replacing city manager — split between appointing deputy and open search; moves to executive session

Newburgh City Council met in a special work session on Jan. 29 to discuss options for filling the city manager vacancy, with the council split between appointing the deputy city manager to a two-year contract and conducting a national search with an interim appointment. The public meeting concluded and the council entered an executive session to discuss personnel matters related to the appointment.

The council considered two options laid out by Mayor Harvey. Option 1 would appoint the deputy city manager to a two-year term by written contract effective April 1, 2026; Mayor Harvey said the city charter (she cited Article 5) permits appointment for a definite term not exceeding two years. Option 2 would begin a search, appoint an interim city manager for up to six months (extendable by council resolution up to one year), and use an internal or consultant-led recruitment process.

Council members framed the choice as one between continuity and process. Council member Shakur argued for promoting from within, saying the administration and staff are stable and "Newburgh, we can do these jobs ourselves." By contrast, Council member Stewart urged an open search, warning that skipping a public recruitment would look like "hypocrisy at its highest level" and risk further erosion of public trust.

Mayor Harvey framed her support for continuity in the city's recent fiscal recovery and ongoing development projects, citing investments and housing projects in the pipeline and saying, "I vote for continuity and leadership." She attributed the city's improvements to recent executive hires and infrastructure investments; several numerical claims were made during her remarks (for example, a reference to a 66-unit project and to receiving thousands of applications for units). Those figures were presented as the mayor's account and were not independently verified in the meeting record.

Several members requested legal and procedural clarification. Council member Monteverde asked whether the city manager's resignation had been formally filed with the city clerk and whether the state public officers law 30-day rule applied; staff responded that state law can be superseded by local law and that the charter does not necessarily preclude a resignation with a later effective date, and agreed to confirm the filing status.

The moderator cited SHRM best practices for human resources and provided an informal council count during the discussion: three council members saying they favor a search, three favoring promotion of the deputy, and one wanting other alternatives. At the end of the public session, a motion to enter executive session was made and seconded; before adjourning, the mayor announced that the executive session would cover "the medical, financial, credit, or employment history of a particular person or corporation" and matters leading to appointment or employment actions. The meeting then moved into executive session and no formal appointment was announced in the public record.

What happens next: The council took no public vote to appoint a new city manager during this session. The public record from the work session shows the council debated process and law and then adjourned to a closed executive session to continue personnel deliberations.