Newburgh Council Split Over Neppl Promotion Ahead of Venning's March 31 Exit

With City Manager Todd Venning resigning effective March 31, 2026, the Newburgh City Council faces a consequential choice about leadership that could shape fiscal and administrative continuity ahead of a tight deadline. Mayor Torrance Harvey has proposed promoting Deputy City Manager Michael Neppl to preserve continuity, while a bloc of council members is pressing for an open search and an interim appointment.

Harvey told the council that promoting Neppl - whose trajectory the mayor described as moving from chief of staff to deputy manager and then to manager - “would maintain the ‘continuity of leadership’ that Venning created by pulling Newburgh out of a financial hole it was in for years.” Council discussion left members apparently split: three in support of Neppl, three in favor of conducting a search, and one seeking another alternative. Hiring or firing a city manager requires a super-majority vote of five of seven council members, so coalition building will determine the outcome.

New Councilwoman Tamika Stewart objected to treating Neppl as an heir-apparent, urging the council to follow basic human resources practice. “In any HR practice, the best practice when there was a vacancy, the position is posted, people apply for that position, people are interviewed for that position and someone is selected,” she said. “That is the most basic human resource process ever.”

The debate revives memories of past turnover at City Hall. Todd Venning was hired as Newburgh’s comptroller on Feb. 11, 2019, later becoming city manager after a contentious council action that followed the ouster of Joe Donat. Donat said he was “caught a little off guard, but at the same time, I respect the decision of the council.” Council recollections of that episode diverged: Ramona Monteverde said, “There was nothing sinister. There were no backroom deals being made... We were all informed one-by-one at the same time by the mayor, and again, it happened so quickly.” Bob Sklarz criticized the process at the time, saying, “Five members of this council made the decision to retain one member of the city management team at the expense of another... If we had the opportunity to collectively discuss this matter, to put our heads together, perhaps we would have been able to retain both.” The earlier council vote to hire Venning was recorded as 5-2.

Operational questions are immediate. Recordonline noted that Assistant Comptroller Marcia Espinosa has been leading the finance department until a new head comptroller is hired, a stopgap referenced by Councilman-at-Large Anthony Grice. The council has not yet identified who would serve as interim city manager if it opts for a search, nor has the council publicly named which members are aligned with each option beyond Stewart’s stated opposition and Mayor Harvey’s proposal.

For residents, the decision carries practical implications for budget continuity and day-to-day municipal services. Neppl’s promotion would likely sustain existing policy trajectories, while an open search introduces the possibility of new priorities but also of transition-related disruption. The super-majority requirement means any path forward will require at least two undecided members to join a coalition.

Next steps will hinge on formal motions and votes at upcoming council meetings and on whether council members align behind an interim appointment or commit to a search timeline. The council’s choice will determine who steers Newburgh through the spring budget cycle and how the city manages the transition after Venning’s departure.