Newburgh launches national search for city manager, weighs government overhaul

Newburgh’s next city manager will be recruited nationally, a move that puts control of budgeting, staffing and day-to-day service delivery at the center of a broader fight over how City Hall should function.

The City Council made the decision Thursday night, ending any plan to limit the search to local or regional names. The vacancy was triggered by Todd Venning’s resignation, announced Jan. 5 and effective March 31, after a tenure the city said focused on fiscal recovery, operational stabilization and governance reform. Council members have already named Public Works Commissioner Jason Morris as interim city manager, a vote that passed 6-1 on March 23, with Omari Shakur dissenting and Robert McLymore absent.

The search is unfolding against sharp criticism of the city’s recent performance. Councilwoman Ramona Monteverde said residents are fed up with deteriorating streets, garbage piling up and the condition of Broadway, arguing that the manager system has not delivered the level of engagement or performance people expect. Her remarks underscored that this is not just a staffing decision, but a test of whether Newburgh’s government structure is producing results on basic quality-of-life issues.

Newburgh has operated under a council-manager form of government since 1917, and the city says that system was strengthened during the 2011 charter review process. Under the city’s official structure, the mayor serves in a ceremonial role while the council appoints the professional city manager to run City Hall. The city’s website identifies Torrance Harvey as mayor and Monteverde as president pro tem.

Council members are also weighing whether to create another charter review commission, a step that would put the city’s governing framework back under formal review. A local report said the last Newburgh Charter Review Commission met in 2011. Such a panel typically includes nine to fifteen members, and any proposed amendments or a new charter would go before city voters for approval at a general or special election.

The council had already delayed the search in February rather than immediately promoting Deputy City Manager Mike Neppl, a sign that members were not ready to settle for a routine succession plan. With Morris in the interim job and a national search now underway, the next hire will inherit more than a city manager’s desk. The choice will shape whether Newburgh can stabilize City Hall, confront blight and sanitation complaints, and restore public confidence in one of Orange County’s largest cities.