Newburgh Mayor Torrance Harvey plans to step down in 2027

Torrance Harvey is preparing to leave Newburgh’s mayor’s office at the end of his current term in 2027, a move that is already opening the field for the city’s next power struggle.

Harvey said he expects to retire from the post he has held for more than nine years, ending a run that began after he served two years as councilman-at-large from 2016 to 2018 and then stepped into the mayor’s seat after Judy Kennedy died in April 2018. His departure will matter well beyond City Hall because Newburgh is entering a stretch defined by questions about public safety, development and trust in local government.

The timing also puts attention on who could succeed him. Councilman Robert McLymore has privately expressed interest in the job, a sign that the race may begin taking shape inside the current City Council long before ballots are cast. In Newburgh’s council-manager system, the mayor is not the city’s chief executive. The mayor presides over council meetings, serves as one of seven votes on the council and holds a ceremonial role, while the city manager runs day-to-day operations.

That structure gives the city manager post its own importance, and Newburgh is already managing another transition. City Manager Todd Venning has announced he will leave effective March 31, 2026, and the council has been dealing with how to replace him. With both top posts in flux, the city is heading into a period where leadership choices could shape how Newburgh handles services, internal operations and its relationship with county and state officials.

Harvey’s own record has kept him tied closely to those issues. In February 2026, he was quoted in the state attorney general’s case against the Kenney Apartments landlords, saying tenants were living without reliable heat and basic repairs. The case reflected the kind of city problems residents feel most directly: whether homes are safe, whether property owners are accountable and whether city government responds quickly enough.

Newburgh has operated under a council-manager form of government since 1917. The City Council consists of seven elected part-time members serving four-year terms: a ceremonial mayor, two at-large members and four ward representatives. Harvey’s exit at the end of 2027 would not only close a long chapter in the city’s leadership, it would also force Newburgh to decide what kind of political direction comes next.