No Change in Newburgh’s City Manager

By Brendan G. Coyne

Newburgh’s embattled acting city manager Richard F. Herbek will stay on for now.

Following an hour-long executive session Monday night, Mayor Nicholas Valentine announced that Herbek would stay and the discussion of the city manager would continue in public at Thursday’s work session.

Before the city council’s special work session convened, some 30 protesters called for a transparent process to discuss the city manager position.

In response to media reports that Newburgh attorney Michael Mazzariello was about to replace Herbek, Meredith Ingram of Mo’Betta and Yusuf Belford of Community Voices Heard held a press conference in the lobby of city hall. They called for a competitive process to find a qualified city manager.

Following the conference, protesters marched up the stairs to the city council room, chanting “Hey ho, back door policy has to go” and holding signs reading, “No back door deals.”

Protestors stayed in the city council chambers during the special session.

When the council convened its work session, it immediately went into executive session to discuss litigation and a “matter pertaining to the employment of a particular person,” which the audience assumed to be Herbek.

Asked about the future of Herbek following the meeting, Valentine said that he thought the council should re-evaluate the city manager following the recent difficult budget process, which resulted in an enormous tax hike.  Earlier this fall, a majority of the council had argued to keep Herbek.

Issues about the city manager position erupted last week when city councilwoman Christine Bello said Mayor Valentine called to tell her that he had enough votes to put Mazzariello in that office. Deputy Mayor Regina Angelo said she had learned that Valentine and city councilman Curlie Dillard had met with Herbek and Mazzariello. Mazariello himself told Newburgh Circle that he would soon have news that would “rock Newburgh.”  When asked on Monday night about Mazzariellos’s inference that he would soon become city manager, Valentine said Mazzariello can say what he wants to say.

Herbek, too, was mum about his future, saying simply the city council would make that determination. He said he had offered to help the council.

At the press conference, Ingram called for the creation of a search committee that includes city residents. She said that the city should hire a city manager based on qualifications, not on cronyism. Belford said that Newburgh has had six city managers over the last two years and residents are suffering because of the city council’s mistakes.

Ingram referred to the $30,000 national search conducted by the Mercer Group and suggested that the two finalists of that search be contacted to see if they were still available. Herbek ended the search and sought consideration of himself as acting city manager.