Members of the emerging group of Newburgh businessowners who met to talk about the city's future.
By Charlie B. Scirbona
A group of Newburgh business leaders met Thursday to push for the state to take the city into short-term receivership and prevent what they’re calling “a swirling vortex” of bankruptcy and foreclosures from ruining the city of Newburgh.
“In the ten years I’ve been here there have been seven different city mangers and no consistent leadership,” said St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital’s President and CEO Allan Atzrott, who is one the leaders of the business group along with David Potack of Unitex Textile.
“We cannot maintain the status quo,” he said.
The meeting of the community’s business leaders comes a day after some 50 demonstrators marched on the Newburgh City Hall and demanded action from acting city manager Richard Herbek.
The meeting Thursday focused on the issues that brought the city to its current situation. Atzrott said that the rising taxes in the city are one of the biggest factors. The city of Newburgh raised property taxes this year by 71 percent to help close a $14 million budget deficit.
Rick Milton, of Mesh Realty, said that his business has had difficulty securing loans from banks because his properties are facing such steep taxes.
To this end, Atzrott said he and other members of the 20-plus group have been working with New York state Senator William Larkin and New York state assemblyman Tom Kirwan to create a bill that would let the state create a temporary control board for the city, and possibly restructure the government.
The group hopes that by letting the state take the city into a form of receivership they would be able to mitigate the financial and problems and help them better deal with crime and poverty.
“To see the city in this state, it’s just not right,” said Fred Viconnti of Visconti Limo Service. “It shouldn’t be like this.”
State assemblyman Kirwan said he sent a letter to the governor requesting the state to help the city last Friday. He added that the bill being crafted that would call for the state to take the city into receivership would only be brought forth if the city council approved it.
“Who are we, with the mess we’ve made in Albany, to come in and take over in Newburgh,” Kirwan added.
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