By Charlie B. Scirbona
The city of Newburgh Charter Review Commission is recommending a reorganization of the city council.
The commission gave its recommendations to the Newburgh City Council during the Thursday work session. Brigidanne Flynn, vice chair of the commission, spoke to the council about the need for adding two more city councilors and switching to a ward system.
Flynn said the commission was calling for four city councilors to be elected from wards and two elected at-large. She explained that the four wards that would be created would be defined by the most current census data. Flynn added that voting districts created a more balanced and representative system of government.
This is not the first time that a charter review commission has recommended that Newburgh go to a ward system. In 2007 the previous commission proposed dividing the city into eight wards, without any councilors elected at-large. Flynn said that this and two other attempts to make changes to the charter, going back to 1993, have all failed. The last time the city revised its charter was 1917.
The commission also recommended including language in the charter to define the qualifications for the city manager position as well as specific provisions for removing the city manger. Flynn said that by not having specific language for hiring and removing the city manger has led to a high turnover rate for the position.
The Charter Review Commission will also hold a public hearing for its proposed revisions on Thursday August 11, at 7 pm at the city’s Activity Center on Washington Street. The final revisions will be on the ballot in the upcoming general election in November.
The City of Newburgh website at www.cityofnewburgh-ny.gov/charter/index.htm includes meeting minutes, background, and information and presentations by the Commission’s consultants.
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