NEWBURGH – Eight candidates have signed up to take the Newburgh police chief exam next month, the attorney for the city Civil Service Commission, at least that is what Martin Cohen said that is what he was told. Acting Chief Daniel Cameron is not one of them.
Cameron refused to take the test because it is being given as an open competitive exam; he wanted a promotional exam since he was a lieutenant in the Newburgh department before being named acting chief a year ago. During that prolonged period, there was no effort by Cameron or other city officials to change the manner of the testing, Cohen said. At the 11th hour, Mayor Judy Kennedy, City Manager Michael Ciaravino and Cameron sought to have the promotional test administered, the attorney noted.
Cohen said in December 2014, Kennedy said there was no basis by which to change the way a police chief was hired.
“She indicated lieutenants should have five years in service because of the nature of Newburgh and that anyone who wishes to try for that particular position should have a full understanding and dealt with the problems of Newburgh should have at least five years,” Cohen said. “Suddenly a man who was given provisional status but only served in the position for two to three years, perhaps even four, now wants special consideration,” the attorney said.
The test to be given as open competitive required candidates to have only two years of mid-level command experience.
Cohen said the “whole point behind civil service was to do impartial hiring. Suddenly it becomes a political, as opposed to a non-political, a partisan, as opposed to a non-partisan. If the purpose behind civil service was to make an impartial hiring, shouldn’t they make their own rules and shouldn’t those rules be equally applied?” he questioned.
