NEWBURGH – In a unanimous vote Wednesday evening, the Newburgh City Council named Acting Manager Joseph Donat as city manager.
He told the council members after the vote that 2019 is “the year of Newburgh,” but Donat said he owes the credit to the city employees.
“Without their unrivaled commitment and dedication, who knows what the future would be?” Donat said. “It’s rather easy for me to suit up and show up and put a tie on and come to work every day. The real rubber meets the road day after day for the last several years and decades with everything that has been done, often times without any recognition or praise, people putting in an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay.”
The city manager also had high praise for former City Manager Harry Porr, who has been his mentor for many years.
Donat, who will receive an annual salary of $135,000 with a performance-based increase, gave up his job as regional representative for Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney to take the permanent city manager’s post.
