City manager still city resident no-show

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(stock photo)

NEWBURGH – City Manager Todd Venning began his tenure on that job some 15 months ago and he has still not moved into Newburgh as required by the city charter.

That document gives the manager 90 days to move into the city, yet he still resides in Wappinger.

Venning won’t talk to the media about any issue and Mayor Torrance Harvey has said on many occasions that Venning is getting close to finding suitable housing. The mayor recently cited that even with the manager’s $200,000 annual salary, he is having difficulty finding a place to live, although he recently said he is getting closer.

The city charter expressly states that the manager must live in Newburgh within 90 days of appointment. “Any officer of the City of Newburgh who does not comply with the residency requirements of this section shall be deemed to have voluntarily resigned,” it states.

Mayor Harvey said the city council granted Venning an extension by unanimous vote and that time limit is nearing an end. But, nowhere in the charter can it be found that the council can override the 90-day requirement.

The city corporation counsel has not returned a call for comment nor has the State Attorney General’s Office. The State Comptroller’s Office said the issue is not within its scope and referred any questions to the comptroller’s office.

If the charter provision has not been amended, that raises the question of the legality of every decision, every document he signed and every policy Venning has put in place, according to one political observer.




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