NEWBURGH – Members of the Newburgh City Council are split as to how they want to replace Todd Venning as city manager. He is resigning effective March 31.
Mayor Torrance Harvey presented two options – to promote recently named Deputy City Manager Michael Neppl to the post or conduct a search while an interim manager is appointed.
A super-majority vote of five of the seven members is needed to hire or fire a manager and after discussion Thursday evening, the members appeared to be split evenly with three in support of Neppl and three wanting a search. One member wanted another alternative.
New Councilwoman Tamika Stewart was opposed to naming Neppl as the heir-apparent to the post.
“In any HR practice, the best practice when there was a vacancy, the position is posted, people apply for that position, people are interviewed for that position and someone is selected,” she said. “That is the most basic human resource process ever.”
Mayor Harvey, meanwhile, said promoting Neppl from his previous chief of staff position to deputy manager, and then to manager, would maintain the “continuity of leadership” that Venning created by pulling Newburgh out of a financial hole it was in for years.
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