NEWBURGH – Newburgh City Manager Michael Ciaravino, who was set to resign from his post on December 31, left instead last Friday. The city council has named Joseph Donat, the regional director for Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney as acting city manager until a permanent manager is selected.
At his last city council meeting last Monday night, Ciaravino offered advice that the city stick to its guns in terms of remediating its contaminated water from the Stewart Air National Guard Base. He said New York State must take responsibility for the water crisis since Stewart Airport, including the Guard base, is on state-owned land.
“My tentative conclusion is that the City of Newburgh is on their own when it comes to protecting their own interests and we really shouldn’t expect promises from anywhere in Albany to protect us from their self-interest, which is to get out of this mess as cheaply as they can,” he said.
Ciaravino didn’t mince words about the Department of Defense and the New York Air National Guard at Stewart.
“Don’t wait for the Department of Defense to do something because at the end of the day all the DoD is going to do is cover their own liabilities.”
Ciaravino offered his services for free to the city as a consultant going forward as long as the contaminated water issue continues.
The outgoing manager also had high praise for the police department under the leadership of Chief Douglas Solomon for bringing the community and department together.
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