The Newburgh City Council made the final move on Monday night to complete the logistics of a new Fire Commissioner position before beginning the hiring process. Prior to the vote, the Council took another opportunity to scold the public and to make shots at the firefighters’ union.
The Council proceeded to slam firefighters for opposing the new Commissioner position, referred to the city government as a private business, and boasted about buying a brand new fire engine for an engine company that is currently closed. Councilman Omari Shakur went as far as threatening to fire any firefighters who oppose the Council.
The Council slid the new Commissioner position through while adopting the upcoming budget in November of 2022, as previously reported in The Newburgh News (story here). The City’s Civil Service Commission also approved the new position.
During Monday night’s meeting, the Council voted unanimously to rewrite the City Charter to make room for the new Commissioner. The vote came after widespread public backlash demanding that the Council stop dead in their tracks and reallocate the money to better staff the fire department.
Council members have continuously deflected the understaffing complaints and blamed the firefighters’ union Local 589. The most recent labor/management contract sets a minimum staffing level. The contract language prohibits the city leadership from going below a preset staffing level, but does not stop them from obeying the public’s demands to increase the staffing levels.
Before the vote, Mayor Torrance Harvey went on a tirade accusing the public of creating a “false narrative” about creating the new position since the Council already slid the new Commissioner position into the budget and the latest vote was to tidy up loose ends before moving forward to hire a candidate.
Councilwoman Ramona Monteverde also complained about citizens putting out “their narrative” on social media. “I would say for us, this is common and we just move along and ignore it. We know what we’re doing. We know what is best for the city and for our constituents.”
Councilman Omari Shakur said, “We keep talking about this narrative. Is this people that work for us? And if it is people that work for us, what company has people that work for them that put different narratives out about their work?”
Shakur continued to rage, “I’m so tired of people that work for us have a different narrative. If they have a different narrative, then maybe they shouldn’t work for us.”
Harvey added, “When, where, and how does a person who is an employee of a company, of a business, talks about the company and the business in a way where it’s nasty and it’s disrespectful to the people that make the decisions for that particular company or business?”
Shakur later said, “If I hear any team effort that’s not with our teamwork, I would definitely make sure that maybe they don’t work for our team.”
Speaking about the public, Harvey said it’s “really sad for the way the social media and the folks that are on social media twist and spin narratives or spin the story to fit their narrative.”
In a previous meeting, the Council boasted that they will begin to “control the narrative” of the image that is portrayed about the City of Newburgh (story here).
Soon after that meeting, the Council began censoring information about major crimes from the public. On Monday, the City Clerk’s Office also refused to provide public records to The Newburgh News, LLC under the Freedom of Information Law regarding major crime in the city (story here).
The censorship comes amid a slew of citizens being shushed while opposing the Council at various meetings to oppose low staffing levels at the fire department (videos here and here).
The Council explained that they previously purchased two pumpers and one ladder truck, which replaced aging apparatus. Some of the older rigs had to be taken out by tow trucks, including one that was 33 years old. However, with an engine company currently closed, one of the new, shiny red trucks will sit parked in the garage and remained unmanned. The fire department is currently operating with one ladder truck and one pumper with just one driver and two firefighters apiece.
Harvey commended himself and the Council for purchasing the best “engine trucks and ladder trucks that money can buy,” as well as other firefighting equipment.
Shakur also said, “We support our fire department and we support everyone on our team.”
Shakur has previously made numerous headlines for referring to the City of Newburgh Police Department as “punk-a** mother-f**kers” and “pigs.” On one video from a traffic stop in 2020, Shakur was seen giving a City of Newburgh Police detective the middle finger while refusing to produce his driver’s license.
In a dated video obtained by The Newburgh News, LLC (see the video below), Shakur taunted the police by lifting up his shirt and showing what appeared to be an illegally concealed weapon in the waistband of his pants. “Come see me, motherf**kers,” he raged. “I’m high and I got a gun motherf**ker, so come see me!”
Meanwhile, Harvey also claimed his support of the city’s firefighters. “We’re going to continue to believe in our firefighters, we’re going to continue to support our firefighters, and we’re going to continue to do what we need to do for the public and what they need to have for public safety.”
