Orange County officials are considering pulling all of the county offices, including the Department of Motor Vehicles, out of the City of Newburgh due to what Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus referred to as a “North Korea” style of government.
Early last week, a confidential informant notified The Newburgh News, LLC that county employees are afraid to go to work due to ongoing violent crimes in the City of Newburgh. The source stated that county leaders are discussing pulling all of the county’s offices out of the city.
On Friday, Neuhaus announced on News 12 that over the last year, the City of Newburgh has “turned into a North Korea relationship” with Orange County. He stated that the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office have also had problems trying to interact with the City of Newburgh government. See the video below.
The announcement came after The Newburgh News has continuously revealed ongoing censorship attempts by City of Newburgh leaders (see stories here). Other media outlets have also reported encountering censorship issues and that the city’s department heads were put on gag orders by City Manager Todd Venning.
Nearly no information has been released to the public about major crimes or major fires since the City Council declared last September that they would begin to “control the narrative.”
Neuhaus’ comparison of the county’s relationship with the City of Newburgh government to North Korea comes soon after The Newburgh News published an editorial on March 19, 2023, also comparing the City of Newburgh government’s style to North Korea.
Neuhaus explained that Orange County officials hold monthly meetings with all the town supervisors and mayors within the county, but the City of Newburgh continuously refuses to participate. “We have actually zero representation – not almost – zero representation from the City of Newburgh at any of those meetings,” he noted.
The topic of violent crimes in the City of Newburgh has also become a concern as gun violence has soared since 2021, News 12 stated. Neuhaus expressed safety concerns for the county offices due to ongoing violence in the city.
Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler recently reported that the City of Newburgh leadership has been inaccessible to his office. Immediately after Hoovler issued that statement, the City Manager’s Office and the City Council issued a rare press release boasting that crime is down in the City of Newburgh.
Neuhaus warned that he is going to “start making some difficult decisions” if the City of Newburgh leadership “can’t get a handle on it.”
County officials are eyeing the Town of Newburgh as a potential location if the county office buildings are moved.
Newburgh Illuminated, a large-scale annual event with draws tens of thousands of customers into the City of Newburgh, was recently postponed after organizers faced battles with City Hall. Last month, Newburgh Illuminated organizers stated they were also considering moving the event to the Town of Newburgh.
This came after some city officials insisted that this year’s proposed festival shut down earlier than the 9:00pm end time during previous years, in addition to other proposed changes. Councilwoman Patty Sofokles pointed out that the former Waterfront Festival ran until midnight and city officials at the time found ways to accommodate it. Councilwoman Ramona Monteverde insisted that the city should try reaching a compromise with festival organizers. Talks are still underway, but a definitive plan has not yet been announced by Newburgh Illuminated.
