Interim City Manager Joseph Donat, completed his first official City Council work session on January 14. He took over the position at the end of December and immediately got to work.

Donat filled the role after the resignation of previous city manager Michael Ciaravino in December. He took an unpaid leave of absence from his position as Deputy Chief of Staff from Representative Sean Patrick Maloney to work for the city.

“The congressman wants to help the city in any way he can, and now he is making the ultimate sacrifice by allowing me to be here with the duration of time needed,” said Donat. “The City of Newburgh is eternally grateful to his generosity.”

Donat came into city hall with a list of priorities he’s already started working on. At the top of his list is finding a competent comptroller to fill the void left by previous comptroller Katherine Mack.

“We need someone in that position to steer us in a fiscally sound manner,” said Donat. “I hope to have offers made in the foreseeable future.”

Pulling together all the resources available to collaborate in a meaningful way is key to Donat for getting work done. He strives to collaborate, and to support all departments in the city government.

“It’s my intention to lead by example, and that’s what I will do over the course of my time here,” said Donat. “That includes increasing moral and providing support to the departments that need it.”

Department heads and their assistants are part of a non-bargaining unit. This group will often work on weekends and during vacation time for emergencies. At the moment they are not compensated for the time they work outside of regular working hours.

About 40 employees are part of this non-bargaining unit. Donat is looking to offset the time spent on the job outside of working hours with vacation time. He is also looking to make departments affected by cuts whole again.

“Often times their responsibility dictates they be here outside working hours,” said Donat. “I am looking to make department heads like DPW, IT, water, and engineering to have the same compensation as their counterparts across the board, evening the playing field the best I can.”

The deteriorating facilities of the city are of utmost concern to Donat. He is working to create a facility plan with an assessment of the buildings in need of renovation and relocation.

Donat is approved by the city council to hold his position for the next three months. He promises to stay with the city as long as needed.

“It’s my intention to provide the city whatever assistance they need,” said Donat. “The length of my contract is to the duration of the city’s needs. I believe that 2019 will be the year of Newburgh. There are lots of positive things in the future to tackle.”