Current City of Newburgh Mayor Torrance Harvey will be seeking re-election this coming November and will be running on the Democratic line. Harvey was previously endorsed by the Working Families party and has been speaking with their representatives to seek their endorsement. He along with Councilman Omari Shakur will be seeking re-election.

Harvey came to the city in 1991, first living in Poughkeepsie. His educational background includes graduating from Morehouse College, DePaul University and Mount Saint Mary College, where he received a Master of Science Degree in Secondary Education and History. Harvey is currently an educator within the Newburgh Enlarged City School District at Newburgh Free Academy North Campus. He and his wife have raised three children in Newburgh.

In the political realm, Harvey first joined the city council in 2016, running for the at-large seat. In 2018, Harvey, in a special election, was voted and appointed to complete the term of mayoral office held by former mayor Judy Kennedy after her passing the same year. Over the past few years, Harvey and the council endured the COVID-19 pandemic, the tornado in the city and criticism when it came to budget discussions. In this year’s election, Harvey’s platform will focus on the housing crisis that has been a notable topic both in the city and at the state government level over the past few years.

“Constructive criticism is great. Destructive criticism is no good,” said Harvey. “I welcome criticism, because I can learn from other point of view and different perspectives.”

Several highlights under Harvey’s tenure include the North Interceptor Sewer Replacement Project, the Foster Supply Hospitality hotel that will see job and educational opportunities for residents of the city and the additional work with Congressman Pat Ryan for the remediation of the city pier. Harvey also expressed his enthusiasm for the process and work to bring about the highly anticipated aquatic center at Delano-Hitch Park with new splash pads included at several of the city parks.

“I’m super excited because of the things that we’ve accomplished and the things that we already have in the pipeline. We’ve got a lot of stuff going on,” said Harvey. “My goal is to make the City of Newburgh a world class city. I’ve won a lot of support, because I’m here to unify this city.”

With recent announcements of new city council candidates that included Ali Muhammad, Anusha Mehar, Bryan Luna and RD McLymore, Harvey reflected on adding new faces and voices to the council. “I’m really excited and encouraged and happy, actually, you got a lot of people wanting to step up. It’s a sign that there are people in our community that see an opportunity to step up into public service,” said Harvey. “For those two seats, it’s encouraging to say people want to be involved.”