A Hudson Valley waterfront watchdog group announced today that it has posted the full text of the Leyland project's Development Agreement with the City of Newburgh on the internet for public review.
The group, It Flows Both Ways Coalition, obtained the document yesterday after filing a Freedom of Information Law request last week.
The agreement can be viewed at http://www.regionalroundup.org/leylandDA.pdf .
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Monday, October 1, 2007
Howard Issues a Call for Unity
After primary win, Democratic mayoral candidate seeks party conference
NEWBURGH - Democratic mayoral candidate Lillie Howard, fresh from a commanding upset victory over the candidate backed by the Newburgh Democratic committee, called upon party leaders and the region's elected Democratic officials to acknowledge the choice made by party voters and help her implement the platform she was nominated on.
"I have called for a review of a number of matters before the city government which include the present Leyland project and the daily operation - or, more accurately, malfunctioning - of city government, and Democrats responded by giving me the nomination in a record turnout," she said. "The party leadership, both at the committee level and including our elected Democratic officials, should heed the voters' choice and help us get these things done."
Howard called on the Newburgh Democratic committee to provide support for the campaign, as, she said, "they are legally and ethically required to do for their nominee."
"This is particularly important given that I was nominated not by a few people in a back room picking straws, but by the Democratic voters of the city," she added. Howard also called on Orange County Democratic chair Jonathan Jacobson to "put the resources of the county party into the effort to bring much-needed change to our city."
She is also seeking the assistance of elected Democrats like Rep. Maurice Hinchey and Governor Elliot Spitzer in her bid to unseat Republican mayor Nick Valentine in November.
"I am facing an incumbent mayor who shares a party line with President Bush, whose policies have devastated communities like Newburgh across the nation," she said.
Howard also took a jab at city council member Sal Cracolici, whom she bested 522 to 445 last week in the Democratic primary. Cracolici will appear on the ballot on the Conservative line in November; he has announced that he intends to continue to run as a Conservative.
"Sal Cracolici now wraps himself in the banner of a party whose website proudly features disgraced Republican Newt Gingrich as its most prominent ideologue," said Howard, wondering what the implementation of a Conservative Party agenda in city hall would mean for city residents.
"There will be a definite choice for Newburgh in November," said Howard. "It will be between myself, offering real Democratic solutions to the problems facing our city, and two versions of the status quo - a Republican one and a Conservative one," she added.
PRESS CONTACT: GEOFFREY ATKINS 908 463-7266
Lillie Howard for Mayor
City of Newburgh, NY
lillieformayor@gmail.com
NEWBURGH - Democratic mayoral candidate Lillie Howard, fresh from a commanding upset victory over the candidate backed by the Newburgh Democratic committee, called upon party leaders and the region's elected Democratic officials to acknowledge the choice made by party voters and help her implement the platform she was nominated on.
"I have called for a review of a number of matters before the city government which include the present Leyland project and the daily operation - or, more accurately, malfunctioning - of city government, and Democrats responded by giving me the nomination in a record turnout," she said. "The party leadership, both at the committee level and including our elected Democratic officials, should heed the voters' choice and help us get these things done."
Howard called on the Newburgh Democratic committee to provide support for the campaign, as, she said, "they are legally and ethically required to do for their nominee."
"This is particularly important given that I was nominated not by a few people in a back room picking straws, but by the Democratic voters of the city," she added. Howard also called on Orange County Democratic chair Jonathan Jacobson to "put the resources of the county party into the effort to bring much-needed change to our city."
She is also seeking the assistance of elected Democrats like Rep. Maurice Hinchey and Governor Elliot Spitzer in her bid to unseat Republican mayor Nick Valentine in November.
"I am facing an incumbent mayor who shares a party line with President Bush, whose policies have devastated communities like Newburgh across the nation," she said.
Howard also took a jab at city council member Sal Cracolici, whom she bested 522 to 445 last week in the Democratic primary. Cracolici will appear on the ballot on the Conservative line in November; he has announced that he intends to continue to run as a Conservative.
"Sal Cracolici now wraps himself in the banner of a party whose website proudly features disgraced Republican Newt Gingrich as its most prominent ideologue," said Howard, wondering what the implementation of a Conservative Party agenda in city hall would mean for city residents.
"There will be a definite choice for Newburgh in November," said Howard. "It will be between myself, offering real Democratic solutions to the problems facing our city, and two versions of the status quo - a Republican one and a Conservative one," she added.
PRESS CONTACT: GEOFFREY ATKINS 908 463-7266
Lillie Howard for Mayor
City of Newburgh, NY
lillieformayor@gmail.com
Sunday, September 9, 2007
VIDEO: Newburgh Dem Mayoral Candidates Debate
NEWBURGH - Special thanks to Allison Cappella, Kevin Burke and Genie Abrams for putting this together, as well as to Chuck and the library staff for hosting it and all the folks who turned out to participate. There were some great questions asked, which provoked some interesting responses from the candidates.
Unfortunately, despite Lillie Howard's call for a series of six issue-related debates to be held at various neighborhoods around the city, this was the only debate that Sal Cracolici would agree to before the primary.
To view the mayoral debate (Lillie Howard and Sal Cracolici), click here:
The city council debate (Latta Jones, Marge Bell, Robin Y. Pearson and Rudy Rodriguez) is available at http://www.newburghadvocate.com/ as is the Republican candidates debate.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Howard to Cracolici: Let's Debate
Candidate seeks six debates around the city
NEWBURGH - Democratic mayoral challenger Lillie Howard - fresh from a courtroom victory over City Councilman Sal Cracolici, the machine-backed candidate - today issued a call for a series of six debates between the two before the September 18 primary election. The winner of the primary will be the Democrat facing the incumbent Republican mayor, Nick Valentine, in the November election.
Cracolici had sought to avoid the primary by petitioning the court to have Howard thrown off the ballot. A decision last week found that Cracolici's case - brought by a campaign aide - was completely meritless.
Howard said each debate should center on a specific area of community concern and that they should take place in a variety of neighborhoods representative of the city as a whole. She proposed individual, dedicated debates dealing with the specific issues of housing, recreation, police-community relations, redevelopment, the role of the community in education, and building the tax base.
Howard called on the local cable carrier, Time Warner, to carry the debates on local cable TV.
NEWBURGH - Democratic mayoral challenger Lillie Howard - fresh from a courtroom victory over City Councilman Sal Cracolici, the machine-backed candidate - today issued a call for a series of six debates between the two before the September 18 primary election. The winner of the primary will be the Democrat facing the incumbent Republican mayor, Nick Valentine, in the November election.
Cracolici had sought to avoid the primary by petitioning the court to have Howard thrown off the ballot. A decision last week found that Cracolici's case - brought by a campaign aide - was completely meritless.
Howard said each debate should center on a specific area of community concern and that they should take place in a variety of neighborhoods representative of the city as a whole. She proposed individual, dedicated debates dealing with the specific issues of housing, recreation, police-community relations, redevelopment, the role of the community in education, and building the tax base.
Howard called on the local cable carrier, Time Warner, to carry the debates on local cable TV.
It's Howard vs. Cracolici in September Dem Primary for Newburgh Mayor
Cracolici/Curry challenge fails in court; Howard will appear on September ballot
NEWBURGH - It's official: Lillie Howard has fended off a lawsuit seeking to kick her off the September ballot. The well-known community activist will face City Council member Salvatore Cracolici in a Democratic primary election scheduled for September 18.
The primary will determine who will face off against Republican Mayor Nick Valentine in November.
Cracolici's campaign, through a running-mate's campaign operative, had originally challenged Howard's ballot petitions last month, filing objections with the Orange County Board of Elections. The Board denied the challenge, however, and placed Howard's name on the ballot. Cracolici's side then sued in state Supreme Court to overturn the Board's determination; that bid failed in a trial in Goshen today.
Howard said that Cracolici's actions were "the frightened actions of a scared candidate." She chastised Cracolici - and Michael Curry, an aide to his running-mate R. Yaniyah Pearson - for forcing the trial, saying that the party's candidate should be chosen by Democratic voters, not the courts.
"The Court has spoken, now it's the voters' turn, as it should be," said her attorney, Michael Sussman, outside of the courtroom today.
NEWBURGH - It's official: Lillie Howard has fended off a lawsuit seeking to kick her off the September ballot. The well-known community activist will face City Council member Salvatore Cracolici in a Democratic primary election scheduled for September 18.
The primary will determine who will face off against Republican Mayor Nick Valentine in November.
Cracolici's campaign, through a running-mate's campaign operative, had originally challenged Howard's ballot petitions last month, filing objections with the Orange County Board of Elections. The Board denied the challenge, however, and placed Howard's name on the ballot. Cracolici's side then sued in state Supreme Court to overturn the Board's determination; that bid failed in a trial in Goshen today.
Howard said that Cracolici's actions were "the frightened actions of a scared candidate." She chastised Cracolici - and Michael Curry, an aide to his running-mate R. Yaniyah Pearson - for forcing the trial, saying that the party's candidate should be chosen by Democratic voters, not the courts.
"The Court has spoken, now it's the voters' turn, as it should be," said her attorney, Michael Sussman, outside of the courtroom today.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Dr. King 1st Victim of Gentrification in Newburgh
Apparently, one of the first redevelopment acts to take place in Newburgh will be the removal of the recently dedicated bronze bust of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from its perch at Dr. King Boulevard and Colden Street, if the city and it’s preferred developer have their way.
Dedicated this past January at a ceremony witnessed by the city’s top officials who stood, according to the press, “at the sidelines” by previous agreement, the bust is to be moved and some streets currently carrying Dr. King’s name are to be renamed before the redevelopment of the downtown waterfront by Leyland Associates begins.
Singer, activist and Newburgh city mayoral candidate Lillie Howard was to the point in her description of the meaning of the proposed move and street renamings. "Who do you think is going to be moved next?” she asked tenants at a recent meeting.
“Think about it – you can hardly make it on the rents that are already in place. There is no rent control or other protection for tenants in place. What do you think it will be like after the townhouses and condos are built on our waterfront and in our downtown?” she asked.
Howard stressed that the present residents need decent-paying jobs and affordable housing, saying that neither of these are a serious and material part of the current administration’s plans for community .redevelopment. She again called on the present city council to adopt her Jobs/TAP proposal for community job training and tuition assistance at the proposed SUNY/Newburgh (see below).
“They are saying something very specific to the community and the larger world by banishing Dr. King from the Newburgh waterfront at the outset of this process,” said Howard. “The question is, is the community listening and will the community hear what is being said in time to do something about it.”
The bust was made by sculptor David Frech, who described how impressed he'd been to see in a documentary about King the man's extraordinary power in the face of anger and hate. In a press account published last January, Frech described the absolute calmness with which King met an angry white man during a protest march in the South. King was, he reportedly said, utterly calm, "simply attentive" to the man.
Frech said a man who knew King described him as "a teacher by word and example."
Howard was concerned about the turnout at a presentation of the proposed King removals last Thursday evening at City Hall, where very few residents of the affected area were in attendance.
“Now is the time to wake up and organize to make sure you will be able to remain in the community,” read a flyer which was handed out to neighborhood residents prior to the meeting.
Howard said that the organizing “has to happen from the ground up and it has to happen soon.” She called on clergy and community leaders to convene “a summit on gentrification” before any formal process is begun by the city or the developer.
Meanwhile, city officials said that they plan to have a Development Agreement prepared for execution within a few weeks. Howard said that this was much too soon to bind the city to a plan when so many affected people have been left out of the process.
“It’s our city, and it’s show time on that” she said. “Now we’ll find out who our real leaders are by their actions. I know that I, for one, will DEFINITELY not go quietly into that good night on this one. The people will soon see who else stands with us – and them.”
DATED March 31, 2007
CONTACT: Lillie Howard at LilHow214@aol.com
Saturday, March 3, 2007
JOBS/TAP PROPOSAL: APPRENTICESHIP/JOB TRAINING & TARGETED HIRING PROGRAMS
Our city is on the verge of major redevelopment. Approval of the proposed Newburgh/SUNY & Waterfront Redevelopment projects will mean that massive construction will take place here.
Construction in our community should translate into jobs for our local residents and especially for those who need them the most - those were identified in the January 29, 2006 "Promised Land" report in the Times Herald-Record.
According to that report, 52% of families in our city earn less than $35,000 a year; 25.8% of families earn below the federal poverty line for a family of four (currently $19,350); and 39% of adults are not in the workforce at all, with many looking for work who can't find it.
Since "bricks & mortar" activity means that people are working, I want to make sure that those cited in the statistics above will benefit from all of the construction that will soon be going on in our community. Therefore, I am suggesting that the developers and the unions form a partnership to establish a strong Jobs Training Apprenticeship Program (Jobs/TAP).
This Jobs/TAP program will enable those represented in the statistics to become a vital part of the rebuilding of our city.
Those participating in Jobs/TAP would be granted one year or more free tuition to attend a Newburgh/SUNY college program.
County Legislator Kulisek has agreed to have a meeting with me and others to begin to work on this project. I am hopeful that this will be the first step in moving our city forward, for when those who have the most needs begin to prosper, we all will prosper.
Jobs/TAP would enable people to eventually become homeowners, which in turn will increase the tax base of our city, and which will help to ease the burden of our present homeowners.
Large developments always have substantial social and economic impacts in many areas which are borne by the host communities. I intend to make sure that these impacts benefit those most in need, which will in turn benefit the whole community.
Jobs/TAP would help to mitigate the negative impacts by contractually insuring positive impacts. It would address issues such as the type and quality of jobs, training of local residents to fill them and provision for permanent economic activity and employment opportunities.
Because most planning processes do not include formal considerations of these wide-ranging impacts, Community Benefits Agreements, which are deals between developers and coalitions of community organizations, address a broad range of community needs. They can implement safeguards to ensure that affected residents share in the benefits of major developments, which the Newburgh/SUNY Project and the Waterfront Redevelopment Project truly are.
Union jobs are middle-income jobs that pay good wages; good wages are central to the city's economic health because they reduce the burden on social, health, and housing programs and assure an adequate supply of discretionary income, in turn resulting in higher tax revenue for the city.
For many development projects, the developer's primary selling point is jobs, but unemployed individuals may need job training in order to become qualified for the new positions; if not, the jobs may be filled by individuals who live in other areas.
One way to assure that our local residents get those jobs is to incorporate targeted hiring requirements that employers in a development hire local individuals - if needed, with the assistance of Jobs/TAP. Targeted hiring programs will help development projects fulfill what is often their most fundamental selling point: building an economic base in low-income communities.
Targeted hiring policies advance what is often the main function of development projects: to help a depressed area by increasing economic opportunities there.
This is often the main purpose cited to justify a development's public subsidy.
Targeting jobs to residents of the neighborhood development is also compelling.
Anytime a development project is built in a low-income neighborhood, residents of the neighborhood are urged to support the project based on promises of job opportunities the project will provide. It is only fair to require that projects promoted on that basis include some mechanism to ensure that local people actually get some, if not most, of the jobs. Therefore developers and local government dangling the prospects of local jobs should be willing to take concrete steps to make their promises a reality.
To that I say that this is one of the major reasons that I'm running for the mayoral seat of the City of Newburgh to assure that these types of safeguards are put in place so that our city can truly benefit and prosper, for when the low- and moderate-income residents are doing better the entire city will reap the benefits of it.
Construction in our community should translate into jobs for our local residents and especially for those who need them the most - those were identified in the January 29, 2006 "Promised Land" report in the Times Herald-Record.
According to that report, 52% of families in our city earn less than $35,000 a year; 25.8% of families earn below the federal poverty line for a family of four (currently $19,350); and 39% of adults are not in the workforce at all, with many looking for work who can't find it.
Since "bricks & mortar" activity means that people are working, I want to make sure that those cited in the statistics above will benefit from all of the construction that will soon be going on in our community. Therefore, I am suggesting that the developers and the unions form a partnership to establish a strong Jobs Training Apprenticeship Program (Jobs/TAP).
This Jobs/TAP program will enable those represented in the statistics to become a vital part of the rebuilding of our city.
Those participating in Jobs/TAP would be granted one year or more free tuition to attend a Newburgh/SUNY college program.
County Legislator Kulisek has agreed to have a meeting with me and others to begin to work on this project. I am hopeful that this will be the first step in moving our city forward, for when those who have the most needs begin to prosper, we all will prosper.
Jobs/TAP would enable people to eventually become homeowners, which in turn will increase the tax base of our city, and which will help to ease the burden of our present homeowners.
Large developments always have substantial social and economic impacts in many areas which are borne by the host communities. I intend to make sure that these impacts benefit those most in need, which will in turn benefit the whole community.
Jobs/TAP would help to mitigate the negative impacts by contractually insuring positive impacts. It would address issues such as the type and quality of jobs, training of local residents to fill them and provision for permanent economic activity and employment opportunities.
Because most planning processes do not include formal considerations of these wide-ranging impacts, Community Benefits Agreements, which are deals between developers and coalitions of community organizations, address a broad range of community needs. They can implement safeguards to ensure that affected residents share in the benefits of major developments, which the Newburgh/SUNY Project and the Waterfront Redevelopment Project truly are.
Union jobs are middle-income jobs that pay good wages; good wages are central to the city's economic health because they reduce the burden on social, health, and housing programs and assure an adequate supply of discretionary income, in turn resulting in higher tax revenue for the city.
For many development projects, the developer's primary selling point is jobs, but unemployed individuals may need job training in order to become qualified for the new positions; if not, the jobs may be filled by individuals who live in other areas.
One way to assure that our local residents get those jobs is to incorporate targeted hiring requirements that employers in a development hire local individuals - if needed, with the assistance of Jobs/TAP. Targeted hiring programs will help development projects fulfill what is often their most fundamental selling point: building an economic base in low-income communities.
Targeted hiring policies advance what is often the main function of development projects: to help a depressed area by increasing economic opportunities there.
This is often the main purpose cited to justify a development's public subsidy.
Targeting jobs to residents of the neighborhood development is also compelling.
Anytime a development project is built in a low-income neighborhood, residents of the neighborhood are urged to support the project based on promises of job opportunities the project will provide. It is only fair to require that projects promoted on that basis include some mechanism to ensure that local people actually get some, if not most, of the jobs. Therefore developers and local government dangling the prospects of local jobs should be willing to take concrete steps to make their promises a reality.
To that I say that this is one of the major reasons that I'm running for the mayoral seat of the City of Newburgh to assure that these types of safeguards are put in place so that our city can truly benefit and prosper, for when the low- and moderate-income residents are doing better the entire city will reap the benefits of it.
Respectfully submitted by:
Lillie Howard, Mayoral Candidate, City of Newburgh
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Howard seeks jobs, tuition programs for Newburgh SUNY project
Mayoral candidate says uses, not direction of structure, matter
NEWBURGH - Mayoral candidate Lillie Howard, at last week's roll-out of the Newburgh SUNY proposal, called on county and SUNY officials to include a jobs training program and free tuition for those residents who will be most directly affected by the project as a part of the proposed college campus on lower Broadway.
She also dismissed the criticism by proposed waterfront developer Leyland Associates that the building faces inwards and should include storefronts. "It is not whether the campus faces in or not that matters to the Newburgh community - it's who is allowed in and under what conditions," she said. "We have been waiting for this important community resource for a long time, and no 'Johnnie-come-lately' developer should imperil it to help market their luxury condos," she said.
"Rather, the task is to see that the college helps uplift our current residents, rather than displace them, as some would prefer," she added.
Howard plans to meet with county and school officials in the coming weeks to discuss the matter further.
She also dismissed the criticism by proposed waterfront developer Leyland Associates that the building faces inwards and should include storefronts. "It is not whether the campus faces in or not that matters to the Newburgh community - it's who is allowed in and under what conditions," she said. "We have been waiting for this important community resource for a long time, and no 'Johnnie-come-lately' developer should imperil it to help market their luxury condos," she said.
"Rather, the task is to see that the college helps uplift our current residents, rather than displace them, as some would prefer," she added.
Howard plans to meet with county and school officials in the coming weeks to discuss the matter further.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Pop Diva Announces Mayoral Run in Newburgh
Singer/activist seeks to "end the exclusion of Newburgh's majority from decision-making"
NEWBURGH, NY - Civil rights activist and recording star Lillie Howard announced yesterday that she is, in fact, running for mayor of this city on the west bank of the Hudson River, signaling the kickoff of what could be the most interesting political contest in the region. Later this week, Howard will forward her name to the local Democratic committee with a request that she be their nominee this year.
"On November 13th, 2006 - in front of City Hall - I made an announcement, which the press termed an 'unofficial' announcement, that I am running for position of mayor of the city of Newburgh in the upcoming November 2007 election. First and foremost let me be clear - I am today making that announcement official."
Newburgh currently faces the prospect of wholesale redevelopment in a process that some believe is intended to displace poor and lower-income residents, an outcome that Howard said is "simply unacceptable."
Citing a special Times Herald-Record report ("The Promised Land" Jan 29, 2006), Ms. Howard detailed the problems facing the city. "I am running so that the city will begin to address the needs of the majority of its people. I say the majority because in the city 52% of families earn less than $35,000 a year; 25.8% of families earn below the federal poverty line for a family of four (currently $19,350); and 39% of adults are not in the workforce, with many looking for work who can't find it," she said.
Howard also pointed out that 38% of adults have no high school diploma.
According to the 2000 census, Newburgh's 28,259 residents are 36% Hispanic, 33% African-American, and 28% Caucasian. "This means that 69% of the residents of Newburgh - considered by some as 'minority' - are truly the majority, and it's high time the city government started to address the problems that the majority faces. When that happens, our city will truly begin to prosper, because when the majority does better, the whole community reaps the benefits," Ms. Howard said.
Howard said that the most urgent issues facing the majority include a shortage of affordable, safe, decent & sanitary housing and a need for livable wage jobs with job training/apprenticeship programs. "These are just two of the areas where City Hall could address the many problems that we face as a community, and it only takes a short stroll around town to see that this administration - like the last ones - failed the majority miserably," she said. "In Census Tract 4 - which includes much of the East End - 81% of residential units are in need of significant repairs or renovation," she added.
As one solution to the housing problem, Ms. Howard pointed out that the city has many properties which could be utilized to enable many local residents to become first-time homeowners, adding that this would, in turn, begin to increase the tax base. "The high rents that they are already paying can be used instead to pay mortgages and city and school taxes. This is just one of my ideas for change; hopefully, those of like-mind will join hands with me to bring about a new reality for our city," she added.
"Serious economic development must be embraced," she said. "This will begin to ease the present tax burden that homeowners face. Middle-sized and 'Mom & Pop' businesses should be encouraged throughout our Broadway corridor, and I can foresee a revived business district, from Dubois Street down to the waterfront, which we are calling 'East End Village' in our working discussions. This area would also include Liberty Street from Broadway down to Renwick Street."
"I am the candidate who, when elected, will immediately begin working on erasing the blight - without erasing our community. We cannot continue doing business in the way that it's been done. It's time to turn around and start moving in another direction," said Howard, adding "we cannot successfully do that unless all of our citizens are included in that effort."
According to Ms. Howard, one project that could be the vehicle for the turning around of the city is the Waterfront Redevelopment Project "but only if the needs of the majority are seriously embraced and included. In the past," she said, "very few local residents have reaped the benefits of projects in our community - and something is definitely wrong with that picture.
"The majority can no longer be left out of the process; serious inclusion of all of our citizens has to become a top priority and, if not, we will only have ourselves to blame. Newburgh cannot and will not seriously move forward without creating ways by which all of it's citizens will be a part of the moving forward process," Ms Howard concluded.
NEWBURGH, NY - Civil rights activist and recording star Lillie Howard announced yesterday that she is, in fact, running for mayor of this city on the west bank of the Hudson River, signaling the kickoff of what could be the most interesting political contest in the region. Later this week, Howard will forward her name to the local Democratic committee with a request that she be their nominee this year.
"On November 13th, 2006 - in front of City Hall - I made an announcement, which the press termed an 'unofficial' announcement, that I am running for position of mayor of the city of Newburgh in the upcoming November 2007 election. First and foremost let me be clear - I am today making that announcement official."
Newburgh currently faces the prospect of wholesale redevelopment in a process that some believe is intended to displace poor and lower-income residents, an outcome that Howard said is "simply unacceptable."
Citing a special Times Herald-Record report ("The Promised Land" Jan 29, 2006), Ms. Howard detailed the problems facing the city. "I am running so that the city will begin to address the needs of the majority of its people. I say the majority because in the city 52% of families earn less than $35,000 a year; 25.8% of families earn below the federal poverty line for a family of four (currently $19,350); and 39% of adults are not in the workforce, with many looking for work who can't find it," she said.
Howard also pointed out that 38% of adults have no high school diploma.
According to the 2000 census, Newburgh's 28,259 residents are 36% Hispanic, 33% African-American, and 28% Caucasian. "This means that 69% of the residents of Newburgh - considered by some as 'minority' - are truly the majority, and it's high time the city government started to address the problems that the majority faces. When that happens, our city will truly begin to prosper, because when the majority does better, the whole community reaps the benefits," Ms. Howard said.
Howard said that the most urgent issues facing the majority include a shortage of affordable, safe, decent & sanitary housing and a need for livable wage jobs with job training/apprenticeship programs. "These are just two of the areas where City Hall could address the many problems that we face as a community, and it only takes a short stroll around town to see that this administration - like the last ones - failed the majority miserably," she said. "In Census Tract 4 - which includes much of the East End - 81% of residential units are in need of significant repairs or renovation," she added.
As one solution to the housing problem, Ms. Howard pointed out that the city has many properties which could be utilized to enable many local residents to become first-time homeowners, adding that this would, in turn, begin to increase the tax base. "The high rents that they are already paying can be used instead to pay mortgages and city and school taxes. This is just one of my ideas for change; hopefully, those of like-mind will join hands with me to bring about a new reality for our city," she added.
"Serious economic development must be embraced," she said. "This will begin to ease the present tax burden that homeowners face. Middle-sized and 'Mom & Pop' businesses should be encouraged throughout our Broadway corridor, and I can foresee a revived business district, from Dubois Street down to the waterfront, which we are calling 'East End Village' in our working discussions. This area would also include Liberty Street from Broadway down to Renwick Street."
"I am the candidate who, when elected, will immediately begin working on erasing the blight - without erasing our community. We cannot continue doing business in the way that it's been done. It's time to turn around and start moving in another direction," said Howard, adding "we cannot successfully do that unless all of our citizens are included in that effort."
According to Ms. Howard, one project that could be the vehicle for the turning around of the city is the Waterfront Redevelopment Project "but only if the needs of the majority are seriously embraced and included. In the past," she said, "very few local residents have reaped the benefits of projects in our community - and something is definitely wrong with that picture.
"The majority can no longer be left out of the process; serious inclusion of all of our citizens has to become a top priority and, if not, we will only have ourselves to blame. Newburgh cannot and will not seriously move forward without creating ways by which all of it's citizens will be a part of the moving forward process," Ms Howard concluded.
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