Voters in the Town of Newburgh will choose a new supervisor in the Nov. 3 general election, with Republican Scott Manley facing Democrat Stephen Krasner for the position currently held by Gil Piaquadio.

 

Manley, the town’s current deputy supervisor of nine years, is seeking to succeed Piaquadio after serving on the Town Board since 2015. A former police sergeant, Manley attended Newburgh schools and graduated from Newburgh Free Academy before continuing his education at Orange County Community College. He is campaigning on his experience in municipal government and plans to continue the town’s current approach to fiscal management and municipal services.

 

Manley said his experience as deputy supervisor would allow him to take office without a learning curve. His priorities include completing the town’s updated Comprehensive Plan, improving infrastructure and expanding recreational opportunities.

 

Krasner, running on the Democratic and Working Families Party lines, is seeking to bring a different approach to Town Hall, focusing on fiscal accountability, responsible development and greater public involvement in municipal decisions.

He holds a master’s degree in nonprofit management from The New School and a bachelor’s degree in politics and government and history from the University of Hartford. A former Peace Corps volunteer who served in Ecuador, Krasner has professional and management experience overseeing budgets, compliance and administrative operations. He is also an author and investigative writer. Krasner has proposed reviewing town spending and contracts, modernizing government operations and increasing transparency in development decisions.

The two candidates answered questions submitted by the Mid Hudson Times.

 

 

Manley: Smart, responsible growth begins and ends with an up-to-date, community-driven master plan. Development should never happen haphazardly; it must be guided strictly by zoning designed to preserve our existing residential neighborhoods, protect open space, and channel commercial activity into designated corridors equipped to handle it.

 

To achieve this, the Town Board has been working closely with planning consultant David Smith to update our Comprehensive Plan. This initiative has been shaped directly by our residents through three well-attended public workshops and more than 100 detailed community submissions. While managing daily town business and major municipal priorities has demanded substantial time, finalizing and formally adopting this Comprehensive Plan is a top priority.

 

Moving forward, our focus must be on balanced, sensible infill along established commercial districts where water, sewer, and road networks already exist, while firmly pushing back on overdevelopment in rural, environmentally sensitive, or traffic-burdened areas. The Comprehensive Plan will serve as an enforceable blueprint ensuring developers adapt to our town’s vision—not the other way around.

 

 

Krasner:  I’m not opposed to development. I’m opposed to development without a plan. 

 

The Town of Newburgh has reached a point where the cumulative impact of years of development decisions is becoming increasingly apparent. Warehouses, self-storage facilities, and large-scale residential projects continue to place pressure on our roads, infrastructure, environment, and quality of life. 

We should encourage thoughtful commercial development in appropriately zoned areas with existing infrastructure capable of supporting it, particularly projects that create meaningful employment opportunities, strengthen our tax base, and provide services residents actually need. 

 

But we’ve gone too far in approving certain types of development without adequately considering their collective impact. The proliferation of self-storage facilities is one example. The continued pressure on already congested corridors like Routes 9W and 32 is another. 

 

As Supervisor, I would push for a comprehensive review of our zoning and planning priorities, stronger consideration of cumulative traffic and environmental impacts, and a more transparent development review process. 

Growth should serve the community, not the other way around. We need to stop treating each development application as though it exists in a vacuum. 

 

 

 

Manley: Our most pressing infrastructure challenge is the condition, capacity, and safety of state-maintained roadways running through our town, compounded by aging municipal utility lines in established neighborhoods.

For years, the Town Board has aggressively petitioned the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) for speed reductions, turning lanes, and traffic signals at critical state intersections—only to encounter repeated delays and claims of regional underfunding. A clear example is the intersection of Little Britain Road (Route 207) and Old Little Britain Road: the state formally acknowledged the need for a traffic light in November 2019, yet through continued follow-ups, their estimated installation timeline was pushed out as far as 2028. Waiting nearly a decade for an agreed-upon, critical safety signal is unacceptable.

 

Because we cannot rely solely on the state to act, we pioneered proactive local solutions:

• Developer “Fair-Share” Mitigation: Rather than letting developers build without accountability, we require them to contribute their fair share toward traffic infrastructure. By pooling mitigation fees from the KeyBank/Walgreens and Orange County Trust projects ($75,000 each) alongside required developer funding from an adjacent residential complex, the town successfully installed a dedicated turning lane and traffic light at the corner of Gidney Avenue and Gardnertown Road at no cost to our taxpayers. As Supervisor, I will aggressively enforce and expand this fair-share model across all major site plan reviews.

• Aggressive Grant Acquisition for Utilities: Many of our older neighborhoods require modernized water and sewer infrastructure. We successfully secured substantial grant funding for Colden Park utility upgrades, and I will continue targeting federal and state infrastructure grants to rehabilitate neighborhood mains without burdening local property owners.

•  Regional Transportation Advocacy: I will work proactively with the Orange County Transportation Council and our state legislative delegation to secure priority funding and demand that NYSDOT accelerate regional safety projects.

 

 

Krasner: Our most significant infrastructure problem is the growing disconnect between the pace of development and the capacity of our roads, water, sewer, and drainage systems to accommodate it. 

 

Residents see the consequences every day through increased traffic, deteriorating roads, drainage problems, and concerns about the long-term capacity and cost of essential services. 

 

As Supervisor, I would prioritize a comprehensive infrastructure assessment that identifies existing deficiencies, future capacity needs, and the costs associated with continued growth. That assessment should guide both our capital improvement priorities and future development decisions. 

I would also pursue available county, state, and federal infrastructure funding, establish clearer long-term maintenance and replacement schedules, and ensure developers bear their appropriate share of infrastructure costs rather than shifting those burdens onto existing taxpayers. 

 

We need to move away from a reactive approach where problems are addressed only after they become expensive emergencies. 

Infrastructure planning should drive development decisions, not continually struggle to catch up with them. 

 

 

 

Manley: Keeping property taxes predictable and affordable requires strict fiscal discipline, maintaining a healthy reserve fund, and expanding our commercial tax base so single-family homeowners do not carry an unfair burden.

Under our administration, the Town of Newburgh has maintained an exceptional fiscal record, consistently staying under the New York State property tax cap throughout my tenure on the board. (It is important to remember that the state cap is not a flat 2%, but the lesser of 2% or the rate of inflation, requiring tight, proactive budget management every year.)

When it comes to where we allocate our tax dollars, every line item must provide direct, measurable value to our residents. Here is how I plan to balance the budget while targeting key areas where investment is needed:

 

Maintaining Long-Term Fiscal Stability:

• Protecting Fund Balances: Several neighboring municipalities have faced painful, double-digit tax spikes because they depleted their reserve funds to artificially lower taxes in the short term. We maintain healthy reserves so we can manage emergencies and capital replacements without relying on sudden tax hikes or costly borrowing.

• Expanding High-Value Commercial Ratables: Maintaining quality town services requires steady revenue. By fostering smart commercial development in designated corridors, we strengthen our commercial tax base, which funds vital municipal functions and shields homeowners from bearing the brunt of town expenses.

• Operational Efficiencies: We constantly evaluate spending, utilizing intermunicipal shared services and competitive bidding to keep overhead low.

• Expanding Parks & Recreation Opportunities:

• Sunday Access at the Recreation Center: The new recreation center is a fantastic facility, but it is currently closed on Sundays. Weekends are when working families and youth need recreation most; I will budget to open the center on Sundays.

• Unlocking Our 11-Acre Riverfront Park: The town owns 11 acres of prime Hudson River waterfront land that our residents currently cannot enjoy. I will pursue every legal, administrative, and governmental avenue available to compel CSX to grant an at-grade or elevated crossing over the railroad tracks so the public can finally access their riverfront park.

•To cut down on project delays and frustration, I support budgeting for an additional full-time building inspector.

 

 

Krasner: Fiscal responsibility isn’t simply about holding the line on taxes. It’s about making sure taxpayers receive value for every dollar spent. 

Within my first 100 days, I would initiate a comprehensive operational and financial review of town government, examining departmental spending, contracts, outside professional services, purchasing practices, and long-term financial obligations. We need to identify inefficiencies, eliminate unnecessary expenditures, and ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent responsibly. 

I would place particular emphasis on reducing avoidable legal expenses, improving procurement practices, and questioning spending that benefits government officials more than the residents they serve. 

 

At the same time, we cannot afford to neglect essential infrastructure, road maintenance, public safety, or the services residents depend upon. Preventive maintenance and sound capital planning often save taxpayers considerably more than postponing necessary improvements. 

 

I would also seek additional grant funding and encourage commercial development that provides genuine, sustainable tax benefits without creating disproportionate infrastructure costs. 

 

 

 

Manley: I believe in building upon what works while modernizing how Town Hall interacts with the public.

 

What I will continue:

Our sound fiscal discipline, dedication to our town workforce, and hands-on, community-first service model. I have always prioritized direct constituent service—returning every phone call and addressing neighborhood concerns promptly—and I will hold every department to that high standard of responsiveness. Serving as the current Deputy Town Supervisor, I can step into the position on day one knowing how to continue doing the job as Supervisor. There will be no learning curve and residents can expect the same dedicated and thoughtful leadership we have seen with outgoing Supervisor Piaquadio. 

 

What I will modernize:

1. Interactive GIS Planning Portal: Today, residents who want to know what is being built in their neighborhood often have to sift through lengthy PDF agendas and minutes. I want to implement a user-friendly, map-based GIS tracker on the town website. Residents will be able to click on a property pin to instantly view active Planning and Zoning Board applications, site plans, and review statuses.

 

2. Online Permitting and Application Tracking: We need to modernize the Building Department workflow by allowing residents and contractors to submit permits online and track application progress in real time, reducing counter wait times and paperwork backlogs.

 

3. Clear, Official Communication Channels: Clear public communication is vital to combat misinformation. We recently launched the Town of Newburgh’s official Facebook page to provide residents with direct, verified updates on road closures, town meetings, and community events, and we will continue expanding our digital outreach so residents always have accurate information directly from Town Hall.

 

 

Krasner: I’ve said throughout this campaign that I’m not running simply to occupy the Supervisor’s office. I’m running to change how that office, and Town Hall, operate. 

 

For too long, town government has operated in a manner that leaves too many residents feeling excluded from decisions affecting their neighborhoods, finances, and quality of life. 

 

I would establish regularly scheduled opportunities for residents to meet directly with the Supervisor and other town officials outside formal Town Board meetings. I would improve access to public records, modernize the Planning Board application process so residents can track development proposals and their progress online, and establish clearer expectations for responding to constituent concerns. 

 

I would also bring greater scrutiny to contracts, appointments, spending decisions, and the relationships between town government and those doing business with it. 

 

That same commitment to accountability extends to protecting residents’ privacy and civil liberties. I oppose the Town’s expanding network of Flock surveillance cameras because widespread monitoring of residents’ movements raises serious questions about privacy, oversight, and the appropriate role of government. I support effective law enforcement and targeted investigative tools, but public safety should not come at the expense of fundamental civil liberties. 

 

As for what I would continue, the town has dedicated employees who provide essential services every day. I would preserve what works, support those employees, and maintain effective programs and services. 

 

 

 

Manley: First and foremost, I want to be absolutely clear: I do not support, nor would our Town Board permit, a full-scale detention or correctional facility in the Town of Newburgh. Large regional detention centers typically occupy 200,000 to 400,000 square feet and present major community impacts that do not belong in our town.

 

There has been understandable public concern and confusion surrounding this proposal. It is important to look at the objective facts:

 

ICE has rented local administrative office space in the Town of Newburgh on Governors Drive for more than a decade (a property owned by NYSDOT that previously housed NYS DMV offices during my time as a police officer).

As of now, the federal government has not submitted formal building plans or site applications to our Town Building Department, leaving local officials and residents without complete, verified details from Washington.

 

We will continue demanding full transparency from the federal government, protecting our community’s legal and zoning rights, and ensuring our residents’ voices are heard at every stage.

 

 

Krasner: I oppose the proposed ICE facility in the Town of Newburgh, and I’ve been clear about that position from the beginning. 

 

This is not simply a question of immigration policy. It’s a question of the potential consequences for our community, the responsibility of local government to protect its residents, and the moral and ethical considerations that should never be overlooked. 

 

We cannot ignore the human impact of immigration enforcement. The fear, uncertainty, and emotional toll experienced by families, including children who worry about being separated from their parents or loved ones, are very real concerns. Regardless of where  someone stands on immigration policy, we should recognize the human dignity of those affected and the lasting consequences that fear and uncertainty can have on families and entire communities. 

 

Beyond those concerns, a facility of this nature raises serious questions about demands on emergency services, public safety resources, infrastructure, surrounding property values, and trust between residents and local law enforcement. There are also legitimate questions about environmental impacts, public health, and the lack of meaningful transparency surrounding the proposal.  

 

I believe we can recognize the importance of enforcing our laws while also insisting that people be treated with dignity, compassion, and basic humanity. Those principles are not mutually exclusive. 

 

Whether someone agrees with my position or not, they will never have to wonder where I stand. Leadership requires taking a position, particularly when the issues are difficult.