Newburgh: Just the Beginning?

Special Report

An attractive town of 31,000 on the banks of the Hudson River sixty miles above New York City, Newburgh has invited national attention. For the city officials, led by City Manager Joseph Mitchell, decided the time had come for action when the welfare expenses of the city amounted to almost one-third ($983,000) of its $3 million annual budget, more than the city spent on fire protection, or the police force, or public works. After studying the welfare program the city officials produced a thirteen-point reform plan that is, in today’s climate, the equivalent of revolution.

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About the Author

David Franke

Special Report

An attractive town of 31,000 on the banks of the Hudson River sixty miles above New York City, Newburgh has invited national attention. For the city officials, led by City Manager Joseph Mitchell, decided the time had come for action when the welfare expenses of the city amounted to almost one-third ($983,000) of its $3 million annual budget, more than the city spent on fire protection, or the police force, or public works. After studying the welfare program the city officials produced a thirteen-point reform plan that is, in today’s climate, the equivalent of revolution.