By KEITH GRANT
Several sources acknowledged that talks were taking place with Harold Porr, the former city manager of Newburgh, N.Y., a mid-Hudson Valley city very similar to Long Beach in several ways. Officially, though, most leaders were hesitant to confirm the finalist's identity while the sides were still negotiating a contract, but anonymous sources were optimistic that the deal could be done and a vote can be taken at the Tuesday, March 19, city council meeting.
Though the hiring cannot become official until a public council vote, councilman Denis Kelly said, "I firmly believe it's going to be Harold Porr."
Officials at City Hall were also optimistic, but remained cautious and were not yet ready to acknowledge that Porr was currently the man in their sights.
"We hope that any negotiations would be settled by next week," said a source within City Hall. "But at this point it's premature to say anything. The negotiations are ongoing."
Porr was reportedly one of the two finalists city officials had settled on last week, when they acknowledged that one of the two was from the mid-Hudson region. The other finalist was also said to be an experienced manager, hailing from the Chicago suburbs. City council members sorted through dozens of resumes from across the country before beginning interviews with their eight top candidates, and then additional sit-downs with the final two.
An unexpected stumbling block council members came upon during the interview process was the fact that Porr had been a Republican party leader in Newburgh. Locally, council members-all of whom are Democrats-are said to be confidant that Porr had left those ties far behind him when he became a city manager.
However, according to Carl Aiello, publisher of the Mid Hudson Times, political battles forced Porr out of his post on two occasions.
"He was like Billy Martin. He keeps getting fired and rehired and fired, again," Aiello said. Porr was removed from the job again this past December after Democrats won a 3-2 majority on the council.
Newburgh city councilman Nick Valentine said he believes that Porr has always put political labels aside and worked with people on both sides of the aisle who wanted to see things happen in the city. Valentine noted that when Porr took a post in Poughkeepsie three years ago between stints as city manager in Newburgh, Poughkeepsie's Democratic-led council didn't want to lose him when Newburgh came calling again within months.
"I think you've found yourself a real good catch," Valentine said. "He's innovative, a stickler for details and he sees the job through."
Sources said that Long Beach council members asked Porr pointedly about his political background and Porr allayed any of their fears.
If a contract is worked out, Porr would join a city with many similarities to his own. As city manager for the small upstate city for most of the 90s, Porr oversaw a diverse, historic waterfront community of 25,000 some 60 miles north of New York City. According to the most recent census information, Newburgh's populace is 42 percent white, 34 percent black and 23 percent Hispanic. It is also home to a wide range of religions. In a March 2000 statement on the city, Porr wrote that Newburgh's "houses of worship bring many people of diverse backgrounds and cultures into our city, creating an exciting mix of ideas and interests."
According to Aiello, Porr is given a great deal of credit for the revitalization of Newburgh. "He helped attract a lot of development to the waterfront," Aiello said, including a new marina currently under construction.
"A lot of people give Harry a lot of credit for it," Aiello said. "But unfortunately a lot view him as very political."
Porr was on the job for a total of nine years in Newburgh. If a contract is worked out, he will become the second man to replace Ed Eaton in the city manager's chair. Bruce Nyman did so in 1999 but left after two years on the job, leading Eaton to return on an interim basis.
