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05/24/2011 09:16 PM

Banding together to change

By: Lori Chung

A group of frustrated residents in Newburgh are banding together to make a change in the community. Our Lori Chung tells us why they want lawmakers in Albany to join the bandwagon.

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NEWBURGH, N.Y. -- "Newburgh is sitting on the cusp of getting itself together," said restaurant owner Dan Brown.

Brown says that's one of the reasons he chose to open a business here. But with double digit tax increases and a host of other problems have brought him and others to a breaking point.

"The American Revolution was started on a three percent tax, I don't view this as a revolution, but 71 percent is pretty high," Brown said.

Brown is a member of the newly formed Change Newburgh Political Action Committee. In their video letter to Albany, they make a plea for help, saying say the city's real problem is not the crime that often makes headlines, it's financial dysfunction.

"You have such a history where public monies aren't accounted for, we don't know what happened to them, we don't want to give any more money."

The video is the just first step in a campaign for a new direction. The group wants to change a lot here, starting with the way the city is governed.

"State legislators who we're hoping will help sponsor legislation to enact receivership," said Change Newburgh PAC co-founder Merridith Ingram.

Simply put, an appointed team of experts with the power to make the changes that will turn Newburgh around.

"Our property taxes are slated to go up 300 percent over a four year period, projected to go up 20 percent in 2012," Ingram said. "That's not a formula for solving the problem."

"This is probably the last opportunity for us to save this place," Newburgh resident Peter Smith said.

And members say they're going all out to give Newburgh a new rep.

"Albany, help us change Newburgh."