T IMES
MID
Neptune
Diner, a
Newburgh
landmark,
closes doors
after 35 years
HUDSON
Vol. 29, No 52
3
DECEMBER 27, 2017 - JANUARY 2, 2018 $1.00
3
Goldbacks
like the water
Page 31
SERVING NEWBURGH AND NEW WINDSOR
Police chief job in limbo, again
By SHANTAL RILEY
[email protected]
At its regular meeting on Dec. 20,
the City of Newburgh Civil Service
Commission was unable to confirm
whether Douglas Solomon met the
requirements to be appointed as the next
police chief of the City of Newburgh.
“Have we received a determination as
to whether or not the appointment of
Mr. Solomon would be a valid, lateral
transfer?” asked civil service commission
Chairman Thomas Murphy. “There is no
determination from the state yet,” replied
civil service Administrator Michelle
Mills. “It’s pending.”
It has been three years since the
city has had a permanent police chief.
The delay was caused, partly, due to a
requirement that city department heads
reside in the City of Newburgh, the civil
service commission’s refusal to promote
former acting Police Chief Dan Cameron,
and a lack of interest in the job by eligible
candidates.
“As you are aware, all the candidates
on the current eligible list for the Police
Chief Exam #60184 have declined interest
in the position,” City Manager Michael
Ciaravino wrote in a letter to the civil
service commission on Dec. 12.
“I received an application from Chief
Douglas Solomon... who is retired from
the position of Village of Monticello
police chief and currently serving as
City of Beacon police chief... Specifically,
I am requesting the commission’s
opinion about whether the civil service
examination that the candidate took as
a predicate to becoming police chief in
Continued on page 4
Holiday greetings
By LAUREN BERG
Town of Newburgh’s Neptune Diner,
located on Route 17K, was best known
for its community atmosphere and for
attracting a dedicated group of regulars.
After 35 years of serving the community,
owner Marie Spina decided to close the
diner’s doors for the last time this past
Sunday, Christmas Eve.
“I’m tired. I’m emotionally, physically,
spiritually burnt out,” said Spina. “I
loved it…I would have kept going, but it’s
difficult physically.”
Spina, formerly a math teacher, entered
the restaurant business with her father
more than three decades ago, and has
since run the business with the help of
her daughters Ann-Marie Rant and Dawn
Spina. The diner has become a landmark
of Newburgh, leaving behind a legacy of
community involvement. Neptune would
stay open late hosting nearly 20 years of
Valley Central High School’s post-musical
parties; the most recent signed poster of
Valley Central’s 2017 42nd Street hung
on the wall. Neptune was also known for
offering military discount to members of
the Air National Guard, Air Force and
Continued on page 4
William Kaplan greets parents, Saturday, at a holiday party hosted by the children who attend the weekly programs at the Newburgh Armory
Unity Center. Story, photos on page 30.
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