( CNN ) -- Newburgh , New York , was a main military headquarters for George Washington during the American Revolution . More recently , authorities say , it was the birthplace of a foiled terrorist plot . If Mayor Nick Valentine gets his way , the town of 30,000 will host the terror trial of accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four alleged accomplices . `` We 've got nothing to lose , '' said Valentine , who also runs a tailor shop . About 60 miles up the Hudson River from New York City , Newburgh struggles with poverty , unemployment and crime . In 2004 , the town was dubbed the third worst metropolitan area in the country . `` Sometimes , we 're the top five in crime , which is not a very good recognition , '' said Valentine , a lifelong resident . `` We struggle with everything . '' That 's why , he said , the trial would be a boon for his town . The influx of security personnel would chase the bad people out ; journalists and lawyers in town for the trial would provide a much-needed economic boost . `` People have said : If you have a trial , bad guys will come . My comment back to them : We 've got bad guys right now , '' the mayor said . `` If I had a police presence here for an extended period of time , this place would be a safer place . And in the end ... the city of Newburgh would be up a couple notches than where it was before . '' The White House has said it is considering changing the current plan to hold the 9/11 trial in lower Manhattan after New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other officials expressed concerns about security , costs and disruption to the city . Four alternative locations around New York have been discussed : Governors Island , the U.S. Military Academy at West Point , a prison complex in Otisville and Newburgh . Three of the sites , including Newburgh , fall within Orange County , which lost 44 residents in the 9/11 attacks . The top county official is doing everything he can to make sure the trial stays out . `` I do n't want to be known as the terrorist capital of the world , '' said Orange County Executive Edward Diana . `` I do n't want them here . Nobody wants them here . '' This is one battle , he said , `` I will fight tooth and nail . '' `` If I have to shut down roads , if I have to sue the federal government , I will do just that . ... That 's my stance , and I will never back off from there . '' Several senators on Tuesday lined up against a civilian 9/11 trial , saying that they would try to cut off funding for it and that it should take place in a military court . Mayor Valentine said he would allow the trial in his town only if Newburgh received the estimated $ 200 million needed for security . `` If it 's going to cost us money , then forget it , '' he said . He also agrees with many lawmakers -- that the accused terrorists do n't `` deserve a trial like any other citizen in the United States . '' `` But if the president of the United States wants a trial , let me put together a jury of peers from the Hudson Valley area , '' he said . The town recently built a $ 22 million courthouse , mandated by the state , and is struggling to pay its bills as a result , Valentine said . The federal funds would help get the town out of a mountain of debt . Ever since he 's spoken up for Newburgh , he said , people have been abuzz in his tailor shop . `` Customers have come in saying , 'You give it your best shot . ' `` He added , `` I 've had a couple of negative , but very , very few . '' The town has a diverse population -- 36 percent Latino , 34 percent African-American and 28 percent white -- with a median household income of roughly $ 30,000 . The town is the home of the 105th Airlift Wing of the New York Air National Guard . Within its four square miles , there are 70 places of worship , including two synagogues and one mosque , the mayor said . A tree planting last May honored a Muslim U.S. soldier from Newburgh who was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan . The soldier , 1st Lt. Mohsin Naqvi , had signed up with the Army Reserve just four days after 9/11 . `` We 're a proud city , '' the mayor said . Last June , four men , dubbed the Newburgh Four , were indicted in what prosecutors said was a plot to bomb two New York City synagogues and fire surface-to-air missiles at U.S. military planes . The mayor lauded his law enforcement for its participation in that federal probe . `` We have challenges . We have risen up to challenges in the past . We 're very formidable , '' he said . Now , he hopes the town `` where George Washington refused the crown '' will have a new place in history : the town that sentences the 9/11 mastermind to death .
Newburgh , New York , is being considered as a potential site for 9/11 trial . `` We 've got nothing to lose , '' says Mayor Nick Valentine . County official : `` I do n't want to be known as the terrorist capital of the world '' Newburgh made headlines last summer after authorities say they foiled a terror plot .