Matthew Wahila, Ph.D. ‘17, is the Democratic candidate for Broome County’s 7th district in the Broome County Legislature. Wahila got his bachelor’s degree in physics from Rochester Institute of Technology and his doctorate degree in physics from Binghamton University. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher at BU.
1. What are your biggest concerns in your district? How do you propose to fix them?
“One big issue in my district right now is the proposed [Lithium-ion] battery recycling facility. Residents are very concerned about the safety of the facility and how it could negatively affect the surrounding community. As a research scientist, I’ve worked with Li-ion batteries for many years here at [BU], so I understand these battery materials and their potential hazards. Although the issue falls mainly under the jurisdiction of the village of Endicott and not the [Broome] County government, I believe that as a legislator I could still use my expertise to help guide the community and act as a mediator between our community, our local and state governments and the company to ensure that community members’ concerns are heard and fully addressed. And, with a seat at the table, I could ensure that any future projects, like this facility, would be properly vetted and properly communicated to the community before being approved. Another issue I’m concerned about is gerrymandering. The district I’m running to represent makes little sense in terms of demographics, geography, school district borders, utilities and other services or other municipal borders. It was pretty clearly designed to suppress the voices of those in the more Democratic-leaning Downtown Endicott. But redistricting of the county will soon occur due to the recent census. The county legislators play an integral role in that process, and I want to be on the Legislature to help ensure fair and sensible district borders are drawn that do not disenfranchise voters for partisan purposes. I’d like to work with political scientists and other experts to ensure district boundaries make sense, possibly employing automated software tools to remove [personal] and political influences.”
2. How do you envision engaging with the community and addressing the concerns it may have? More specifically, what would you do to engage BU students in these community issues?
“I’ve been an activist in our community for several years now, working hard to get people more involved in politics and local government, registering people to vote and planning community events and political actions to raise awareness on important local issues. In regards to BU students specifically, I have been a part of on-campus voter registration efforts and other outreach efforts in collaboration with on-campus groups, such as the College Democrats, Generation Vote, the Roosevelt Institute, etc. And, through our work, we managed to get hundreds, if not thousands, of college students newly registered in our local community over the past few years. As a legislator, I would want to continue that activism but also use my platform as an elected official to actually make some real change. Our university students need to be treated as real stakeholder members of our community by the local government and not just cash cows that bring in revenue.”
3. Given the issues Broome County has faced with COVID-19, how do you plan to combat this issue in your district?
“Regarding COVID-19, there are two main issues that need to be dealt with. One is the immediate public health crisis and the other is the resulting economic crisis. County Executive Jason Garnar and the county health officials have done a decent job keeping the county’s infection number low, so I would propose continuing on the same path and listening to the experts, however, numbers have recently been ticking up, so more direct action may need to be taken in the coming months. Dealing with the county’s financial shortfall resulting from a loss in local sales tax will be far more difficult. Without any federal aid [or] relief for state and local municipalities, Broome County is going to burn through its surplus fund balance and run out of money in the coming weeks. And, with another shutdown looming, the county will have to start making some very tough decisions and possibly cut some services and lay off employees. I want to do everything possible to prevent that from happening, which means we will need to get very creative and think outside of the box. We may need to look into some other means of securing funds for the county, such as the issuing of bonds, reassessing local properties that are currently paying lower property taxes than they should be, etc.”
4. What should be prioritized in the county budget?
“I think my main priority in the next year will be ensuring vital county services remain in place for residents. However, cuts will almost certainly need to take place to keep the county government solvent due to the current crisis. Layoffs should be a last resort, as that would only further suppress the local economy. Previously approved capital improvement projects may need to be reexamined and put on hold so funds can be redistributed. And non-vital infrastructure repairs may also need to be paused until the local economy is in a better place. But, I think we can make it through this adversity with a better, more efficient government provided we have the right people at the helm.”
5. Why should students and young people across Broome County vote for you?
“It’s time for our local government to have younger, more diverse, more educated voices at the decision-making table. I can be one of those voices. I have strong ties to the local universities. I was a BU student myself a few years ago, and I still work there as a researcher and educator. And I want to make our county a place that students want to live and want to stay after they graduate. That means making sure there are good jobs, good places to live and good opportunities for the future.”