Mary Karminsky is running to represent Broome County’s 14th district in the Broome County Legislature. Kaminsky was first appointed to the position in 2015, and was re-elected in 2020. Karminsky is also a committee co-chair of the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team and is the board president of the Crime Victims Assistance Center. Karminsky graduated from SUNY Broome Community College with an associate degree in business information systems.
What are the biggest concerns you have with your district and how do you plan to approach them?
“There are so many concerns — blight, the lack of housing, poverty, homelessness, substance abuse disorder, mental health concerns, lack of child care. While they are all important I would say housing is my biggest concern. We are working on the housing issue in a variety of ways. We are transforming the old IBM Country Club into 750 new affordable housing units. We support the land banks budget and our 2023 budget has even more new housing developments to support all of our residents.”
How do you plan to engage with members of your community and address some of their concerns?
“Community members can reach me by email or phone. I have also met with people in person when that has been requested. When invited to any community functions regarding schools, public safety and neighborhood revitalization — if scheduling permits — I attend.”
More specifically, how do you plan to do this for Binghamton University students?
“I’m happy to meet with you. I can be available by email, phone or, when scheduling permits, in person.”
What do you believe has the highest priority when allocating funds from the county budget?
“Housing, safe neighborhoods and employee retention are my top three priorities.”
Many students and community members are concerned about the increasing prices of housing in the area as well as many reported infractions made by landlords. How do you plan to address this?
“Our hands are somewhat tied with reported infractions as that is a code issue which is handled by the city. Absentee landlords are a problem within the county. When property is sold at the county auctions, I try to gather as much information about the buyer as possible. I ask questions about back taxes, code violations, number of properties owned, etc. so I can make an informed decision. I fully support our land back which works to renovate distressed, vacant, abandoned and underutilized properties. We are working on numerous projects that will bring more affordable, quality homes to Broome County.”
What do you offer the students and youth of Broome County and why should they vote for you?
“The safety of our students and the entire campus community is a high priority. We are upgrading our emergency communications network, improving roadways [and] we have also added road patrols and supported training resources for our deputies and correction officers. There has been a 17 percent decrease in crime the past six years. Binghamton is a top college town. There is so much to do here — unique restaurants, signature events [and] fabulous parks, to name a few! I recognize how important it is for our youth to have opportunities and things to do. We are planning the biggest parks improvement project in the county’s history to make sure that there’s always something fun and exciting for residents and visitors to do.”