In September, Pipe Dream partnered with Binghamton University’s Center for Civic Engagement in an effort to educate and inform voters leading up to 2019 elections on Nov. 5. BU voters will encounter several races on the ballot next week. For our election issue, Pipe Dream reached out to every candidate in every local race on that ballot, aiming to provide coverage in areas that statewide and national news outlets often miss. We sent each candidate a questionnaire, asking them to discuss their platform, experience and campaigns. We also gathered biographical information on each candidate. Pipe Dream is committed to informing student voters and ensuring their voices are heard.

DISTRICT 1

Incumbent Giovanni Scaringi is the Republican, Libertarian, Conservative Party and Independent Party candidate for Binghamton’s 1st district seat on the Binghamton City Council. He is running unopposed.

DISTRICT 2

Sophia Resciniti, ‘06, is the Republican, Conservative Party, Libertarian and Independent Party candidate for Binghamton’s 2nd district on the Binghamton City Council. She is a lecturer in Binghamton University’s College of Community and Public Affairs.

Incumbent Dan Livingston is the Democratic candidate for Binghamton’s 2nd district seat on the Binghamton City Council. Livingston has previously served as an appointee to Binghamton’s Community Development Advisory Committee, and has worked with AmeriCorps. He is a founding member of Binghamton Urban Farm.

DISTRICT 3

Angela Riley is the Democratic and Green Party candidate for Binghamton’s 3rd district seat on the Binghamton City Council. Since 2016, Riley has been assistant dean of Binghamton University’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. She holds a pharmacy degree from Midwestern University.

Shawn Atkinson is the Republican, Independent Party and Conservative Party candidate for Binghamton’s 3rd district seat on the Binghamton City Council.

Atkinson’s campaign did not respond to Pipe Dream’s questionnaire request.

DISTRICT 4

Aviva Friedman, ‘14, is the Democratic and Green Party candidate for Binghamton’s 4th district seat on the Binghamton City Council. She is a member of Progressive Leaders of Tomorrow (PLOT), a progressive grassroots organization that aims to empower and liberate marginalized members of society.

John Cordisco is the Republican, Independent Party and Conservative Party candidate for Binghamton’s 4th district seat on the Binghamton City Council.

Cordisco’s campaign did not respond to Pipe Dream’s questionnaire request.

DISTRICT 5

Joe Burns is the Democratic candidate for Binghamton’s 5th district seat on the Binghamton City Council. He is semi-retired from a film and television career.

Carman Garufi is the Republican, Conservative Party and Independent Party candidate for Binghamton’s 5th district seat on the Binghamton City Council. Garufi has practiced private law for more than 30 years and previously served on the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals from 2004 to 2010.

DISTRICT 6

Tim Ames is the Democratic candidate for Binghamton’s 6th district seat on the Binghamton City Council. He is a Broome County native and studied business management and civil engineering at SUNY Broome.

Philip Strawn is the Republican, Independent Party and Conservative Party candidate for Binghamton’s 6th district seat on the Binghamton City Council.

Strawn’s campaign did not respond to Pipe Dream’s questionnaire request.

DISTRICT 7

Incumbent Tom Scanlon is the Republican, Conservative Party and Independent Party candidate for Binghamton’s 7th district seat on the Binghamton City Council. He currently serves as president of City Council and works at Broome Bituminous Products Inc. in Vestal. Before his election to City Council in 2017, he served on the City of Binghamton Planning Commission and the Binghamton School Board.

Salka Valerio is the Democratic and Working Families Party candidate for Binghamton’s 7th district seat on the Binghamton City Council. Valerio’s campaign did not respond to Pipe Dream’s questionnaire request.

Michael Korchak is the Libertarian candidate for Broome County district attorney. He is currently the Broome County chief assistant district attorney, and has worked as an attorney for roughly 30 years. Originally from the Bronx, Korchak holds a law degree from Pace University.

Paul Battisti is the Republican candidate for Broome County district attorney. He is originally from Broome County, and has worked in criminal defense law for 15 years. He holds a law degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law.

Debra Gelson is the Democratic and Working Families Party candidate for Broome County district attorney. She is originally from Little Falls, New York, and works as a private attorney in Binghamton. She has 35 years of experience in law and previously worked as an assistant county prosecutor in Monmouth County, where she headed a sex crimes and child abuse unit. Gelson’s campaign did not respond to Pipe Dream’s questionnaire request.

Incumbent Joseph Meager is the Republican candidate for Vestal town justice seat. He holds a law degree from Albany Law School and has practiced law for roughly 45 years.

Peter Orville is the Democratic and Working Families candidate for Vestal’s town justice seat. He holds a law degree from Syracuse University and has practiced law for roughly 35 years. He currently practices private law and is an adjunct lecturer at Binghamton University.

Incumbent Patricia Fitzgerald is the Democratic and Independent Party candidate for Vestal Council. She is one of three candidates running for two open seats.

Leon Brown is the Conservative Party and Independent Party candidate for Vestal Council. He is one of three candidates running for two open seats. Brown has more than 12 years experience as a police officer with the Broome County Sheriff’s Office.

Jason Ellis is the Republican and Libertarian Party candidate for Vestal Council. He is one of three candidates running for two open seats. Ellis previously served as chief investigator for the Broome County District Attorney’s Office, and now acts as president of the Vestal Volunteer Fire Department.

Ellis’ campaign did not respond to Pipe Dream’s questionnaire request.

Fran Majewski is the Republican candidate for Town of Vestal supervisor. He currently serves as a member of the Vestal Council and as chairman of the Vestal Recreation Committee.

Incumbent John Schaffer is the Democratic and Green Party candidate for Town of Vestal supervisor. Schaffer has held his position for the past seven years. Before that, he was on the Vestal Town Board for six years. Schaffer’s campaign did not respond to Pipe Dream’s questionnaire request.

Ioan (John) Filip, ‘82, is a write-in candidate for Town of Vestal supervisor.

Shoba Agneshwar is the Conservative Party and Independent Party candidate for the Vestal clerk position. Agneshwar has served alongside the current clerk and was on the Vestal Town Board from 2015 to 2017.

Debra Wallace is the Republican candidate for Vestal clerk. She has been the Vestal receiver of taxes for the last 12 years and served in the Town of Vestal for 14 years. Wallace’s campaign did not respond to Pipe Dream’s questionnaire request.