Students, faculty and Binghamton residents came together on the banks of the frozen Chenango River to hear Binghamton University freshman Conrad Taylor officially announce his candidacy for City Council.
Over 50 people crowded Peacemaker Stage on Court Street to hear Taylor, who is majoring in political science, address members of Binghamton’s fourth district, which encompasses North Side and Downtown neighborhoods.
After warming up the crowd with a performance by a capella group the Binghamtonics, Taylor invited the crowd to join him on stage as he addressed concerns about his age and detailed some of his plans for the district.
“Right away, some people might say ‘He’s a student. He only cares about students,’” Taylor said. “But I want to make it clear right now that is not the case. As your city councilman, I will work to get students involved with the community like never before. I am excited to show how enthusiastic I am about this community, and how enthusiastic Binghamton University students are about it.”
He discussed his plans to be accessible to the constituency and repair run-down housing in the North Side. He also discussed improving public safety and promoting economic development Downtown, which would encourage patronage from visitors around the state as well as for students to stay after graduation.
“We need to capitalize on the incredible momentum for development,” Taylor said. “I see a bustling riverside promenade with cafes and restaurants. I see people walking up and down Court Street after an afternoon of shopping. Binghamton’s Downtown has the potential to be a regional destination.”
Though he currently lives in College-in-the-Woods, Taylor plans on moving into the fourth district by the summer, according to his campaign manager Harris Weiss, a junior majoring in political science. This would satisfy the Board of Elections requirement stating the candidate must reside in their target district by the day they are sworn in.
Students in attendance, like Ruslan Klafehn, a freshman majoring in political science, said he supported Taylor because of his ideas of expanding Downtown and increasing safety.
“I support the public infrastructure plans he has,” Klafehn said. “Part of the reason students are scared to come to parts of Downtown is because they don’t feel safe. Some streets are poorly lit. Seeing that the area is safe would encourage students to come.”
Also present was his entirely student-run campaign staff, along with former state senate candidate Anndrea Starzak, whose campaign he worked on last semester.
“His very first semester he knocked on more doors of people in the area than people who have lived here all their lives,” Starzak said. “He’s knocked on doors, talked to people. He learned so much about the needs of the people, the needs of the area. He’s very motivated, and it’s great to hear him to say ‘we can do better.’”
Joseph Arra, a senior double-majoring in economics and political science, is the field director for the campaign. He said the next few weeks in the campaign are going to be directed to registering voters, and getting them involved with Binghamton and its local government.
“We want to register as many students as possible,” Arra said. “The goals of Conrad’s campaign goes beyond the fourth city council district. He wants to make sure that even if they don’t live Downtown, they should get engaged in the community and its political process.”