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.

In your opinion, what is the most pressing issue in your district and why?

“The most pressing issue in the seventh City Council district is the lack of proper stormwater drainage. My district was devastated by the 2006 and 2011 floods. Please consider watching [YouTube videos]. Although the results were to be expected, these are not the only cases in which the East Side has experienced substantial flooding when other parts of the city have not. My constituents deserve to live in neighborhoods that have proper pump stations and strategic flood mitigation plans to prevent further property damage and life-threatening conditions. I have worked diligently during my past three years on City Council to secure funding for this project and I am glad that the pump station construction will begin later this year.”

How do you envision engaging with the community and addressing the concerns they may have? More specifically, what would you do to engage Binghamton University students in these community issues?

“Prior to City Council, I served on the Binghamton School Board. I was very involved in community events focused on youth sports and I did not forget the importance of providing funding for music and arts for those students who were not interested in sports. I would like to see our local college students get involved in youth activities in the city of Binghamton, whether that be through Binghamton schools or local nonprofits such as the Boys & Girls Club. If the voters choose me to represent them for another four years, I will discuss potential opportunities with the city’s parks department and the mayor’s office for college student engagement.”

Do you have any plans to address the housing blight in your district, and the city as a whole? Please explain why or why not.

“In my district specifically, property owners who do not have a vested interest in the building do not necessarily maintain acceptable appearance which entails that I, as the representative, have to contact code enforcement to tackle these issues. Unfortunately, the city and county cannot foreclose on a property unless the owner has not paid their property tax. In the past, I have worked with property owners in the donation process. Property owners in the city have the opportunity to donate their blighted properties for demolition. This is a practice I will continue in my next four years on City Council.”

If you could make changes to the building codes or code enforcement in the city, what would they be? If you would not make any changes, please explain why not.

“I want to see more code enforcement officer positions available in the city. I truly believe that our officers are overworked and underpaid for the skills they have. It may take weeks for code [enforcement] to respond to a complaint at a property and then it takes an additional few days for a citation issued and court date assigned. It is a long and frustrating process for residents in my district. The changes I would propose to the current administration and future administration is to add more code enforcement positions in the city at a steady pace.”

What changes, if any, would you make to public transportation in your district and why?

“Public transportation is managed by Broome County. More specifically, Broome County Transit. City Council does not approve budgets or pass legislation that relates to public transportation.”