Author name: Tarik Abdelazim

Open Letter to Binghamton Officials on Proposed Code Enforcement Reforms

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April 3, 2022   Dear Council Members, I am writing about the code enforcement proposals recently announced by Mayor Kraham. While I support the overall efforts, the statements made by the Mayor and Councilmembers are a bit overstated. Moreover, the reforms don’t really solve the specific concerns expressed by the same officials. Or they simply […]

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Corporate Investors Feast on Binghamton’s Rental Housing Market

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Outside Corporate Investors Feast on Rental Market, Exploiting Binghamton’s Outdated Assessments Enough is Enough: We Need a Citywide Re-Assessment That is Fair to all Property Owners   BINGHAMTON – Amicus LLC, registered with the New York State Department as a foreign corporate entity, is the latest outside institutional investor to quietly feast on Binghamton’s rental

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Mayor David Breaks Promise: Purchases Rental Property under Secret LLC

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In an April 28, 2017 Press and Sun Bulletin article about Mayor David’s real estate holdings and potential conflicts of interest, the reporter noted that Rich David made a promise not to purchase any properties while serving as Mayor. “While he’s mayor, though, he will not purchase any commercial properties, he said in a March

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Mayor David’s 2022 Budget: Hidden Gems for Police, the Baseball Stadium, and the Golf Course; And the Impacts of David’s “Big Flush” Start to Emerge

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Binghamton Mayor Rich David unveiled his 2022 Budget last week, a financial plan that the next mayor will inherit. As usual, Mayor David’s final Budget Address was full of political soundbites and rosy rhetoric, intentionally directing the gaze of the media exactly where he wanted. Here are four key takeaways, unpreported by the local press,

Mayor David’s 2022 Budget: Hidden Gems for Police, the Baseball Stadium, and the Golf Course; And the Impacts of David’s “Big Flush” Start to Emerge Read More »

Mayor David Already Exhausts All $23 Million of Recovery Funds On Outrageous, Slap-In-The-Face Priorities Without Any Public Input

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Binghamton received the first half of the unprecedented federal recovery award, $23 of $46 million, this summer. According to the 8/16 City Council Work Session Packet, Mayor David has already programmed every penny. And aside from a last-minute, face-saving announcement of $6 million for affordable housing, not a single penny is being allocated to help

Mayor David Already Exhausts All $23 Million of Recovery Funds On Outrageous, Slap-In-The-Face Priorities Without Any Public Input Read More »

$48 Million for An Equitable Recovery in Binghamton: Commit at Least Half to Housing Justice

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As reported previously here at The Bridge, Binghamton is in line for $48 million in flexible federal aid to support recovery efforts as we emerge from the crushing impacts and trauma wrought by the pandemic. The first $24 million is expected by May 10, and the second half will be wired by the US Treasury

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The Federal Aid Windfall is not a Political Slush Fund: Here’s Why the Smart Move from Local Leaders Right Now is Patience

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Local leaders all over the country—Republican and Democrats—are elated by the eye-popping federal aid awards included in Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. As reported previously here at The Bridge, the City of Binghamton is slated to receive about $48 million, and the Town of Union is in line for $32 million. The U.S. Treasury

The Federal Aid Windfall is not a Political Slush Fund: Here’s Why the Smart Move from Local Leaders Right Now is Patience Read More »

The Money Coming to Local Governments under Biden’s American Rescue Plan is Staggering and Fully Flexible: We Must Not Let Mayors, County Executives, and Governors Squander this Unprecedented Opportunity

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Back in 2009 and 2010, as local governments started to drown in the wreckage of the Great Recession, Washington didn’t even bother to show up to lend a hand. Our federal leaders from both parties were too busy shoveling tax dollars to the very same Wall Street firms that imploded our economy and ultimately wiped-out

The Money Coming to Local Governments under Biden’s American Rescue Plan is Staggering and Fully Flexible: We Must Not Let Mayors, County Executives, and Governors Squander this Unprecedented Opportunity Read More »

NYC Equity Firm Makes Multi-Million Dollar Bet on Binghamton’s Student Rental Market: Outdated, Inequitable Assessment System Exposed

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BINGHAMTON – In November 2019, a multi-million dollar transaction in student rental housing on Binghamton’s west side went completely unnoticed and unreported. Over three days that month, Stonebridge Property Group (SPG), a private equity firm from New York City, acquired 34 Binghamton properties—33 residential properties on the west side in the “college housing district” and

NYC Equity Firm Makes Multi-Million Dollar Bet on Binghamton’s Student Rental Market: Outdated, Inequitable Assessment System Exposed Read More »

Binghamton’s Police Reform Panel: Not Even Started, and Already a Failure

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On June 12, Governor Cuomo issued an Executive Order requiring each local government in the state, with a paid police department, to adopt a policing reform plan by April 1, 2021. On June 15, Mayor David was quick to respond, explaining to Bob Joseph on WNBF that a coalition will soon be named to start

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