Incumbent Suzy Ryan, ‘90, is the Democratic candidate for Broome County’s 11th district in the Broome County Legislature. Ryan teaches at Binghamton University as an adjunct faculty member in the environmental studies department. Ryan did her undergraduate studies at BU, where she studied geology, and her graduate studies at the University of Southern Maine — in the Muskie School of Public Policy. Ryan is a member of the Economic Development, Education & Culture, Health & Human Services Committee and the Environmental Management Council Committee.
What are the biggest concerns you have with your district and how do you plan to approach them?
“As a Broome County legislator, my district includes parts of the West Side of Binghamton and Johnson City, south of Main Street to the Susquehanna River. Many homeowners in this area experienced the devastating floods of 2006 and 2011, and so one of my priorities was to address the increased risk of flooding due to climate change. In my first year of office, I had Broome County adopt a pledge to become a designated Climate Smart Community, opening State funding and committing us to mitigating climate impacts and flooding. My overarching goal as a legislator and long-time resident, is to create a more vibrant community through sustainable economic, environmental and social policies.”
How do you plan to engage with members of your community and address some of their concerns? More specifically, how do you plan to do this for BU students?
“As a local resident, I am actively engaged in several community organizations. For years, I have volunteered for local schools, charities and the “Showers of Hope” program through Saint Patrick’s church, which provides food, clothing and showers for people in need. As an adjunct professor of environmental studies, I encourage my students to become more engaged in the Greater Binghamton area through internships, cleanups, community gardens and research projects that directly benefit our area.”
What do you believe has the highest priority when allocating funds from the county budget?
“That is a good question, but not easy to answer. Broome County has nearly 200,000 residents, 24 local municipalities and an annual budget of over $400 million dollars — all our programs are critical to this area and to our residents. There is no fluff. During the budget review process, our goal is to maintain critical services while keeping taxes at or below the previous year’s budget. We have done this successfully for the last four years. The County manages critical services to the elderly, veterans, individuals and families in need. We manage the [Visions Veterans Memorial Arena], the [Broome County Forum Theater], the libraries, the parks, the Sheriff’s Department, the Willow Point Nursing Home and other key facilities. We manage key county-wide infrastructure such as cell towers, county roads, the Greater Binghamton Airport and the Broome County Transit System, among others. In my early career, I helped to implement county-wide recycling, hazardous waste collection and the annual riverbank cleanup, and so, these programs will always have my support. One of the biggest challenges is to offer fair and equitable wages to our employees too, while keeping the budget in check. This, I believe is our highest priority this year.
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?
“As Broome County government, we continually support investment in new affordable housing developments (former IBM country club site), loft-style apartments (former EJ Victory Building in JC) and the renovation of blighted properties in the urban core (through the Broome County Land Bank). The County is responsible for collecting property taxes and foreclosing on property owners who are delinquent in payments, especially absentee landlords with multiple properties. Broome County strives to help homeowners who need leniency but are less lenient on the absentee landlords who are not paying their taxes. Local issues regarding infractions of code are the responsibility of the City, Town or Village code enforcement, which I fully support.”
What do you offer the students and youth of Broome County and why should they vote for you?
“I am a proud BU alumna (Harpur, Geology, ’90), an adjunct professor in environmental studies and have 30 years of experience at the local, state, national and international levels. I moved back to my hometown 10 years ago because there is potential here — the people, the natural resources and the unique culture of Broome County have so much to offer. By connecting our campus to the community and vice versa, I hope to make Broome County a vibrant and sustainable place to live.”