The Binghamton City Council is facing a new vacancy after the resignation of Olamni Porter, a Democrat who represented the first district. Porter’s departure from the council was reported on Tuesday by several local news organizations.

He told WNBF, a local commercial radio station, that he resigned because, during his time on the council, he became frustrated with infighting and political gridlock within the government. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The responsibility for filling the vacancy will now fall to the City Council, and the appointee must be a member of the Democratic Party.

“I wish him well and look forward to working with whoever the council appoints to fill the vacancy,” wrote Nate Hotchkiss ‘12, a Democrat representing the fourth district.

Porter was one of six Democrats elected to the council in 2023, flipping the chamber from Republican control. A Binghamton resident for over 20 years, he had told Pipe Dream in October 2023 that he was motivated to run because of the “inaction of the current City Council.”

“Living here for [over] 20 years and [nine] of those years as an EMT, I witnessed Binghamton residents struggle with basic needs and Republican policies creating despair,” Porter told Pipe Dream at the time. “I witnessed homes not being kept up by landlords and working people looking for food lines for their next meal.”

Porter defeated Mary Ann Callahan with just over 56 percent of the vote, flipping a seat held by Republican Giovanni Scaringi, a research assistant professor at Binghamton University’s School of Management. The district includes the First Ward and much of historic Clinton Street.

A statement provided to several news organizations from Councilmember Rebecca Rathmell of the sixth district, the chamber’s majority leader, said a replacement would be appointed by Feb. 10, and a special election will be held this November to fill the rest of the term.

A dispute over appointment power between the City Council and Mayor Jared Kraham, a Republican, made its way to the Broome County Supreme Court early last year after a tied election resulted in a vacancy. In February 2024, Judge Joseph McBride ruled that the council had appointment authority, but that an appointee must be of the same political party as the person they replaced.

At the time, Benji Federman, the Broome County Republican chair, nominated Philip Strawn, the incumbent. The council instead elevated Michael Kosty, a sales consultant at Matthews Auto Group.

Rathmell’s statement said that the council would work with local Democratic leadership to find a new councilmember. Teri Rennia, the chair of the Broome County Democratic Party, told Pipe Dream that the committee would try and make a recommendation to the City Council by the end of this week.

“We’re sorry to see him go,” Rennia said. “He worked really hard to get there. The people of the First Ward deserve good representation.”